Aeroplane icon on an Apple Watch or Garmin: what does it mean?
Airplane Mode: the watch’s wireless connections are turned off.
What each maker says
- Apple Watch — Airplane Mode. Airplane Mode is on. Wireless is turned off, but features that do not need wireless still work.
Source: Apple Support: Check the status of Apple Watch (Apple Watch User Guide) (checked 2026-09-29) - Garmin — Airplane Mode control. In the controls menu, selecting it turns on airplane mode, which turns off all wireless communications.
Source: Garmin Forerunner 265 Series Owner’s Manual: Controls (checked 2026-09-29)
- What it looks like
- An aeroplane seen from above.
- Shown by
- Apple Watch, Garmin
- On a phone
- Aeroplane at the top of a phone screen — what it means on an iPhone, Samsung Galaxy or Pixel.
Sources
Each meaning above is taken from the watch maker’s own guide, fetched and read on the date shown. The drawing is ours; the real icon on your watch may be drawn a little differently and can change with software updates.
- Apple Watch — Apple Support: Check the status of Apple Watch (Apple Watch User Guide). Covers: watchOS 27, the version the guide opened on; not dated on the page. Checked 2026-09-29.
- Garmin — Garmin Forerunner 265 Series Owner’s Manual: Controls. Covers: Forerunner 265 series; the controls on other Garmin models may differ; manual version 9, June 2025. Checked 2026-09-29.