Guides / Drift
Sleep sounds that work offline on a plane
Yes: a sleep sounds app plays on a plane as long as its sounds are stored on your phone, so pick one whose sounds ship inside the app (Drift, for example) or download your sounds before you board, and test it in airplane mode at home. Steady sounds like fan or a deep white noise mask engine roar best, at the lowest volume that covers it.
Test it in airplane mode before you fly
Many sleep apps stream their sounds or keep most of them online. Find out on the ground, not at 35,000 feet.
- Open Control Center and turn on Airplane Mode. Turn WiFi off too, because planes often let you turn it back on.
- Open your sleep app and play each sound you plan to use.
- Lock the screen and wait a minute. The sound should keep playing.
- Set the sleep timer and make sure it still counts down offline.
- If a sound will not play, it is streamed. Download it inside the app, or use an app whose sounds are built in.
Which sounds cover engine noise best
Cabin noise is a steady low roar, so a steady sound with plenty of low end covers it best. Fan and a deep white noise (often called brown noise) blend into the engine instead of fighting it. Rain and ocean change over time, which some people find more relaxing but which masks less.
Keep the volume low. Headphones on a plane are easy to turn up too far, and a sound only needs to be slightly louder than the noise you are covering.
Set up before boarding
- Charge your phone and headphones, or pack a short cable.
- Pick one sound and a sleep timer of about an hour so the app stops on its own.
- Wired headphones or earbuds that fit well block more noise than loose ones. Noise cancelling headphones plus a quiet sound work better than either alone.
- Turn on Do Not Disturb or a Sleep focus so notifications do not wake you when you land.
Apps whose sounds ship inside compared with streamed sounds
| Sounds built into the app | Streamed or downloadable sounds | |
|---|---|---|
| Works in airplane mode | Yes, nothing to prepare | Only the sounds you downloaded first |
| Storage used | Small and fixed | Grows with each download |
| Choice of sounds | A focused set | Usually a much larger library |
| Examples | Drift | Calm, BetterSleep and most large libraries (download first) |
The free white noise generator on this site plays in a browser, but it needs a connection to load, so use an app on the plane.
Drift: built for offline sleep
Drift is a free white noise and sleep sounds app for iPhone and iPad from Graysmith Labs. Every sound ships inside the app, so it plays the same in airplane mode as at home, and it keeps playing with the screen locked.
- Pick a sound. White noise, rain, ocean, stream and fan are free.
- Set the sleep timer: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour or 2 hours. Turn on wind down if you want it to fade out at the end.
- Lock your phone. Sleep mode keeps the screen dark if you leave it open.
Premium is $1.99 a month for six more sounds and no ads, and eligible new subscribers get a free week.
Questions
Do sleep sound apps work in airplane mode?
Only if the sounds are stored on your phone. Apps that stream need you to download sounds first. Drift's sounds ship inside the app, so it works in airplane mode with nothing to prepare.
What is the best sound to sleep on a plane?
A steady sound with low tones, such as fan or a deep white noise, blends into engine noise better than changing sounds like waves.
Will the sound keep playing when my iPhone locks?
In apps that support background audio, yes. Test it at home by locking the screen for a minute before you rely on it in the air.
Is white noise safe to listen to on a long flight?
Keep the volume at the lowest level that covers the cabin noise and use a sleep timer so it does not play all flight.