It can be tough to stay entertained when you're on a flight, and while you can usually strike up a conversation with your partner, friend, or family member that you might be travelling with, that's not always possible if you're in a situation where you've been seated apart from each other.
And with all phones needing to be put into aeroplane mode before the flight takes off, you can't even talk to them via text message - or so many of us thought.
It turns out there is actually is an easy way you can chat with your mates through your phone, as one woman named Hollie recently shared with her social media followers.
Hollie stated in a video on her @holliemercedes TikTok account that as long as you and your travel buddy both have iPhones, you can send messages to one another using your phone's AirDrop function.
You won't be able to send actual texts, but you can write a message in the Notes app and then use AirDrop to send the file locally to your mate's phone, where they'll be able to read it, write their own reply, and send it back to you - all without needing to switch your phone's signal back on.
In her video, Hollie said: "This is what to do when you're flying with your boyfriend and he's not sitting next to you. I was a bit bored and I shouted across to Scott for him to unlock his phone and I sent him a message via AirDrop.
"I couldn't believe he actually sent me one back, I was like, 'how does he know how to do that?'. We continued having a conversation by AirDropping notes back and forth to each other.
"I received another AirDrop from him where he said it was a bit weird, and that the guy sitting next to him thought he wasn't in aeroplane mode and was so paranoid. So I wrap up the conversation here and just giggle away to myself at the situation.
"So, next time you're flying with a friend or partner and you're not sat together, do this! It's really funny."
The trick only works if everyone involved has an iPhone, as AirDrop is an Apple feature and won't work on Android phones. And you'll also need to make sure everyone has AirDrop switched on before the flight, as they won't be able to receive your messages if they've turned it off.
People in the comments were floored by the "genius" hack, with many of them saying they had no idea they could use AirDrop without taking their phone out of aeroplane mode.
One person said: "I didn’t know AirDrop works on aeroplane mode! Whaaat?!"
While another added: "Love this idea!"
Many others tagged their friends and loved ones and said they would have to try the trick out for themselves on their upcoming holidays.
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