Everyday September 2026

5 apps that still work in airplane mode

Airplane mode turns most of a phone into a brick. These five keep working with no connection at all: a map you downloaded before you left, the music files that actually live on the phone, the stars outside the window, an encyclopedia saved for later, and a chess opponent that never needs a signal.

The apps that still work in airplane mode are Organic Maps, MusicPal, Sky Guide, Wikipedia and Chess - Offline Board Game. I built MusicPal; the other 4 are other developers’ apps.

MiaAppLog— an iOS developer who reviews other people’s apps
Published September 2026 · apps and prices last checked 13 October 2026

Four stars is my score for how well an app answers this moment. An app I built gets four and a half — that is a rule, not a comparison. The App Store’s own average is on each card beside it.

1. 

   Organic Maps

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · Free · Navigation · App Store 4.7 (3,447)

   Download the map once; search and navigation then work with no connection.

   Official site ↗More lists with Organic Maps

   
2. 

   MusicPal Editor’s pick

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · Free · Music · App Store 5.0 (2)

   Audio files you import play with no connection, on a plane or underground.

   App Store ↗More lists with MusicPal

   
3. 

   Sky Guide

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · Free · Reference · App Store 4.8 (375,771)

   Hold it up to the sky to name stars, with or without Wi-Fi or signal.

   Official site ↗More lists with Sky Guide

   
4. 

   Wikipedia

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · Free · Reference · App Store 4.3 (6,315)

   Save articles to reading lists and read them later with no internet.

   Official site ↗More lists with Wikipedia

   
5. 

   Chess - Offline Board Game

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · Free · Games · App Store 4.9 (67,934)

   Play the computer offline at eight levels, with hints and undo.

   Official site ↗More lists with Chess - Offline Board Game

   

MusicPal is one of mine — everything else on this list is someone else’s app. How that works.