Flying back from the US yesterday, Tim and I had window seats one row behind the other (by choice, long story).    I’m a nervous flyer and this was the first time I haven’t had him right next to me so as we boarded I started to get more tense.  Tim suggested we find a way to message each other during the flight and quickly found Air Chat which we both downloaded.  It provides encrypted bluetooth messaging.

We paired our phones and that was it, we were able to chat the entire flight (Airplane mode does not require BT being disabled).  I’m not sure how far it would reach in a cabin, we were a row apart and it’s obviously limited by BT distance.  Useful I would have thought for families or groups travelling together.

Best of all they have a watch app so when my phone was turned off and he messaged me it would vibrate on my wrist and I could read it.  I couldn’t reply from the watch but we probably talked more during this flight than we do sitting next to each other.