Making Tech Headlines · Page 8

TSA Gives the Phone Battery a Place on the Itinerary

November 10, 2026 at 6:01 AM EST · New York time

Travelers passing through airport security may be asked by the Transportation Security Administration to turn on a phone. Border agents can also conduct a more thorough device search, a separate concern for people entering the United States. The two situations involve different encounters with authorities. A request to power on a phone makes a charged battery a practical part of preparing for screening. A more thorough border search raises distinct questions about the personal information stored on or accessible through the device. A phone is both a piece of electronics and a container for material that can be important to its owner. It may hold travel details, messages and access to accounts, even though it appears at the checkpoint as a small rectangle placed among shoes and bags. Keeping it functional is another task to add to the ordinary work of organizing travel. For passengers, the battery has joined the list of things that need to cooperate on the way to a flight. The phone may already serve as a boarding pass, a map and a means of reaching people at the destination. Now it should also be ready to demonstrate that it can turn on, preferably before its owner has found coffee.

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