# The safety reason TSA might ask you to turn on your phone

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-safety-reason-tsa-might-ask-you-to-turn-on-your-phone/
- Published: 2026-11-10T00:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-10T00:21:30+00:00
- Original publisher: Engadget
- Original article: https://www.engadget.com/2307751/why-tsa-ask-turn-on-phone-safety-reason/
- Topics: Culture, Travel

## Key points

- TSA’s phone power check dates back to 2014.
- A phone that will not turn on may mean extra screening.
- CBP border searches follow different rules.

## Summary

TSA may ask travellers to switch on a phone at airport security to check that it works. The practice dates to a 2014 rule for travellers arriving from overseas and is intended to help ensure devices are not being used to conceal or trigger explosives.

If a device has no power, the traveller may face additional screening; if it turns on, that should generally be enough for TSA to confirm it is functional. The article distinguishes this check from phone searches by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP): at the border, CBP can conduct a basic inspection, and a more thorough one if it has reasonable suspicion. A proposed request for five years of social media history is not law.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.