Your iPad or iPhone screen can be easily rotated such that you can manage to see your home screen or apps in portrait or landscape mode. The landscape mode on iOS devices is a horizontal representation of your screen. In the portrait mode, the screen appears vertically. Using the rotation lock, you can easily switch apps or the home screen vertically or horizontally.
If you want to view different apps, including the Messages app or your home screen on your iPhone, you’ll need to rotate it. There are instances when your screen will seem like it stopped rotating. So, how will you get the iPad or iPhone screen rotating again? We’ll look into some of the things that you can do if you want to fix the iPhone screen rotation problem.
Extra Features When the iPhone is in Landscape Mode.
In most cases, the home screen and the apps will be displayed vertically. It means the portrait orientation lock is ON. If you want to view your app screen horizontally or play games, the auto-rotate function on your phone should be enabled first on the iPad or iPhone.
If the iPad or iPhone screen fails to rotate, you can try the following solutions:
The Portrait Orientation Lock Should Be Turned Off
Has your iPhone or iPad screen failed to rotate when turned sideways? Then you should disable the Portrait Orientation Lock. Go to the Control Centre and disable the function. The steps that you should follow include:
Method 1 – First Check
1. Open the Control Centre
- If your iPhone has Face ID, you can swipe down from the screen’s top-right corner.
- If your iPhone has a home button, you can swipe down from the screen’s edge.
2. The Portrait Orientation Lock Should Be Turned Off
You should look for the Portrait Orientation Lock – it is close to the “Do not Disturb Button.” Switch off the lock.
Method 2 – Confirm Whether the App Supports Screen Rotation
After turning off Portrait Orientation Lock, the screen should rotate and if there is an issue with the rotation feature, it’ll be fixed. If your iPhone screen doesn’t rotate, you should check whether any app you are using supports rotation. Keep in mind not all apps support rotation.
The home screen on some iPhone models can’t rotate. iPhone Max models are the only ones that have the auto-rotation feature. Some apps also have only been designed to operate in portrait mode.
Method 3 – Restart the iPhone
When you restart your iPhone, you’ll manage to close the applications that are open, including the ones responsible for auto rotation. The steps you should follow include:
- For iPhone X- you should press the volume up/down button and side button and hold. After the slide to power off feature appears, you’ll drag the slider and turn off the device. You can then press the side button and hold it to turn the iPhone ON.
- For iPhone 8 and earlier models- press the home button and hold until the slide to power off feature appears. You can drag the slider and turn off the device. You can then press the home button and hold it until you see the Apple logo, and your device will turn ON.
Method 4 – Turning Off the Display Zoom
If the Portrait Orientation Lock has been turned off, the iPhone screen cannot rotate when you hold your iPhone sideways. You can go ahead and check whether the display zoom has been enabled, and it can interface with the iPhone rotation. This model is only applicable to the iPhone 6 Plus and the iPhone max models. Only these iPhone models can switch the home screen either vertically or horizontally.
If you’re unable to rotate an iPhone screen, you should follow these steps:
- Open settings
- Tap ‘Display & Brightness’
- Tap ‘View’ under the ‘Display Zoom’
- Check standard and tap ‘set’
- Tap ‘use standard form’ to confirm
You can restart your phone and try to rotate your screen.
Method 5 – Reset all the Settings
If the issue still persists after the steps above then it’s time for the nuclear option. Fix the problem by resetting your iPad or iPhone. No data will be erased. However, different settings may be incorrect after a reset, including network settings, Wi-Fi connections, some bugs, and the Screen Time password.
To reset the iPhone, you should follow these steps:
- Launch ‘Settings’
- Tap ‘General’
- Scroll down, then tap ‘Reset’
- Tap on Reset, and all the iPhone settings will be set to the default
Final Comments
If you are still experiencing problems rotating your iPhone or iPad screen then contact our support team – we may be able to help.
See our costs for replacement iPad screen parts
