Having your phone’s screen rotate when you choose is a crucial and must-have feature for most phone users. The Samsung S8, though a beautiful phone with an engaging display, experiences some autorotation errors. This is where the screen does not automatically change to landscape layout when it is tilted. It can be a very annoying and irritating experience, as evidenced by user comments on social media. While in some cases the reason is simple and easily fixed by switching the phones autorotation settings, for others the problem may involve a third party app causing the issue. Here are some tips to help resolve common screen rotation issues on the S8. These tips also apply to the Samsung S8 plus and S8 Edge phones.
Check The Autorotation Status Mode
When your Samsung S8 screen does not rotate when tilted the very first thing to do is what the autorotation setting is set to. Sometimes we unintentionally turn off autorotation. This is easily resolved on screen as follows.
- Drag down the notification toggle from the top of the screen
- Check the autorotate icon (If autorotation is off, you will not see the autorotate icon. Instead, you will see portrait written under the icon).
- Tap on the icon to tun off portrait lock and switch on autorotation
- Check if the problem is resolved by tilting the phone into sideways landscape orientation
Reboot Your Phone
If after enabling autorotation the problem persists, restarting your phone could be the solution. Sometimes minor bugs occur after, for example, an update. Rebooting the phone could easily fix it.
- Press and hold the power button until the power menu appears
- Tap on the green ‘restart’ option
- Confirm by choosing ‘restart’ again
- After the phone restarts check the autorotation setting and confirm if a restart fixed the issue.
G-sensor And Accelerometer Issues
The autorotation feature on a Samsung S8 depends on the G sensor and Accelerometer. Calibration of the two is be causing rotation issues, This is solved by using the phone’s calibrator or use third-party apps. To utilise the phone’s calibrator;
- Drag down the notification bar and put your phone on portrait lock
- Proceed to the phone’s settings
- Tap on the calibrate option
Ensure your phone is on a flat surface before calibrating it. Avoid moving the phone until the end of calibration. Switch on autorotation and check whether the feature works.
TouchWiz App
The autorotation function may experience problems if TouchWiz, an app which supports most of the phone’s functions, experiences problems. Normally, a reboot would solve this problem. However, sometimes the issue persists. Clearing the TouchWiz data cache could be the solution.
- Select the S8 settings
- Select Applications
- Choose TouchWiz
- Tap ‘clear all the cache files’. Go on to choose the clear data alternative to delete all the TouchWiz App data. This will refresh the app cache and potentially clear issues.
Restart your phone, check if autorotation is enabled and check if it works.
Update Your S8 Software
Autorotation could be affected by your phone’s software. Regular updates are critical in ensuring the developers solve and clear any existing bug or software issues. Ensure you look for existing software updates to rule out the problem being the software.
- Go to your S8’s settings
- Tap on ‘about device’
- Choose to manually check for updates
- The phone will run a check and will notify you if any is available or not. If an update is available, download and install it. Check if the autorotation problem on your S8 is solved.
Third-Party Permissions
Some third-Party applications may request control of the S8 autorotation function. This can lead to trouble. In this case, uninstall the app and check the problem. If you aren’t sure about the cause of the issue, restart your Samsung S8 in safe mode. In safe mode, you can use your phone’s features while all third-party applications are disabled. It will help you determine where the problem may be, either the software or the hardware. Proceed as follows.
- Switch your phone off
- Wait for a few seconds and power it on
- Continuously press the power button until the Samsung logo appears
- Let go of the power button and hold the volume down button until the phone reboots
The phrase ‘safe mode’ will appear on screen to confirm success. If the problem is gone, then an app is the problem. Switch the phone back to safe mode and uninstall the app.
Hardware Problems
If none of the above work then there is a reasonable chance your Samsung S8 might have a hardware problem. If you think this is the case then contact us and we can advise or offer a repair in most cases.
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