How to Turn an iPhone Screen With & Without Control Center

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posted on 10 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Do you have apps that could be better viewed in landscape mode on your iPhone? If you turn off the Portrait Orientation Lock, you'll be able to auto-rotate your screen when you turn your iPhone sideways. This can be done with the Control Center or with AssistiveTouch. Be aware that turning your screen is only available in supported apps. This wikiHow will show you how to unlock Portrait mode to rotate your screen on an iPhone and how to troubleshoot the Portrait Lock when it isn't working.

Things You Should Know

On iPhone X or newer, swipe down at the top-right corner. If the padlock icon is highlighted, tap it to disable it.
On iPhones with a home button, swipe up on the home page. If the padlock icon is highlighted, tap it to disable it.
Open an app that supports screen rotation, and then turn your phone 90 degrees left or right. It will be switched to landscape mode.

Using the Control Center

Wake up your iPhone. If your iPhone display is off, wake it. You can do this pressing the side button. Newer iPhones have the Raise to Wake feature, which can wake the iPhone by lifting it.

Open the Control Center. On iPhone X or newer, swipe down on the top-right corner. On iPhones with a home button, swipe up.

Tap the padlock icon. On iPhone X or newer, this is underneath the Wi-Fi icon. On iPhones with a home button, this will be at the right side of the icon list. If the icon is highlighted, this means Portrait Orientation Lock is active. If it's highlighted, tap it again to turn it off.

Navigate to an app. You won't be able to rotate an iPhone's home screen, but you can rotate the screen in most apps. Some apps won't support a landscape shift. Similarly, any apps that use a forced screen rotation (including most games in the App Store) can't be rotated back.

Turn your iPhone 90 degrees to the left or right. Doing this should immediately prompt your screen to follow. If you're using an app that supports rotation, you should now see the app in landscape mode. If you reenable Portrait Orientation Lock while in landscape mode, the screen will return to portrait mode regardless of how you place the phone. Keep the Portrait Orientation Lock disabled if you want to freely swap in and out of landscape mode. Turn it back on again if you want your iPhone to stay in portrait mode regardless of position.

Using AssistiveTouch

Open the Settings iPhone Settings App Icon app. This is the grey cog icon. Use this method if you're unable to swipe down on your screen or press the home button.

Tap Accessibility. This is in the third group of options, below Home Screen.

Tap Touch. This will be next to a pointing finger icon with a blue background.

Tap AssistiveTouch. This will be at the top of the page.

Toggle on iPhone Switch On Icon "AssistiveTouch". When enabled, a button will appear on your home screen. To move the position, tap and drag the button.

Tap Double-Tap. This is below the Custom Actions header. You can also tap Long Press or Single-Tap.

Tap Lock Rotation. This will set your double-tap (or long press/single-tap) as the Lock Rotation button.

Navigate to an app. You won't be able to rotate an iPhone's home screen, but you can rotate the screen in most apps.

Double-tap the AssistiveTouch circle. If you selected single-tap or long press instead, do the respective touch instead.

Troubleshooting

Close the app and open it again. If your app isn't rotating, try to restart it. On iPhone X and later, swipe up on the home screen. Swipe up on the app to close it. Tap the app again on your home screen. On iPhones with a home button, double-click the home button. Swipe up on the app to close it, and then tap it again on your home screen.

Make sure the app is supported. Some iOS apps, such as the App Store, don't support screen rotation. This means they will only display in either portrait or landscape, never both. If the app isn't rotating, check other apps. If the other apps rotate without issue, then the previous app most likely does not support screen rotation.

Restart your iPhone. A quick restart could fix small issues, especially if you haven't restarted your device in a while. Turn off your iPhone, wait a few minutes, and then turn it back on again.

Update your iPhone. If you're having trouble with the Portrait Orientation Lock, you may need to update your device. Make sure your iPhone is plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi before you update.

Contact Apple Support. If your iPhone isn't rotating with supported apps, this may be an issue with the device itself. You'll need to contact Apple for a repair, or in some cases, a replacement.