Does your smartphone screen seem to spontaneously rotate when you least expect it?
Your smartphone allows you to view content in either landscape or portrait mode, depending on how you’re holding the device. Occasionally, however, the screen rotates when you don’t want it to.
To learn how to stop this from happening, learn how to use the orientation lock feature on your device and finally put an end to the madness.
iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch
If you have an Apple device running iOS 7 or iOS 8, orientation lock is located in the Control Center. To access the Control Center and disable or enable screen lock:
- swipe up from the bottom of the screen (the Control Center should now be visible)
- the top row of the Control Center shows five circular icons
- the icon on the far right features a padlock surrounded by a circular arrow
- hit this to turn orientation lock on or off
- when the icon turns white, this indicates that the screen is locked, and will remain in portrait mode until you turn it off
- swipe down to close the Control Center.
Android
If you have a Samsung Galaxy s4, s5 or s6 or tablet, the screen rotation lock is located in the notification bar.
- start by unlocking your device
- from the top of the home screen, swipe down to access the notification bar
- the top row of the notification bar shows five circular icons
- the screen rotation icon (featuring a circular arrow) is located on the far right
- hit this to turn screen rotation on or off
- when the icon turns green this indicates that the screen is unlocked, and you will be able to switch between portrait and landscape mode by placing your phone in either position
- to turn screen rotation off, simply hit the icon again
- swipe up to close the notification bar.
