Landscape issues continue to plague iPhone 6 users even after the company’s latest iOS 8.0.2 update. While there is no panacea for iPhone 6 landscape issues, there are a few things you should try if your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus gets stuck in landscape mode.
In September, Apple launched two new iPhone models, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Both devices come with large screens that act as a canvas for beautiful apps, web browsing, and more. Most of the time iOS and those big screens play nice. However, as we document in our ongoing reviews of Apple’s new iOS 8 operating system, there are times when iOS 8 and iPhone 6 just don’t get along.
One of the problems that we and many other iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users face is a landscape issue where the device does not turn to portrait properly when switching from landscape mode. Landscape mode, for the unfamiliar, is page orientation where everything else is taller. It’s perfect for viewing certain apps, playing certain games, and browsing certain web pages. This is a view that many iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 owners use consistently. The problem is that it still doesn’t work properly.
iPhone 6 landscape issues first surfaced days after the iPhone 6 was released in September. While Apple’s iOS 8 bugfix update alleviated the problem, they did so only temporarily. For example, iOS 8.1.2, the company’s latest iOS 8 upgrade for the iPhone 6, kept the issue at bay on our iPhone 6 models for several weeks. But the problems returned in full force.
We’ve started noticing issues on a few (but not all) iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models lately, and we’ve heard from some users who still see this issue occur infrequently. While there doesn’t seem to be a fix that will root the issue, there are some temporary fixes that will alleviate landscape issues on the iPhone 6 should it occur.
If your iPhone 6 and/or iPhone 6 Plus gets stuck in landscape mode, here’s how to temporarily fix the problem.
How to Fix iPhone 6 Landscape Issues
If your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus starts exhibiting horizontal issues, there are a few things you can do to temporarily bring your device back to normal. The first few fixes are the most obvious.
First, you can hard-press the home button to exit the stuck app and return to the home page. Once there, double-tap the home button to bring up the multitasking functionality and close the problematic app.
You can also manually switch your phone from landscape to portrait and portrait to landscape to see if the software gets stuck. Both of these have worked for us in the past, but they may not reduce your time to run into problems. Our iPhone 6 landscape issues seem random, although we found a few tricks that limit the problem.
Turning off the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, both a soft reset (by pressing the power button) and a hard reset (holding the home button and power button to turn it off) seem to reduce the number of times the iPhone 6 works. Landscape problems arise.
If nothing works, you can also try a factory reset, but we only recommend this if you’re desperate. If you go this route, be sure to back up all your important files. Again, this is just a last ditch move.
You can also wait for Apple’s next iOS update, but remember, we’ve seen iOS updates kill the iPhone 6’s ongoing landscape issues only to return two weeks later.
