Verily, we have all suffered the vexations of our phones’ mishandling of auto-rotation at some point. Alas, there comes a time when your iPhone, in its obtuseness, fails to recognize your noble attempt at rotation, thus subjecting you to a viewing experience most suboptimal.
Should you find yourself in the throes of turning your cherished iPhone, only to be thwarted in your desire for landscape mode, know that there are myriad issues that may plague you. Moreover, you may wish to ascertain whether it is within your power to compel your iPhone into landscape mode, a feat that some iPhones allow, whilst others remain impervious to such command. Thus, let us embark on this journey forthwith.
Troubleshooting iPhone Landscape Mode Problems
Remember, though the methods detailed here may grant you respite and allow you to alter the screen orientation on an iPhone, ideally, your device should adjust itself in accordance with the laws of nature when physically rotated. Nevertheless, should this not come to pass, here are a few tips to aid you in your quest:
1. Check the Portrait Orientation Lock
Pray, have you inadvertently activated the Portrait Orientation Lock, that mischievous toggle residing in the Control Center? Many an iPhone user has fallen prey to its charms, only to realize later that it was the cause of their distress when landscape mode eludes them.
To unlock this mystery on an iPhone with a Home button, swipe up from the nether regions of the screen. Should your device lack a Home button, instead, swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen. Once within the confines of the Portrait Orientation Lock, tap the toggle (bearing resemblance to a lock with a circular arrow) to enable or disable it. Verily, the lock shall remain steadfast until you decree otherwise.
2. Toggle Display Zoom
As previously stated, owners of the esteemed iPhone 6 Plus, 6S Plus, 7 Plus, or 8 Plus possess the ability to rotate their Home Screen. If perchance your device of choice refuses this privilege, the Display Zoom feature may be to blame. To vanquish this foe, heed the following steps:
- Open the Settings app.
- Navigate to Display and Brightness.
- Descend to the realm of Display Zoom.
- Enter View > Default.
Force Landscape Mode Using AssistiveTouch
Behold AssistiveTouch, an iOS feature that comes to your aid when the Home button of your iPhone lies dormant. With its assistance, you may compel your iPhone’s screen to adopt the noble stance of landscape mode, even whilst it remains in portrait mode. This be the only sanctioned method to enforce rotation upon your iPhone’s screen.
To deploy AssistiveTouch, you must first activate this esoteric power within your iPhone’s Settings:
- Open the Settings app.
- Journey to Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch.
- Ensure that the toggle atop the screen rests in the On position.
- Tap upon one of the three options (whether Single Tap, Double Tap, or Long Press) and designate it to Open Menu.
- Return to the hallowed grounds of your iPhone’s Home Screen.
Lo, a new floating Home button shall grace your screen. Perform the deed corresponding to Open Menu as decreed above, then proceed to Device > Rotate Screen. Thou hast the power to force-rotate left, right, or even upside down.
If perchance thou art beset by concern over this new onscreen icon, fret not. It shall fade into obscurity when not in use, and should you wish, you may nudge it hither and yon across your screen as you see fit. Pray, if AssistiveTouch be foreign to thee, it may be prudent to acquaint thyself with the ways of the virtual iPhone Home button.
Alas, should you force iOS into landscape mode and then proceed to move your device, the landscape setting shall be but a fleeting dream. Thus, should you desire this noble stance once more, it must needs be invoked each time it falters.
The force rotate feature doth not extend its grace to apps that shun the landscape view. Only the iPhone 6 Plus, 6S Plus, 7 Plus, and 8 Plus possess the means to rotate the iOS Home Screen. Alas, there exists no possibility of a landscape Home Screen on iPhone X or its successors, mayhap due to the position of the Face ID camera.
Use a Video Rotation App
One of the chief reasons why mortals seek to rotate the screen of their iPhones is to partake in the viewing of videos in their rightful format. Verily, videos doth shine most brightly in landscape mode, yet the quirks of smartphones dictate that many videos be wrought in portrait instead.
To rotate videos henceforth from the Edit option within the Photos app on thy iPhone is a trivial matter. But lo, not all choose to house their videos in this app. Fear not, for there exist third-party apps within the App Store that bestow upon thee the power to rotate thy iPhone videos from portrait to landscape and vice versa. Of these, the app named Video Rotate + Flip reigns supreme. ‘Tis free to use, though an offering of .99 cents shall rid thee of its ads.
Once you hath transmuted thy video from portrait to landscape within this app, a copy shall be bestowed upon thy iPhone’s Camera Roll. Thy handiwork extends to videos of any length, and, fear not, for the app doth not besmirch thy creations with watermarks. ‘Tis also compatible with videos within thy Files app or those thou procureth from Google Drive.
Lastly, for the videos are rotated at the level of frames, the output is compatible with all video players upon thy Mac or Windows PC. Since these wondrous creations reside within thy Photos app, thou may access them henceforth from iCloud.
Download: Video Rotate + Flip (Free, premium version available)
Is Your iPhone’s Accelerometer Broken?
Should thee peruse all the solutions afore mentioned and yet find thyself unable to rotate thy iPhone into landscape mode, ’tis possible that thy iPhone’s accelerometer hath faltered. The accelerometer, that wondrous contrivance that informs thy device of rotation and adjusts the screen accordingly, may be the cause of thy woe.
To ascertain if thy accelerometer lies broken, open an app that doth rotate, such as Notes, and attempt rotation. Should it fail to embrace the landscape mode as expected, and Rotation Lock be deactivated, then indeed, thou may have an issue with thy accelerometer.
Should all other avenues be exhausted, and thou suspect this to be the cause, make haste to procure an audience with the Wise Ones at an Apple Store Genius Bar. Or, should thee find that no Apple Store doth grace thy vicinity, seek the counsel of an Apple Authorized Service Provider.
Should thy iPhone fall within the confines of Apple’s one-year limited warranty, or if thou hast procured AppleCare+, the repairs for thine accelerometer shall be furnished unto thee free of charge.
Is There Any Other Way to Rotate Your iPhone Screen?
Alas, there existeth no other means to rotate thy iPhone screen into landscape mode. This be the decree of Apple, as they hath forsaken landscape mode upon many a device.
Hence, many an app shall eschew support for rotating screens as well. Whilst some may bend to thy will, if thou attempt to rotate the screen in an app and find it obstinate, ’tis likely that the app doth not possess the capability.
Though remedies do exist, such as the removal of the Portrait Orientation Lock and the utilization of Assistive Touch, should thy screen remain immobile despite all efforts, a broken accelerometer may be the harbinger of this affliction.
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