If your iPhone 6s Plus screen is stuck in portrait or landscape mode and won’t rotate when you turn the phone, don’t worry. This guide will walk you through all the possible causes and fixes to get screen rotation working again.
Make Sure the App Supports Rotation
Not all apps rotate. Some, like Settings or Music, are locked to portrait mode. Test screen rotation on the Home screen or in apps like Safari or Messages, which support both portrait and landscape.
Check if Orientation Lock is On
If your screen won’t rotate at all:
- Swipe down from the top-right corner (or up from the bottom on older models) to open Control Center.
- Look for the lock icon with a circular arrow around it.
- If it’s on, tap it to turn off orientation lock.
Reboot Your iPhone
Sometimes, a quick restart fixes minor glitches:
- Press and hold the Power button until “slide to power off” appears.
- Power off, wait 30 seconds, then turn it back on.
If your screen is frozen, do a force restart:
- Hold the Power and Home buttons together until the Apple logo appears.
Check Display Zoom Settings
If Display Zoom is set to “Zoomed,” the Home screen won’t rotate.
- Go to Settings → Display & Brightness → View → Display Zoom.
- Choose Standard, then tap Set.
Calibrate the Motion Sensors
Your iPhone uses a gyroscope and accelerometer to detect movement. If these are out of whack, recalibrating can help:
- Open the Compass app.
- If prompted, follow the on-screen steps to calibrate (tilting the phone to roll a ball around the circle).
If you don’t get the calibration screen:
- Force close Compass.
- Reboot your iPhone and open Compass again.
Update iOS
A software bug might be messing with your screen rotation.
- Go to Settings → General → Software Update.
- If an update is available, back up your phone and install it.