Rotate the screen on your iPhone or iPod touch

The screen on your iPhone and iPod touch can rotate so that you can see apps in portrait or landscape mode. Find out how to rotate the screen on your iPhone or iPod touch, or get help if this feature isn't working as expected.

Some apps don't support rotation, so your screen may not rotate even if Portrait Orientation Lock is turned off.

Rotate the screen on an iPhone that doesn't have a Home button

  1. Swipe down from the top right-hand corner of your screen to open Control Centre.

  2. Tap the Portrait Orientation Lock buttonNo alt supplied for Image to make sure that it's off.

  3. Close Control Centre.

  4. Turn your iPhone sideways.

If the screen still won’t rotate, try another app, such as Calculator or Safari, that works in landscape mode.

iPhone screen showing Control Centre with the Lock Rotation switch button highlighted.

Rotate the screen on an iPhone or iPod touch that has a Home button

  1. Swipe up from the bottom edge of your screen to open Control Centre.

  2. Tap the Portrait Orientation Lock buttonNo alt supplied for Image to make sure that it's off.

  3. Close Control Centre.

  4. Turn your iPhone or iPod touch sideways.

If the screen still won’t rotate, try another app, such as Calculator or Safari, that works in landscape mode.

Confirm app supports rotation

Remember that not all apps support rotation. Make sure you use an app that works in multiple orientations.

Use your iPhone or iPod touch as a level

Use the level in the Measure app to check if your device detects orientation changes:

  1. Open the Measure app.

  2. Tap Level, then hold your device against an object, such as a picture frame.

    1. Make an object level: Rotate the object and your device until you see green.

    2. Match the slope: Tap the screen to capture the slope of the first object. Hold your device against another object and rotate the device and the other object until the screen turns green.

  3. To reset the level, tap the screen again.

If the level is stuck, try restarting your iPhone or iPod touch.

Restart your iPhone or iPod touch

If the screen on your device still won’t rotate, try restarting your iPhone or iPod touch.

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