Why is my iPhone portrait orientation not working?

Why is my iPhone portrait orientation not working?
I’ve been having a frustrating issue with my iPhone recently. The portrait orientation just doesn’t seem to be working. Whenever I attempt to rotate my phone, it remains stuck in landscape mode regardless of how I handle it. I’ve tried shaking it, resetting it, and even turning it off and on again, but nothing seems to fix the problem. It’s really bothering me because it’s affecting how I view content and use various apps that I prefer in portrait mode. I’m not sure if there’s something wrong with my settings or if there’s a hardware issue at play.
8 Answers

Try recalibrating the motion sensors of your iPhone by using the Compass app. Open the Compass app and follow the on-screen instructions to calibrate the compass. After doing so, open an app that you know should rotate to see if the problem is resolved. The sensors might have been thrown off balance and recalibration could reset them.

It’s possible that an app you have installed is conflicting with the iPhone’s built-in rotation settings. Try closing all apps running in the background by swiping up from the bottom and pausing in the middle of the screen, then swiping up on each app. Restart your iPhone to clear any residual activity, then open a native app like Safari or Photos to see if the issue persists. Identifying problematic apps can be a trial-and-error process.

First, check if the Orientation Lock is enabled on your iPhone. A quick way to do this is to open the Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen (or up from the bottom on older models). Look for the Orientation Lock icon, which looks like a padlock with a circular arrow. If it’s highlighted, tap it to turn it off. This simple step might quickly resolve the issue if this is the cause.

If you have recently updated your iOS, it might be worth checking to see if another update is available or if reinstalling the current iOS version can resolve the issue. Go to Settings > General > Software Update, and if an update is available, download and install it. If not, you can connect your iPhone to a computer, open iTunes, and restore the software from there. Make sure to back up your data before proceeding with any updates or restorations.

Consider checking for any restrictions that might be affecting screen orientation. Head to Settings > Screen Time, then go to Content & Privacy Restrictions. Temporarily disable any restrictions in place and see if the portrait orientation works now. Sometimes these settings can inadvertently cause issues.

You might want to try performing a hard reset on your iPhone since many glitches are resolved this way. The steps vary by model: For iPhone 8 or later, quickly press and release the Volume Up button, then the Volume Down button, then hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo. For iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, hold the Volume Down button and the Sleep/Wake button simultaneously until the Apple logo appears. For iPhone 6s or earlier, hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button until you see the Apple logo. This could reset any stuck screen orientation functionality.