How to stop your phone from rotating

As great as they are, smartphones come with many annoyances. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I’m in the middle of something. I tilt the phone too far to one side; everything onscreen switches to the landscape. Argh! Android has a setting to prevent this.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Find your Settings app open it.

2. Tap the Display settings.

3. Locate the Auto rotate and tap.

4. To turn the setting back on, go back and tap.

Fortunately, Android does provide another way to get to this setting. There’s a shortcut available through the slide-down notification shortcut screen. And, of course, there are tons of widgets in the Play Store for you to toggle right on your home screen.

If your Galaxy phone or tablet won't stop rotating its screen, or, on the other hand, if it does not rotate at all, don't panic. Your device comes with screen rotation settings built right in. It's just a matter of making sure you have the correct settings in place. You can make your device's screen rotate freely with Auto rotate, or lock it in one position using either Portrait or Landscape mode.

There are three different icons used for changing your screen orientation: Auto rotate, Portrait, and Landscape.

Auto rotate: Allows your device’s screen orientation to automatically adjust and rotate depending on how you are holding your device. For example, if you turn your device sideways, the screen will automatically switch to Landscape mode. The Auto rotate icon looks like a small phone surrounded by two arrows. The icon will glow blue when enabled.

Portrait or Landscape mode: Portrait locks the screen in the upwards position, while Landscape locks the screen in the sideways position. Both icons look like a lock and are gray when enabled. When enabled, your device's screen will not rotate based on how you are holding it, however apps that are designed for a specific mode will rotate the screen as necessary.

Auto rotate is turned on by default when you first get your phone or tablet, but it can be turned off at any time. Locking your screen in either Portrait or Landscape mode is actually the same thing as turning off Auto rotate. Once Auto rotate is disabled, your device will lock in whatever position you were holding it in.

To adjust the screen rotation settings:

Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the Quick settings panel.
Look for the screen orientation icon. Depending on your settings, you may need to look for the Portrait, Landscape, or Auto Rotate icon. Remember, the Portrait and Landscape icons are gray when they're active, while the Auto Rotate icon is blue when enabled.
If the screen is locked in Portrait or Landscape mode and you need to change it, tap the icon (either Portrait or Landscape) so it activates Auto rotate. If Auto rotate is already activated, you don't need to select anything.
After Auto rotate is enabled, close the Quick settings panel. Next, hold your device in your desired position – either upright or sideways.
Open Quick settings again. Whether you are holding your device upwards or sideways, swipe down from the top of the screen. Tap the Auto rotate icon to lock your device in your desired position. Remember, Portrait is when the device is upwards, and Landscape is when the device is sideways.
Once your screen is locked in Portrait or Landscape mode, your screen will no longer rotate when you turn your device.
To unlock your screen or change the screen orientation, repeat these same steps until you’ve set your desired screen position.

Note: Some apps may not be capable of rotation and will still open in Portrait or Landscape mode by default. Many screens may not support rotating the device upside-down.

Does your Quick settings panel seem to be missing the Rotate icon? There may be a simple explanation.

If the screen is locked in Portrait or Landscape, the screen orientation icon will be labeled as such. The Auto rotate icon will only appear if the Auto rotate feature is activated. If you see an icon that says Portrait or Landscape, you can tap it to enable Auto rotate. Or, you can just leave it alone if you'd prefer to keep your device's screen orientation locked.

If you still cannot find the screen orientation icon, it's possible that you accidentally removed it from the Quick settings panel. But don't worry, it's easy to add back.

Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the Quick settings panel. Tap More options (the three vertical dots), and then tap Edit buttons. Touch and hold the Auto rotate icon, and then drag it to your desired position. When you're finished, tap Done. Now the Rotate icon will be easy to reach and you can adjust your screen’s rotation settings accordingly.

By default, your device's screen will not rotate when you are on the Home screen, but you can change this. Simply go to your Home screen settings to make your Home screen rotate sideways.

To check other rotation settings, open the Quick settings panel by swiping down from the top of the screen. Touch and hold the Auto rotate icon to open its settings, and then review the options for the Home screen, Lock screen, and Voice call screen. You can turn on your preferred settings by tapping the switches next to them, and then tapping Done.

Note: This option is not available on tablets.

Even if Auto rotate is enabled, you can temporarily lock the screen so it doesn't rotate. This can be helpful if you are looking at a PDF or document and want to rotate your hand or device without changing your screen orientation.

To do this, keep a finger on the screen while turning the phone or tablet. The screen will stay in its original orientation as long as you hold your finger in place. Release your finger to allow the screen to rotate.

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