How to Fix It When Android Screen Won't Rotate (2024)

Mobile Phones > Android

When troubleshooting an Android screen that won't rotate when you turn the phone sideways, look for the most common root cause. Hardware failure is least likely, so trying a reboot or updating your phone first is the easiest fix.

We've compiled proven fixes for this issue from the easiest to the most difficult.

Cause of Android Screen Not Rotating

Any of the below issues can prevent your screen to rotate properly when you turn your phone.

• Auto rotate option is turned off or not working.
• The screen you're using isn't set to auto-rotate.
• Recent apps are interfering with auto-rotate.
• You're touching the screen when you rotate.
• Your Android needs to be updated.
• G-sensor or accelerometer is faulty.

How to Fix It When Android Screen Won't Rotate

This issue has been reported happening on any Android phone, so it's usually nothing to worry about. Walk through these steps and you should be able to resolve the issue.

1. Turn on Auto rotate. You'll find this setting in the Quick Settings menu. If you see Auto rotate highlighted in blue, then auto rotate is turned on. If you don't see Auto rotate, but there's a Portrait icon instead, auto rotate is disabled. Tap Portrait to turn on auto rotate.

   If you've turned on the Talkback app in Accessibility Settings, you should know that enabling auto rotate can cause issues. Rotating the screen will interrupt any spoken feedback that's currently in process.

2. Don't touch the screen. Remember, your Android screen is a touch screen. Holding your finger on the screen while rotating your phone will lock auto rotate from working. Doing any Android gestures will have this same effect. So, whenever you rotate the phone, hold it by the edges of the body only. If you're convinced you weren't touching the screen, calibrate the touch screen make sure the screen isn't sensing taps when you aren't touching it.

3. Restart your Android phone. Restarting your phone purges system memory which often resolves many strange behaviors. Not only will it resolve minor issues like your Android screen not rotating, but it could also fix a slow phone or even fix a frozen screen.

   This should only be a reboot, not a reset. You shouldn't have to reset your Android phone to fix this issue with the screen not rotating.

4. Allow Home screen rotation. If a specific screen, like your Home screen, Lock screen, or Voice call screen won't rotate while other apps do, this may not be an issue with the auto rotate feature at all. By default, auto rotate will not rotate these screens. You can enable this by going back to the auto rotate icon described in the first step and tap just below the icon to enter its settings. Turn on Home screen, Lock screen, or Voice call screen to enable that.

5. Update your Android. New OS updates often include fixes for bugs and other issues. If there are any new viruses or malware that affect auto rotate, the newest updates could include patches. If you're experiencing other symptoms of an Android virus, you'll need to work on removing the virus from your phone.

   If you do discover that you had to clean your Android of a virus, you'll want to make sure you install a good antivirus app to prevent this from happening again in the future.

6. Double check rotate settings in the app you're using. For example you can set videos to rotate in Google Photos. Those app settings could be conflicting with your phone attempting to auto rotate.

7. Calibrate your Android's sensors. This involves moving your phone in a figure-eight motion. This causes the accelerometer and G-sensor to re-adjust their settings to default. This could potentially help the phone respond better to the motion of turning your hand when you want to rotate the screen.

8. Uninstall recently installed apps. If you recently installed any apps before this behavior started, that app could be causing conflicts with your Android's auto rotate feature.

9. Send the phone in for repair. The root cause could be faulty hardware and it might need professional repair.