Sometimes, things just look better in landscape. As easy as portrait orientation makes texting and browsing on the go, it can be useful to flip your phone screen from time to time to get a better look at images, maps and other landscape-optimized content.
Luckily, the screen on your iPhone can rotate so you can see apps – such as Safari and Photos – in portrait or landscape mode.
Below, we’ll walk you through the simple way to do it – including tips for devices with and without Home buttons.
How to rotate the screen on an iPhone without a Home button
For all iPhones without a Home button – which is any device newer than the iPhone X – you’ll want to swipe down from the top right-hand corner of your screen to open the Control Centre.
From here, you’ll need to tap the Portrait Orientation Lock button (the padlock encircled by an arrow) to make sure it's turned off.
Turn your iPhone sideways, either 90 degrees to the right or left, and your screen will flip accordingly.
To lock the orientation in either portrait or landscape mode, simply re-open the Control Centre and tap the same button as previously. Repeat the process to unlock the orientation.
How to rotate the screen on an iPhone with a Home button
For those using devices with a Home button – that’s the iPhone SE, iPhone 8 and earlier – the method is a little different, albeit just as simple.
You’ll still want to tap the same Portrait Orientation Lock button in the Control Centre to make sure it's turned off, but this is instead accessed by swiping up from the bottom edge of your screen, rather than the top right-hand corner.
Useful tips
It’s worth noting that some apps don’t support rotation, so your screen may not rotate even if Portrait Orientation Lock is disabled.
Most Apple apps do, though, and some social media platforms allow for landscape orientation, but not all. Twitter and WhatsApp do, for example, while Instagram doesn’t.
- We walk you through how to crop and rotate photos on an iPhone
