Personally, I always disable auto rotation and fix the screen orientation to portrait. The only time I turn on auto rotation is when watching a video. Recently when I did that, I came across a strange issue. The screen orientation didn’t change from portrait to landscape when I tried to rotate the screen. The device simply refused to rotate. So, I did some research and found what was the issue. So, if you’re suffering from the same issue, here’s how to fix Android screen not rotating.
Fix Android Screen Not Rotating
There are a couple of reasons why your screen might be refusing to or unable to rotate. It could be because of a 3rd party app, a service, software bug, etc. We’ll get into each of them. Before we begin, it is wise to check if you have auto-rotation disabled. You can check it from the Quick Tiles, or from Settings > Display.
Also, make sure you restart your Android. A simple restart goes a long way in fixing common issues.
3rd Party App Preventing Rotation
If you have recently installed any app before you started experiencing the screen rotation issue, then that particular app might be the culprit. You can start by uninstalling any app that you installed before you started facing this issue. Google how you can boot your device in safe mode before you uninstall the application. Although this is not essential, it is recommended. Most Android devices let you boot into safe mode when you press and hold the Power button until a prompt appears.
After you’re in safe mode, see if the auto-rotation works, if it does then an app is causing the issue when the device is in normal mode.
Sensors Recalibration
If the problem is not caused by any 3rd party app, then it is possible that the gyroscope sensor is causing the issue. It might be uncalibrated. There are many ways you can recalibrate your sensors but the easiest way is by using Physics Toolbox. This app is free and lets you tinker around with every sensor you have on your Android device.
Firmware out of date
If the previous 2 solutions do not work for you, then the issue may be caused by a bug in the firmware. It might be time to update your firmware. There might be a fix that your device manufacturer has rolled out on an update.
Screen Touching
This is a common mistake done by many. There is a possibility that you are touching your Android screen when trying to rotate it. Make sure you are not doing that.
Force Stop App
If the auto rotation is working everywhere else except on a particular app, then the app is the culprit here. You will need to restart the app to get rid of this issue. To do so, go to Settings > Apps > Find the app > Force Stop. Then open the app again and see if the issue is gone.
Hope one of the solutions worked for you. If not then you will need to factory reset your Android. You can also use the Rotation Control app to have better control over screen rotation.
