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iPhone won't rotate iOS user interface -> solved

snipper

snipper

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 9, 2004
240
31
My iPhone XR won't rotate iOS to the horizontal setting. At the same time, apps like Safari and YouTube rotate instantly. Even Settings will rotate just fine.

Already tried:
  • Checked the rotation lock system setting
  • Checked the Settings > Screen and brightness > 'larger / normal icons' setting
  • Restarted iOS
  • Hard reset preferences
  • Re-installed iOS 15.5
  • Tried the AssistiveTouch route to 'force rotate' iOS -> nothing
Does iOS not rotate on the XR?? My father has an old iPhone 6 Plus (screen size is smaller, OS is older) and it rotates just fine.
 
StumpyBloke said:
That’s because it doesn’t rotate on the XR.
Click to expand...
I don't understand the logic why apps rotate, often in complex designs, but not the system itself. Or why one model would rotate and the other not. Is there any explanation for it? Also, didn't see anything about it on the Apple help pages.
 
Update: I contacted Apple chat support and they said iOS 13 and up doesn't rotate on ANY iPhone.

So not just on the XR. Can anyone confirm this?
 
StumpyBloke said:
I will probably get shot down for flames with this, but Apple and logic do not go together. Some of the decisions they make are beyond the comprehension of anybody with a normal mind in my opinion.
Click to expand...
LoL I like macOS and iOS a lot, for decades, but you are right that some decisions are hard to comprehend.
 
Likely the inclusion of widgets in iOS 13 made it so there was no elegant way to rotate the home screens without creating icon/widget mayhem. - so they axed it.
I had an iPhone 6 Plus on iOS 9 for 5 years. I never used it in rotated horizontal mode ever - even though it could do it.
 
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now i see it said:
Likely the inclusion of widgets in iOS 13 made it so there was no elegant way to rotate the home screens without creating icon/widget mayhem. - so they axed it.
Click to expand...
This is highly unlikely. The widgets are just another set of squares with rounded edges, just like the preferences and those are available in horizontal view too.

Look at the horizontal versions of Mail, Calender, Settings etc. Those are much more complicated and yet they spared no effort.
 
snipper said:
This is highly unlikely. The widgets are just another set of squares with rounded edges, just like the preferences and those are available in horizontal view too.

Look at the horizontal versions of Mail, Calender, Settings etc. Those are much more complicated and yet they spared no effort.
Click to expand...

You know with Apple it will be down to either sheer incompetence or they can’t be arsed because we still can’t resize existing widgets. Pathetic.
 
  • Angry
Reactions: EmotionalSnow
Thanks. So the newest option would be a iPhone 8 Plus from 2017. Yeah, that's not a very tempting solutions for me, haha.
 
snipper said:
Thanks. So the newest option would be a iPhone 8 Plus from 2017. Yeah, that's not a very tempting solutions for me, haha.
Click to expand...
wondering why this is something you even want to do? if it's a feature that hasn't been available for many years, sounds like it wasn't that important to your workflow.
 
kevcube said:
wondering why this is something you even want to do? if it's a feature that hasn't been available for many years, sounds like it wasn't that important to your workflow.
Click to expand...
Many years.. No. iOS 13 was introduced just 3 years ago.

Maybe I was, until recently, using an older phone that still does this. Or maybe I recently discovered the horizontal apps layout offers more options and makes use of space more efficiently. Or maybe I just didn't take the time to get to the bottom of this because Apple is not exactly communication *anything* about this on their website.

No matter if you like the rotated view or not, it's simply inconsistent design to have an operating system with a home screen that can only be viewed vertically, while most of Apple's own apps like Calender and Mail have features that are only available in the horizontal layout.
 
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