Xiaomi smartphone owners often experience a device screen that suddenly changes orientation at the most inopportune moment, such as reading books in bed, watching videos, or working with documents when a sharp turn of the picture interferes with the perception of information. Auto-rotation is useful in multimedia, but becomes an irritant in other use cases.
Fortunately, MIUI and the more recent HyperOS provide flexible tools to manage this setting, so you can completely block the change in orientation or customize its behavior for specific applications. In this article, we will explore all the available ways, from fast buttons to deep system settings.
Understanding how the accelerometer and gyroscope work in your device will help not only turn off the feature, but also make smartphone use more comfortable. We will look at methods that are relevant for both the budget models of the Redmi series and the flagship Mi devices.
Quick control through the notification curtain
The easiest and most affordable way to control the display's orientation is in the control center, and to access it, you need to swipe down from the top right corner of the screen (or from the entire top edge in older versions of MIUI), and there's a switch that's often called "Autoturn" or "Orientation."
Click on the icon to change its state, and if the icon is illuminated in blue or green, it means that the function is active and the screen will respond to the device's turns, you need to get the button inactive (gray), which will instantly capture the picture in the current position.
Sometimes users don't see the right icon in the standard set of widgets, so you should press the menu edit button (usually the pencil or gear icon at the bottom of the curtain) and drag the desired item to the active panel, which will take only a few seconds.
⚠️ Note: On some models with a shell MIUI 12.5 and above, the switch can be called "Orientation" and have two states: "Portrait" and "Album" in which case, select "Portrait" to lock the vertical position.
The advantage of this method is that you can change your settings on the fly without interrupting your application, which is especially true if you often switch between watching videos and reading text.
Configure through the system menu of parameters
If the menu doesn't work or you need a more detailed configuration, you should go to the basic settings of the system. The path to the desired parameter may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same. You need to find the section responsible for displaying information on the display.
Go to Settings → Screen or Settings → Additional → Screen Orientation. In some versions of HyperOS, this item is displayed in a separate menu called “Special Features.” Here you will find a switch that blocks the rotation of the interface.
Importantly, you can also find the “Orientation Lock” option in the settings menu, which works regardless of the sensor state, and activating this mode ensures that no application can turn the image over without your knowledge.
- 📱 Open the main menu of your smartphone settings.
- 🔍 In the search bar, type the word “Orientation” for quick access.
- ⚙️ Select "Screen" or "Additional settings».
- 🔒 Find and activate the turn lock switch.
The system menu is preferable if you want to make sure that the setting is applied globally to the entire system, a reliable method that does not depend on temporary failures in the operation of the notification curtain interface.
☑️ Checking screen settings
Use of the “Second Space” function and reading modes
MIUI is famous for its unique features, including Second Space and different reading modes. Sometimes orientation settings can conflict or duplicate in these modes. If the main rotate profile is disabled but it is turned on in read mode, it is worth checking the settings separately for each function.
Read mode often has its own set of display options, including automatic theme and orientation changes. To avoid confusion, go to the read mode settings (usually through a curtain or in the Screen section) and make sure there is no tick on the forced landscape mode.
A similar situation can be seen in Second Space, which is an isolated environment that has its own system settings, and you'll need to switch to the second space and repeat the locking procedure there if necessary.
⚠️ Note: When switching between the Main and Second Space, the sensor settings may be reset. Always check the relevance of the settings after changing the user profile.
Separation of settings allows you to flexibly configure the device: for example, in one space leave the autoturn to work with graphics, and in another - block it for stable reading of documents.
Table of differences in versions of MIUI and HyperOS
The interface and layout of the controls change with the release of new versions of the software. Below is a table that will help you navigate where to look for the right switches depending on your version of the OS.
| Shell version | Switch location | Name of function | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIUI 10-11 | Notification curtain | Screen reversal | Simple on/off switch |
| MIUI 12-13 | Control centre (right) | Orientation | Division into curtain and control panel |
| MIUI 14 | Settings → Screen | Blocking orientation | Added option to ignore sensors |
| HyperOS 1.0 | Control Center / Settings | Crash-turn | Integration with the smart home ecosystem |
As you can see from the table, with each version, Xiaomi tries to make the management more intuitive, but the terminology may change. If you have recently updated, it is worth re-examining the settings menu.
What if the names of the items do not match?
Sensor problems and calibration
There are situations where software shutdown of the function does not help, and the screen continues to "twitch" or turn on its own, this may indicate that the accelerometer is not working correctly, in which case calibration of the sensors is required, which can be performed through an engineering menu or special applications.
To access diagnostics, type ##6484## in the phone app, and this will open the CIT engineering menu, find the Gsensor or Accelometer test in the list, and follow the instructions on the calibration screen, and the device should lie on a completely flat surface.
If the problem persists after calibration, it may be a software conflict: some third-party launchers or gesture control apps can intercept orientation control. Try running your smartphone in safe mode to eliminate the influence of third-party software.
- 🔧 Enter the engineering menu using code ##6484##.
- 📉 Select the accelerometer test (Gsensor).
- 📐 Put your phone on a flat surface and press Calibrate».
- 🔄 Restart the device after successful completion of the procedure.
Calibration is a powerful tool that helps to eliminate software errors in the hardware, however, if the sensor is physically damaged (for example, after a fall), software methods may not help.
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Before calibrating, be sure to remove the case from the phone, especially if it is massive or has an uneven surface, which will ensure the exact position of the device when testing.
Third-party orientation management applications
If standard tools aren’t enough, there are many apps on the Google Play store that offer advanced control, and programs like Rotation Control allow you to create profiles for each application separately.
With these utilities, you can set up a forced landscape mode for games that don't officially support it, or, conversely, disable the rotation for the video player. This gives the user full control over the behavior of the interface.
However, it’s worth remembering that installing third-party apps requires special permissions, such as “Above Other Windows” or access to system settings, which can slightly increase battery consumption or create potential security vulnerabilities.
⚠️ Warning: When installing screen control applications, carefully check the permissions requested. Do not give access to contacts or microphone to programs that are supposed to control only the orientation of the display.
The use of specialized software is justified for advanced users who need fine-tuning for specific tasks, not available in the standard MIUI shell.
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Third-party applications offer maximum flexibility, but require careful attention to security resolutions and can consume system resources.