How to swap screens on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Many Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone users face a situation where the image on the display is not displayed correctly. Often there is a need to deploy the picture when you watch the video in a horizontal position, or, conversely, to lock vertical mode for convenient correspondence. Screen orientation is a basic function that should work automatically, but sometimes the system crashes or settings are blocked by third-party applications.

The problem may be not only the lack of response to the device's rotation, but also that the interface is stuck in the wrong position, and in such cases, users often look for ways to swap screens, implying a forced change in landscape or portrait orientation. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to control this setting, from standard settings to using the engineering menu.

Now, it's worth noting that today's MIUI and HyperOS shells have their own accelerometer and gyroscope features, and if you're using a spinning machine, it doesn't always mean that you're in a breakdown, and it's mostly a software conflict or a randomly activated lock, and let's look at how you can get your orientation control back into your hands.

Standard Orientation Management Methods

The most obvious and quickest way to change the position of the image is to use a notification curtain. In the Android operating system, on top of which the Xiaomi shell is built, a special switch is responsible for this, usually called "Orientation" or "Autoporate", and if this element is active, the screen will change its position when the smartphone body is physically rotated.

But many applications have their own settings that are not supported by system commands, such as video players or social networks that may force their display mode to be set, and in such cases, the system switch may not work, you need to check the settings of the application itself that has the problem, and often there is a separate video or image reversal button.

⚠️ Warning: If you flip your phone over but the screen isn't responding, try making a few smooth movements of the device in different directions. Sensors sometimes require motion calibration to trigger.

To access the quick settings, follow the following steps:

• 📱 Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the control center.
• 🔄 Find an icon with the image of the lock or arrows in the circle (depending on the version). MIUI).
• 🔓 Click on it to unlock or block the turn.
• 📐 Turn the phone horizontally and check the results.

It's important to understand the difference between orientation blocking and zooming. Some users confuse these concepts when they try to "change screens." If you just need to zoom in or resize the interface elements, this is done in Settings → Screen, and you can find dark theme settings and refresh rates that also affect how you perceive the image.

Configure through the menu of special features

If standard methods don't work, you should look at advanced system settings. There's a special feature menu in the MIUI shell that allows you to control the behavior of the interface in more detail. You can find features for people with disabilities here, but they're useful in normal situations where you need to force the screen.

This section often hides the ability to control the rotation, which is not available in the regular menu. For example, the feature "Special Menu" adds a floating button to the screen through which you can quickly change the display settings, this is especially true if physical buttons or sensors are unstable.

To activate additional management tools:

• ⚙️ Go to Settings. → Advanced settings → Special facilities.
• 👆 Find the "Special Opportunities Menu" and activate it.
• 🖱️ On the screen will appear a floating button through which you can emulate turns.
• 🔄 Use it to force a change of orientation in the desired application.

Using these tools bypasses the software limitations of some applications, and forcing you to rotate through the special features menu is system-level, so it's more effective than trying to change the settings inside a particular application, and it's a great way to watch content in an uncomfortable format or use apps that aren't tailored to your use case.

Using third-party applications to control the screen

When Xiaomi’s built-in tools are not flexible enough, third-party solutions from the Google Play Store come to the rescue. There are many apps that allow you to control the orientation of the screen in detail, creating profiles for different programs, and this is especially useful for users who use their smartphones for specific tasks.

One of the popular solutions is Rotation Control, which intercepts system commands and allows you to set tough rules for each process you run, so you can configure YouTube to always open horizontally and messengers to open vertically, ignoring the position of the sensors.

Installing these programs requires certain permissions. The MIUI security system can alert you to the potential risks as the application gains access to the interface control. This is a normal reaction, and to work properly, you need to confirm all the rights requested. Without this, the software will not be able to intercept the rotation commands.

Once you install and configure a third-party utility, the standard switch in the curtain may stop working or not work properly. This is the expected behavior as the new application takes over, and to return to standard behavior, just delete the program or disable it in the Android settings.

Engineering menu and sensor calibration

If the screen doesn’t turn at all, the problem may be accelerometer failures. Xiaomi smartphones have access to a hidden engineering menu where sensors can be tested and calibrated, a more advanced method that requires caution but often helps resolve hardware and software conflicts.

To enter the engineering menu, you use a special code in the Phone app. Dial the combination ##6484##. The CIT menu will open, where you will see a list of all the components of the device.

The path to the CIT menu:


1. Accelerometer




2.Push "Calibration"




3.Put the phone on a flat surface




4.Push "Start" and wait until it's over.

During calibration, it is important that the device is on a completely flat surface. Don't touch the smartphone until the process is complete. Once calibrated successfully, the system will reset the sensors to factory values. This often eliminates errors when the phone "does not understand" where it is.

⚠️ Warning: Do not change other options in the engineering menu unless you are sure of their purpose. Incorrect changes can lead to unstable operation of communication modules or cameras.

It's worth remembering that calibrating sensors doesn't guarantee a solution if the accelerometer is physically damaged. If the screen still doesn't respond to turns after calibration and rebooting, you may need to replace the component in the service center. However, in 90% of cases, software recalibration returns functionality.

Solving interface freeze problems

Sometimes the problem is temporary and involves a system process that freezes to render the interface, in which case the screen may freeze in a horizontal position and not want to go back to the vertical position even if the turn lock is turned off, a common situation after a system update or installation of heavy applications.

The first step is to reboot the device in a simple way, which cleans up RAM and restarts all system services, including sensor management, and if a simple reboot didn't work, try a more radical method, which is to reboot with cache clearing, but without losing personal data.

It's also worth checking if Do Not Disturb mode or other profiles are enabled that can block interface changes.Some versions of MIUI have a Pocket Mode feature that blocks the sensor and turns if the proximity sensor is closed.

• 🔄 Perform a full reboot of the smartphone.
• 🧹 Clear the cache of the system application "Settings".
• 🛡️ Check if the cover covers the proximity sensor.
• 📉 Remove newly installed applications that affect the interface.

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If the screen is flipped and the sensor is not working, try using Google’s voice assistant or Siri to say “turn on autorotation” or “open settings” so as not to poke blindly into the inverted interface.

If neither method works, the problem may be deeper. Perhaps conflicting the theme you installed from the Xiaomi theme store. Standard themes take priority, but customized themes may contain errors in the code that block the normal operation of the UI. Try temporarily switching to the standard theme Classic.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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In most cases, the problem is solved by simply calibrating the sensors through an engineering menu or removing the conflicting application theme.