Xiaomi’s current smartphones are equipped with sensitive sensors that instantly respond to changes in position in space. This is a self-rotation function that automatically changes the orientation of the image from portrait to landscape and back. While it is extremely convenient for watching videos or reading documents, in everyday use, for example, when you scroll through social media feeds lying on the couch, such automation is often annoying.
Randomly rotating the interface can be a distraction, block important buttons, or simply disrupt the comfort of using the gadget with one hand. That’s why many users are looking for a way to turn off the screen on shaomi to lock the picture in the desired mode. Fortunately, the MIUI operating system and the new HyperOS provide several levels of control over this feature, from fast locking to detailed tuning for each application.
In this article, we will take a look at all available display orientation management techniques, where to look for a switch in the notification curtain, how to set up a global lock through the parameters menu, and what to do if the sensor is not working correctly, and we will also discuss the topic of forced rotation in applications that do not support landscape mode by default.
Quick lock through the notification curtain
The easiest and fastest way to lock the screen is to use the control panel, which is taken to the first level of access on all current Redmi, POCO and Xiaomi models, and you swipe from top to bottom of the display to open the control center.
Depending on the version of the MIUI shell, the icon may be called "Orientation" or "Autoporot." If you see an icon with a picture of the lock and arrows around it, its active state (usually blue or green) means that the turn is turned on. Pressing the button deactivates the function and the screen will cease to respond to the movements of the gyroscope.
Sometimes a standard icon can be hidden in the second tab of the curtain, in which case you need to click on the edit button (usually a square with an arrow or a pencil icon) and drag the desired element into a prominent place, which will allow you to control the orientation in one click in the future.
It is worth noting that in newer versions of firmware, the logic of the button can be inverted depending on regional settings. In some cases, active blue means "rotation lock" and in others, "rotation resolution." Carefully follow the caption under the icon when you click to understand the current status.
Deep configuration in the system parameters menu
If you prefer to have full control of the system or the icon in the curtain is not working properly, you can refer to the basic settings of the smartphone.The path to the desired menu may vary slightly depending on the version of Android and the shell, but the overall algorithm remains the same for the entire ecosystem.
To access the advanced options, you need to go to Settings, then select Additional Settings or immediately find the Screen category. In some HyperOS builds, these options are moved to Special Features, which requires careful search.
☑️ Checking screen settings
Inside the menu, you can often find the option to “Preserve orientation” or “Allow screen rotation” and you can adjust the display behavior when you connect external accessories such as keyboards or docking stations. The global settings set in this menu take precedence over some system applications, but can be ignored by third-party software.
⚠️ Note: If you have changed the settings in the menu, but the screen continues to rotate in a particular application (for example, YouTube or TikTok), this means that the application has its own priority of controlling the sensors.
Also in this section, you can find the calibration of the proximity and light sensor, which indirectly affects the operation of the accelerometer. If the rotation is chaotic after resetting, it makes sense to check whether the factory calibrations of the sensors are knocked down.
Application-specific orientation management
Many users face a situation where system locking does not work in certain programs, which is typical for video players and social networks, where landscape mode is part of the user experience. Xiaomi allows you to flexibly customize this behavior.
The standard Mi Video or Google YouTube video player often has a lock button that appears on top of the video when you turn the device, which override the system settings, and to remove the rotation, you click on this overlay and select the fix.
For third-party applications that don’t have their own lock button but persistently turn the screen, you can use third-party utilities from Google Play, such as Rotation Control. However, with built-in MIUI, you can try to limit the rights of the application.
- 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications.
- 🔍 Find the problem app in the list.
- ⚙️ Open the "Other Permits" or "Additional" section».
- 🚫 Look for sensor or orientation control (not available in all versions).
If standard methods fail to block rotation in a particular application, it remains to use the “Do not flip” mode in the curtain, which must forcibly ignore applications requests to change orientation.
Forced Turn for Landscape-Free Apps
Often the reverse problem is that you want to watch a video horizontally or play a game full screen, but the app is locked in a vertical orientation, which is typical of TikTok, Instagram Reels or some banking applications, and you can solve this problem with hidden features or special modes.
In the MIUI shell, there's a "Turn Screen" feature in the special features menu or through the gamer's control panel. When you start a game or a heavy application, you open the Game Turbo panel, where there's a forced turn button, which allows you to unfold the picture even if the application does not intend it to.
Secret team for engineers
There are also third-party rotation control apps that create a virtual layer on top of the system, which allows you to force any orientation to any window, and this is especially useful for browsing mobile-only web pages on tablets or large smartphone screens.
It's important to understand that forced rotation can disrupt the layout of the interface, that buttons can go off the screen and text can become unreadable, and that only use this feature when it's urgently needed, when content is more important than usability.
Diagnostics and calibration of sensors
If the screen has stopped responding to turns or, conversely, rotates on its own without the phone moving, most likely the problem lies in the hardware or the failure of the sensors calibration.
You can start by software calibrating, or you can use a special application like GPS Status & Toolbox to reset the sensor data, and then you put the phone on a flat horizontal surface and give it a few seconds to "think" about the position.
| Symptoms. | Possible cause | Method of decision |
|---|---|---|
| The screen doesn't turn at all. | Locking in the curtain is on. | Check the lock icon at the control center |
| The turn comes with a delay | High load on the processor | Close background applications, reboot the device |
| Spontaneous rotation | The incorrect operation of the gyroscope | Calibration of sensors or resetting of settings |
| Rotation in only one application | Error of a specific software | Update or reinstall the application |
If software methods fail, the sensor may be physically damaged (for example, after a fall), in such cases, a replacement of the module in the service center is required, since software cannot fix the hardware.
💡
Before going to the service center, try gently tapping your finger on the back of your smartphone in the area of the camera. Sometimes the sensor "sticks" and a light vibration shock returns it to working condition.
Solving common problems and bugs
Xiaomi users sometimes encounter bugs when settings are lost after a system update. For example, after a MIUI update, the autorotating function may start working inversely or stop responding to commands from the curtain.
The first thing you need to do when you get weird is to reboot the device completely, which clears the RAM and restarts the system services that are responsible for the sensors, and if that doesn't work, try resetting the special features.
⚠️ Warning: Resetting special features can bring all permissions for assistant apps back to their original state.
Another common problem is conflict with protective glass or covers. Too thick protective glass can put pressure on sensors or shield their operation if they are located near the edge of the case.
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Most screen-turning problems on Xiaomi are solved by simply rebooting or rechecking the lock status in the notification curtain.
In extreme cases, if nothing works, you can reset your phone to factory settings, a radical method that requires prior backup, but it is guaranteed to eliminate any software conflicts.