Why does not work autoturn screen on Xiaomi Redmi 8

Owners of the popular budget smartphone Xiaomi Redmi 8 often face a situation where the display stops responding to a change in the position of the device in space. This can happen suddenly, for no apparent reason, or be the result of a recent update of the operating system. Screen autoturn is a basic feature, the absence of which makes watching videos or reading documents a real test, forcing the user to look for alternative ways of controlling.

The reasons Android ignores body turns can range from basic software locking to hardware gyroscope failure. MIUI's operating shell features additional layers of protection and settings that can conflict with system commands. Understanding the nature of the failure is the first step to successfully restoring functionality.

In this article, we will take a look at all possible crash scenarios and offer step-by-step instructions for fixing them. You don’t need to be a technician to correct most of the errors. We will look at both software reset methods and hardware diagnostics that will help restore the usual comfort of using the Redmi 8.

Checking basic settings and locking system

Before you start complex code manipulation or resetting, you need to rule out the possibility of basic human error or accidental activation of the blockers. Often users forget that they have enabled orientation fixing, or do not notice that a particular application does not support changing the format. In the MIUI shell, a separate switch in the notification curtain is responsible for this function.

Lower the top control panel and find the icon with the image of the lock or arrows. If it is active, the system forcibly keeps the screen in an upright position. It is also worth checking the settings of the application itself: some video players or browsers have their own internal orientation settings that take priority over the system parameters of Android.

Pay attention to the touch screen, if there is contamination on the display, greasy spots or protective glass is damaged, this can interfere with the accelerometer and other sensors that indirectly affect the position of the device.

It's important to make sure that the problem is global, not just one particular software. Try opening the gallery, the browser and the settings in turn. If you turn in one section and you don't, you're optimizing your application to the 1560×720 resolution of the Redmi 8.

Programmatic reset and reset of services

The most common cause of MIUI failures is the accumulation of temporary files or the system processes responsible for processing data from sensors. A simple reboot of the device often solves the problem, as it clears the RAM and forcibly restarts all services, including sensor drivers.

However, if the usual shutdown didn’t work, you can try a deeper method, resetting the interface settings, which won’t delete your personal data, photos or contacts, but will return the original design settings and system widgets. To do this, go to the Settings menu, then select Advanced Settings and find Recovery and Reset.

⚠️ Warning: Before performing any actions related to resetting, make sure you have a backup of important data. While the methods described are safe, randomly selecting Reset to Factory Settings will result in complete loss of information.

Another effective method is to clear the System UI cache. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications, search System UI (or System UI) list, and click Clear Cache. This action often eliminates graphical bugs and rotational errors.

If the problem persists after the reboot, it's worth checking if the phone is in developer mode with active experimental features. Some animation settings or emulation of additional displays may conflict with the gyroscope. Turn off developer mode if you're not using it for debugging.

Calibration of sensors through the engineering menu

Xiaomi smartphones have a hidden diagnostics section that is accessed through a special code in the dialer, which allows you to check the status of all hardware modules and calibrate them. For Redmi 8, this is often the only way to programmatically shake up the position sensor.

Open the Phone app and dial ##6484##. If the code is entered correctly, the CIT menu will open. Here is a list of all the components of the device.

1. Gyroscope Test


2. Accelerometer Test




3. Sensor Test

Choose a gyro test. Follow the instructions on the screen: you usually need to put your phone on a flat horizontal surface and press the calibration button. The system counts the current position as zero and corrects the readings. Once the test is completed, press "Pass" and repeat the procedure for the accelerometer.

After calibration, be sure to reboot the device completely, so that the new calibration factors are recorded in permanent memory and applied by the system at start-up. Without restarting, the changes may not take effect.

Update and third-party launcher conflicts

The MIUI shell is regularly updated, and sometimes new firmware versions contain errors that affect the basic functions. If the autorotor stopped working immediately after the system update, there is a high probability of software conflict, in which case waiting for a patch or rollback to the previous version helps, although the latter requires firmware reflashing skills.

A common cause of failure is user-installed launchers (e.g. Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher) or window management applications, which intercept the screen's orientation control and may incorrectly transmit commands to the system. Try temporarily switching to a standard MIUI launcher.

Also worth looking at are applications that require constant access to geolocation or motion sensors, such as fitness trackers or background navigators, which can capture sensors without giving them away to other processes, close all background applications and check the autorotation in the clean state of the system.

If you use a third-party theme, try returning a standard theme. Customization often changes the system files that control the behavior and orientation of windows.

Hardware problems and physical impact

If software methods failed, you can't rule out a physical breakdown. Redmi 8, like any smartphone, is subject to mechanical stress. Falls, even from a small height, or strong pressure in the pocket could damage the gyroscope chip or disrupt the contact of the plume with the motherboard.

Signs of hardware malfunction can be indicated by the behavior of the phone in other scenarios. For example, if the navigation charts (Google Maps, Yandex Maps) direction arrow rotates randomly or does not respond to turns, this is a direct indication of the failure of the sensors, and there may be an increased battery discharge, since the faulty sensor may be in a state of constant questioning.

⚠️ Attention: If the phone has recently been exposed to moisture, the problem with autorotating may be due to the oxidation of the contacts. In this case, you should not dry the device with a hairdryer or put it on the battery - this will only aggravate the situation.

Inside the device, the sensors are located on the main board. If you hit hard, the connector could move away. Self-opening Redmi 8 requires heating the back cover and using special tools, because it is glued. Without experience, it is better not to risk the integrity of the body.

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Use level apps from the Play Market (e.g., "Bubble Level") to visually check if the phone is correctly determining the horizontal. If level bubbles fly away when the phone is flat, the sensor needs to be replaced or repaired.

Radical measures: complete reset and reflashing

When all the methods are tried, the final software milestone is the full Hard Reset, which removes all data, settings and applications, returning the phone to the “out of the box” state, and is guaranteed to eliminate any software conflicts and registry errors.

To reset the recovery menu, turn off the phone completely. Then press the power button and the volume button at the same time. Hold them until the MI logo appears, then release the power, continuing to keep the volume up until the recovery menu appears. Select the language (English) and press Wipe Data.

If that doesn't work, it means the firmware itself or the bootloader is damaged, and you need to flash the device through your computer using the Mi Flash Tool utility, download the official firmware for your model (Redmi 8 is codenamed olive or olivelite) and install it in Fastboot mode.

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If neither calibration nor full reset has returned the autorotation, the 99% probability problem is hardware in nature and requires the replacement of the plume or gyroscope module at the service center.