Rotation Lock

This tweak adds a Rotation Lock button to iOS’ native video player

Anthony Bouchard / April 2, 2021

Rotation Lock is a useful feature that I use on my iPhone almost every single day. People use Rotation Lock for a bevy of different reasons, but many would coin video consumption to be a valid use since it can prevent the display from rotating to an uncomfortable orientation in those niche moments like laying in your bed.

Currently, the fastest and most convenient way to toggle Rotation Lock is via the dedicated Control Center toggle, but launching Control Center can interrupt your video playback. With that in mind, wouldn’t it have made perfect sense if Apple had simply integrated a Rotation Lock button into the video player interface to begin with?

ConfirmRotate prevents accidental display rotations, especially in bed

Anthony Bouchard / March 11, 2020

I often take the fact that I can rotate my iPhone’s screen between portrait and landscape orientation for granted when I’m watching videos. But there’s no disputing the fact that iOS’ auto-rotation feature can be just as annoying as it is handy, and this is why Apple provides a toggle in Control Center for turning auto-rotation on or off on demand.

While it’s nice to have the ability to toggle auto-rotation on or off on demand, that very process can be just as cumbersome as dealing with accidental auto-rotations. With that in mind, we believe that a newly released jailbreak tweak called ConfirmRotate by iOS developer CardboardFace meets us all halfway by providing the functionality we truly want.

Make iOS’ Rotation Lock less cumbersome with Oriental

Anthony Bouchard / December 7, 2019

The ability to switch between landscape and portrait orientation on the iPhone can be godsend in certain situations, but in certain situations, it can be a real pain in the (redacted) — especially when in bed and your iPhone thinks laying on your side means that you want landscape orientation.

Apple combats this problem with iOS’ optional Rotation Lock feature, but this necessitates an additional step on the user’s part. For that reason, iOS developer Ubik has made a new and free jailbreak tweak called Oriental, which aims to make display rotation smarter for the iOS platform in general.

This tweak makes iOS’ auto rotation feature more intelligent

Anthony Bouchard / September 21, 2019

iOS’ automatic screen rotation feature can be great when you’re indulging in activities during which landscape orientation would offer an improved reading or viewing experience, but some instances exist in which it becomes more of a headache than it’s worth.

If you’re a chronic Rotation Lock user because you feel that iOS’ auto rotation feature needs improvement, then we have a hunch you’ll come to appreciate a newly released jailbreak tweak dubbed I’mLyingDownDamnit by iOS developer CardboardFace.

How to turn off iPhone screen rotation

Sandy Writtenhouse / May 7, 2019

There are many apps on your iPhone that will change orientation as you rotate your screen. These include apps like Mail, Calendar, and Messages along with some third-party apps. But there are times when you accidentally move your device in a way that rotates the screen which can be distracting or even annoying.

If you’d like to stop your iPhone from rotating the screen, this short tutorial shows you how.

How to lock the rotation and orientation on iPad

Sandy Writtenhouse / April 4, 2019

A terrific feature of the iPad is the ability to rotate the screen. You can turn your iPad to change orientations from portrait to landscape and back again and it happens quickly. However, there may be a time when you want to keep your iPad in a specific view and disable the rotation.

Here’s how to lock the rotation and orientation on iPad. Keep in mind that doing this will not apply to specific apps that only work in one orientation view.

SmartRotate: a video-friendly Rotation Lock for your iPhone

Anthony Bouchard / March 20, 2019

While iOS’ built-in Rotation Lock feature can be an asset at times, there are also instances where it tends to be a real pain in the fanny. Case in point: when you begin watching a video and your handset won’t rotate into landscape mode until you manually turn Rotation Lock off.

iOS developer LaughingQuoll understood the problem with this implementation by Apple and set out to come up with a better solution. The result? – A new jailbreak tweak called SmartRotate has now been released.

Video Direction Control lets rotation lock users enjoy videos in landscape orientation without fuss

Anthony Bouchard / March 8, 2019

The rotation lock feature on any iOS device can be extraordinarily useful, except when it’s not. More specifically, it tends to be less convenient when you watch videos because it tries to display the (usually widescreen) video in portrait orientation on your tall-displayed device, resulting in something like what you see above on the left.

Fortunately, those with jailbroken handsets can now spearhead this problem dead-on with a new free jailbreak tweak called Video Direction Control (iOS 11) by iOS developer rf00.

AVLock adds a Rotation Lock toggle to iOS 11’s video player interface

Anthony Bouchard / April 3, 2018

AVLock is a new free jailbreak tweak by iOS developer gilshahar7 that attempts to make watching videos more tolerable on the iOS platform.

After installation, you’ll gain access to a new Rotation Lock toggle in the stock iOS 11 video player interface, precisely like the one shown in the screenshot example above.

UndoRotation helps you undo accidental display orientation rotations more quickly

Anthony Bouchard / September 14, 2016

Has this ever happened to you? You were laying in bed or shifting your position on the couch and all of a sudden your iPhone's screen orientation switched on you when you didn't want it to?

If this sounds familiar, and happens often for you, then a new free jailbreak tweak dubbed UndoRotation could very quickly become your new best friend.

How to disable Home screen rotation on the iPhone 6s Plus [jailbreak]

Jeff Benjamin / April 19, 2018

I appreciate my iPhone 6s Plus' ability to display the Home screen in landscape mode, but in practice I rarely use it or even want it. With a stock iPhone 6s Plus, there's no way to prevent the Home screen from rotating without turning off rotation altogether. But a new jailbreak tweak called Nuus will allow you to isolate rotation locking to just the Home screen.

How to force your iPhone to landscape mode while watching videos

Jeff Benjamin / May 17, 2018

Have you ever tried to watch a video with the rotation lock enabled? If you want to watch that video in landscape, it can make for a frustrating experience.

It means having to open Control Center, disabling rotation lock, and then rotating your device so that the video goes into landscape mode. And then, when you're finished with the video, you have to re-enable the rotation lock if you want it back on.

Instead of going through all of that rigamarole, wouldn't it be better if iOS took care of all of that for you on the fly? It will, if you have AutoRotateVideos installed—a new jailbreak tweak that can make watching videos on your iPhone a more pleasant experience.