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Welcome to the 'Using portrait and landscape modes on an iPhone' video course. In this video, you'll learn what portrait and landscape modes are and how to set your screen so it stays in one position, or switches between modes automatically as you rotate your device. The steps in this video will be similar on an iPad.
Your phone screen can be viewed in two ways. In portrait mode, the screen is upright and taller than it is wide, which is useful when you are browsing the internet or reading. In landscape mode, the screen is turned sideways and is wider than it is tall, which is useful for watching videos, playing some games, or typing in wider layouts.
Most iPhones automatically change between portrait and landscape modes when you turn the phone. But you can also lock your screen so it stays in one position. You can do this from your phone's Control Centre at any time even from the Lock screen. On an iPhone with a physical Home button, you open Control Centre by swiping up from the bottom edge of the screen.
On other models, you open Control Centre by swiping down from the top right of the screen. Start the swipe with your finger in the bezel, which is the area surrounding the screen. The Rotation Lock icon should appear on the left. It looks like a padlock with a circular arrow. When the icon is grey, your phone screen will change from portrait to landscape mode automatically when you turn it.
To lock the screen in portrait mode, tap the icon so that it becomes red. Now, when you rotate the device, your phone screen will be locked in that position. To unlock the screen's orientation, just tap the icon again. Your phone's Home screen and some apps, such as certain banking apps, only work in portrait mode even if Rotation Lock is turned off.