Android screen won’t rotate? Check Pixel and Galaxy settings

Open a web page in your browser and turn the phone sideways while holding it in front of you. Try an app you know supports both orientations too. Some apps are designed to stay upright. If other apps rotate, the rotation setting is already working; check the app that stays fixed.

On Pixel, open Quick Settings and turn on Auto-rotate. You can also find it under Settings → Display & touch → Auto-rotate screen on current Pixel software. On Galaxy, open Quick Settings and look for Portrait or Landscape with a lock. Tap it to switch back to Auto rotate. If you do not see the tile, look on the other Quick Settings pages or use Edit to add it.

If apps rotate but your Galaxy Home screen does not, open Settings → Home screen and turn on Rotate to landscape mode if available. Keep Auto rotate on. Then return Home and turn the phone sideways again. On Galaxy, holding a finger on the screen while turning the phone can temporarily keep the current orientation. Lift your finger and try again.

Restart the phone and check for a system update. On Pixel, Google also recommends testing in safe mode, which temporarily disables downloaded apps. Test with a built-in app that can rotate. If it works there, restart normally and check recently installed apps. If rotation still fails in multiple supported apps after a restart and update, contact your phone maker with the model and the apps you tried.