Unless an application developer has blocked it from running in portrait mode only (commonly by adding the line android:screenOrientation="portrait" within the main activity in the manifest.xml file ), that app will flip device-wise, horizontally or vertically, when the automatic rotation is enabled. This is especially annoying when you are lying down using your cell phone and vertical mode is always preferred (portrait mode or “portrait” in English).
You can’t control app code, but you can change Android settings to keep the screen vertical at all times and in any app. Simply unfold the notification panel and toggle the automatic mode for the vertical one or go to the Settings, Display option:
From the notification panel
By sliding down the status bar at the top you can see a panel with several shortcuts, including the one for screen orientation. If it is in automatic mode, simply tap on it to enable portrait mode.
From the system settings
You have to open the Android settings (slide the top bar and touch the cogwheel) and select the “Screen” menu. In the list of options there must be one regarding the screen rotation, from which the «Keep vertical view» mode can be selected.
Applications
As we have seen, it is normally not necessary to install applications to keep the screen vertical on Android, but if for any reason they are needed, this post details some of the best applications for that task, such as SetOrientation or Rotation Control (available free in the Play Store), which in addition to serving to enable portrait mode (Portrait), are essential when you want to lock the screen in landscape mode, something that on many devices cannot be achieved in the way indicated above (on some mobiles at It seems that it is possible to lock the screen in the current orientation mode, be it vertical or horizontal).
How to force a horizontal or vertical orientation on Android
How to ROTATE rotate the cell phone screen (Manual or Automatic)
How to Increase Screen On Time
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