How to Change iPhone Rotation Lock Without Opening Control Center - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Change iPhone Rotation Lock Without Opening Control Center

by

On iPhone, Apple includes a Rotation Lock feature that when enabled locks the screen orientation so that it doesn't change when you rotate the device. Rotation Lock is usually enabled or disabled by invoking Control Center and then tapping the Lock Orientation button, but you can actually turn it on and off a lot quicker without even touching your iPhone's screen.

control center
The method uses something called Back Tap, an accessibility feature that lets you assign an action to be triggered when you double-tap or triple-tap the back of your iPhone. One of the optional actions that Apple lets you assign to Back Tap is Rotation Lock, and once you've set it up, there's a good chance you won't use the button in Control Center ever again.

To control Rotation Lock using a double-tap or triple-tap of the back of your ‌iPhone‌, follow the steps below. Note that Back Tap requires an ‌iPhone‌ 8 or newer model running iOS 14 or later.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Under "Physical and Motor," tap Touch.
    settings

  4. Scroll down and tap Back Tap.
  5. Tap Double Tap or Triple Tap to set an action to trigger.
  6. Select Lock Rotation from the list.
    settings

After assigning an action to a Back Tap using the above steps, the Back Tap is immediately ready to use, so go ahead and give it a go.

There are numerous actions that you can assign to a Back Tap on iPhone. You could use it for quick access to something –- launching a specific app or Control Center, for example. You can set a Back Tap to turn activate Zoom, bring up the Camera, or even trigger a shortcut.

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple Just Released a New Accessory

Monday May 4, 2026 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today released a new Pride Edition Sport Loop for the Apple Watch. The band features a rainbow design with 11 colors of woven nylon yarns. The new Pride Edition Sport Loop is available to order now on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 40mm, 42mm, and 46mm sizes, and it will be available at Apple Store locations starting later this week. In the U.S., the band costs $49. There...
iOS 26

Apple Says iOS 26.5 Adds Three New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday May 5, 2026 7:36 am PDT by
iOS 26.5 includes three new features for iPhones, according to Apple's release notes for the update, which is expected to be released next week. As discovered during beta testing, iOS 26.5 enables end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging between iOS and Android devices. Apple says this security upgrade is limited to supported carriers around the world and will continue to roll out....
Instagram Feature 2

PSA: Instagram Encrypted Messaging Ends on Friday, May 8

Tuesday May 5, 2026 8:24 am PDT by
Instagram will remove end-to-end encryption for direct messages between users from May 8, 2026. When the date comes around, Meta will potentially be able to see the contents of all messages between users on the social media platform. Encrypting messages has been an optional feature in Instagram since 2023, but in March of this year the social media platform quietly updated a help page to say ...