How to fix Galaxy S9 auto-rotate not working issue [troubleshooting guide]

Hello and welcome to another #GalaxyS9 troubleshooting article. In this post, we address one of the most common issues S9 users have experienced so far. If you encounter this issue on your own device, be sure to refer to our suggestions below for a fix.

Force restart

Before you attempt any advanced troubleshooting, make sure that you force restart your device.

A lot of minor bugs are fixed by simply restarting a device so you don’t want to skip this.

To force restart your S9:

Press and hold the volume down button and don’t release it.
Then, press and hold the power key while holding down the volume button.
Keep both keys held down for 10 seconds or more.

Doing the steps above is also known as soft reset. It has a similar effects to when you physically remove the battery so it should clear up the memory and the operating system.

If your S9 still won’t auto-rotate afterwards, go ahead and do our suggestions below.

Solution #1: Clear cache partition

Clearing the cache partition is often used to fix bugs that occur after an update, or after installing an app. That’s because the system cache, which is stored in the cache partition, may sometimes get corrupted or outdated following an update. On top of this, clearing the cache partition is also a recommended maintenance step to minimize system bugs. If you haven’t done it yet, follow these steps:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
Press the Volume down key to highlight “wipe cache partition.”
Press the Power key to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

Solution #2: Boot to safe mode

Poorly coded or malicious apps can also affect the auto-rotate function of your device. If this problem recently started after installing an app, that app is most probably problematic. To check, try booting your S9 to safe mode. In this mode, no third party apps will be allowed to run so if the issue won’t occur, our guess must be right.

To restart your S9 to safe mode:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.
Check for the problem.

Remember, safe mode won’t tell you what app is causing this problem. If you think that one of your third party apps is to blame, you must try to invest some time in identifying it. To do that, you have to uninstall apps individually, restart to normal mode, and check for the problem afterwards. If the issue won’t go away after removing one app and observing the phone, then you should repeat the cycle and move on with the next app. If you suspect an app that you recently installed, start with that one first and see one happens.

Solution #3: Reset settings

This solution option is similar to factory reset minus the hassles of deleting user data, apps, and more. If Auto-rotate is still present at this juncture, then you should do this solution to see if you can fix the software bug this way. Here’s how:

Open Settings app.
Tap General management.
Tap Reset.
Tap Reset all settings.
Tap RESET SETTINGS button.

Solution #4: Factory reset

Factory reset is usually suggested at the end part of most troubleshooting ladder but in this situation, you want to do it at this point. Since you’ve already eliminated the possibility that a third party app is to blame, that leaves you with a possible software bug. To see if that’s the case, you want to drastically change the software landscape by wiping the phone thru factory reset. We know for a fact that auto-rotate function is working normally when the software is in its default state so hopefully, factory reset will help you fix the bug.

To factory reset your S9:

Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Google account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Google credentials to finish the Master reset.
From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
Tap Backup and restore.
If desired, tap Back up my data to move the slider to ON or OFF.
If desired, tap Restore to move the slider to ON or OFF.
Tap the back button to the Settings menu and tap General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.
Tap Reset device.
If you have screen lock turned on, enter your credentials.
Tap Continue.
Tap Delete all.

Solution #5: Re-calibrate device sensors

If the problem remains even after you factory reset the device, there’s a chance that your device’s sensors like the GPS, accelerometer and compass may not be calibrated properly. Try to install an app that can check the calibration status of your device and see what happens. There are many good such apps in the Play Store so take your pick. GPS Status & Toolbox is a good example of this type of apps.

Solution #6: Use third party app

If the problem still remains at this time, you can assume that there’s an issue with your device’s hardware. The best thing that you can do in this case is to send your S9 in but if you want to delay that, then you can try a workaround by installing an app (like Rotation Control from the Play Store) to force auto-rotation to work. This is definitely not an ideal solution and its far from being a permanent fix but it may give you this functionality while you’re deliberating whether or not to send the phone in for repair.