iPad lock symbol? why?

The lock symbol with a circular arrow simply means your screen is locked and will not rotate when you turn your iPad. It can be locked in either orientation, portrait OR landscape.

You may have moved the slide switch on the side of the iPad. That switch is usually set to lock screen rotation. If the slide switch shows red, move it to the none red position.

Hi. You can turn off the accessibility shortcut to prevent accidental zooming. The camera icon on the lock screen just indicates that you can swipe to use the camera, even while locked.

Now, what is your actual question? Are you able to unlock your iPad? Are you able to unlock rotation?

The manual https://help.apple.com/ipad/10/ has a lot of info on the features and operation of iPad.

The side switch is the key. Depending on your settings, it may affect the mute or it may affect the rotation lock. This support article from Apple provides detail.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4085

In case you're wondering, here is the history. Originally, the mechanical switch affected only the rotation lock and the mute was a software switch elsewhere. In IOS-3, it was changed to be the mute switch and the rotation lock became a software switch. This was done to ensure consistency among IOS devices. Unfortunately, a large quantity of users complained loudly, alleging that they turned the rotation lock on and off several times every hour and the convenience of the mechanical switch is essential. In IOS-4, Apple bowed to the whiners and made the switch function selectable and now we're stuck with a mess.

I have a similar problem...I have the lock appearing on the very top where the time used to be. The issue is that my screen still rotates, and the volume switch is unlocked....but the lock is still there!

A more reasonable question would be to find out what it means. You have locked your screen to portrait mode. You get rid of the symbol by unlocking portrait mode. Double tap the Home button, swipe as far left as it goes and tap the matching symbol. Then find and read the user guide.

I have several problems I can't figure out. 1st I have the lock symbol with the circle which I know relates to the screen rotation. 2nd there is a circle surrounded by 4 arrows in the upper left corner. I was trying to get into my ipad but the zoom was enabled. I double tapped the screen with 3 fingers and got the zoom turned off (I hope). At one point when I was trying to open it one problem I had was the camera icon in the bottom right corner. Right now I don't know what to try next. I can't really figure out what the problem is.