Why can't iPhones rotate 180 degrees when iPads can?

My Maps app does both landscape modes but only one portrait mode. The app rotates 270 degrees. In potrait mode its always oriented with the home button at the bottom.

My maps app, Waze, works through 360°

In theory the iPhone can as well.

Try rebooting your iPhone by pressing Sleep and Home buttons simultanously until the bright Apple logo appears (for about 10 to 15 seconds). No data will be lost.

It does.

Bring up control center, look for the icon that is a padlock with an arrow around it.

That is the icon for screen rotation lock.

Make sure it is off.

Johnathan referred to the control center itself, not the control center settings within System Preferences. The one Johnathan meant is the one that shows when you do an upward swipe. There you will see a few icons at the top of the control center screen. The right most is the rotation lock. Make sure that one is not active.

If it isn't, try rebooting your iPhone as I suggested earlier. Just might do the trick... 🙂

You are right, I indeed confused 90 and 180. My apologies.

As far as I know turning the display 180 degrees (upside down) is not possible with the iPhone at all

ldweisberg wrote:

I think my question may be confusing. I've never had my phone rotate 180 degrees - not to sound snooty, but 180 degrees means to invert the phone upside down and have the orientation follow. Sideways is 90 degrees. iPads can do this, not sure why phone never could. (Yes, I did try a reboot for fun and nothing changed). Is there anything (other than a jailbreak) that adds this functionality?

There are some apps that will rotate 180, though not very many. Kindle is the only one I can remember off the top of my head. None of the Apple apps will. If there's a particular app in which you'd like to see that functionalitiy, try contacting the developer. Lots of small, especially 1 person developers can be very receptive.

Best of luck.

Mine doesn't. Any more than it did 3 1/2 years ago, when this thread was last active.

Thanks. Interesting. My Waze goes full circle. But my Apple and Google iPhone maps apps only go 270 degrees. Home button always at the bottom.

It’s a choice of the app designer.