# What is the Default orientation for a Android Tablet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2017, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283 "2017-06-18T14:22:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/1 "2017-06-18T14:22:07Z")
I ordered my mom a Samsung Galaxy S2 Tablet with the 9.7" screen. Amazon will ship it in another week. I know my Android phone defaults to portrait. I can pull down the shade and change to auto-rotate. That’s the only two options. I only use auto-rotate to watch TV shows in Landscape. I get annoyed when the screen rotates by accident. I wish fixed landscape was an option. What about an Android tablet? It seems like they are designed for landscape viewing. Is that the default instead of portrait? What is the default orientation for Android tablets? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/2 "2017-06-18T14:38:52Z")
There isn’t one. It all depends on which app you are using. On my Tab a I can “fix” the aspect to either portrait or landscape but in some cases an app that that I start will force it to the required aspect anyway and revert to my “fixed” aspect when it closes. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/3 "2017-06-18T14:40:22Z")
Do a search for “rotation” in the Play store. There are a number of free apps that can lock orientation on a phone. I use one called “Adaptive Rotation Lock Free”. Not the ideal solution (I think landscape should be the default on any device, and that video apps should not allow tunnel vision mode at all), but it’s all we have now. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/4 "2017-06-18T14:43:02Z")
I’m a bit nervous about Samsung’s version of Android. I’ve been told they have their own App Play store and other custom features. Thankfully, Google App Store is also available on the home screen. I plan to only use the Google App Play store. I’m guessing the Shade and Setup screens aren’t too different on Samsung devices? I’ve been spoiled by my Motorola X pure phone. It’s stock Android Marshmallow. I may have my hands full setting up my mom"s tablet. I’ve never used a tablet. I’m hoping it’s not much different from a phone. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/5 "2017-06-18T15:06:53Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’m a bit nervous about Samsung’s version of Android. I’ve been told they have their own App Play store and other custom features. You can quite happily ignore the Samsung store. > [@](#): > > I may have my hands full setting up my mom"s tablet. I’ve never used a tablet. I’m hoping it’s not much different from a phone. Samsung put their own Android skin - called Touchwiz - on their phones and tablets. Some things will be slightly different to the pure Android you are accustomed to, but not massively so. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/6 "2017-06-18T15:08:15Z")
Many, many Android apps assume portrait mode and, worse, some will override the current landscape mode and put it into portrait mode. Google used to provide a “tablet” programming package so that programmers could easily set defaults for their app on a tablet. It got little use and was dropped. As far as almost all Android programmers out there, it’s a phone world. Period. I’ve learned all this by using everything in landscape mode and not always succeeding. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/7 "2017-06-18T15:25:54Z")
I found this Tips and Tricks video for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2. It’ll help me learn the Samsung skin. Thank you Baron Greenback for identifying it as Touchwiz. This video is too advanced for my mom. She’s never seen Android. I plan to send her a link to a basic introduction to Android tutorial. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kO04ApEoOH4/maxresdefault.jpg "50+ Tips and Tricks for Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO04ApEoOH4) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/8 "2017-06-18T15:35:44Z")
I didn’t realize how big 9.7" is compared to a phone. Portrait mode looks pretty good in that video. That may be ok for daily use. Mom will be using the New York Times and Washington Post Apps. They should have a nice layout for reading the news onTablets. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/9 "2017-06-18T16:29:32Z")
There is no default; home screen and most apps should auto-rotate. But the Samsung S series tablets have the physical buttons on the short side, making them more natural to use in portrait mode. The placement of the power/volume switches are also more natural in portrait mode. I think all Android tablets have a “lock orientation” feature accessible through the drop-down menu. I know my Samsung S3 tablet does. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/10 "2017-06-18T17:41:10Z")
My default video program that came with the phone has a button up top which rotates video. Image of a phone at 45 degrees with rotational arrows. VLC doesn’t seem to have an option which is strange. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/11 "2017-06-18T19:08:38Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I ordered my mom a Samsung Galaxy S2 Tablet with the 9.7" screen. Amazon will ship it in another week. > > I know my Android phone defaults to portrait. I can pull down the shade and change to auto-rotate. That’s the only two options. I only use auto-rotate to watch TV shows in Landscape. I get annoyed when the screen rotates by accident. I wish fixed landscape was an option. > > What about an Android tablet? It seems like they are designed for landscape viewing. Is that the default instead of portrait? > > What is the default orientation for Android tablets? I have the Samsung Galaxy TabPro 8.4 the immediate ancestor to your unit. You can (if desired) fix portrait or landscape mode so it does not auto rotate to portrait. I would imagine the S2 is the same. I ordered an S2 but returned it as it was just too “square” to be used or viewed comfortably. The 8.4 has (for me) the perfect aspect ratio. The S2 hardware was fine it was the screen ratio profile that drove me batty. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/12 "2017-06-18T22:19:21Z")
I appreciate everyone’s help with Android. I know the OS can vary a lot depending on how each manufacturer customizes it. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/13 "2017-06-19T00:04:55Z")
Pi-curious. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2017, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/14 "2017-06-20T06:24:17Z")
You can easily lock any Android device in any orientation. Just let it rotate automatically, pull down the menu, and toggle off autorotation. I’ve only encountered a few apps that force you into portrait mode, and all of them are games clearly designed for that orientation, so it make sense. Just like many other games are clearly designed for landscape mode (often because they are PC ports). Oh, and I disagree about physical buttons. Having them on the short side tends to actually make it easier to use in landscape mode, as you can reach them easily since your hand is already there (Landscape mode to me means two-handed). I wish that I could find a way to get devices with software buttons to keep them on the side in landscape mode. Unless you mean the power and volume buttons, where you can accidentally hit them. But then you just have to figure out how to hold your hand. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2017, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-default-orientation-for-a-android-tablet/789283/15 "2017-06-20T11:44:24Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > You can easily lock any Android device in any orientation. Just let it rotate automatically, pull down the menu, and toggle off autorotation. “Any” is way overstating it. Not all Android devices even allow rotation, let alone have a lock orientation setting. E.g., my FireTV Stick has _no setting_ regarding orientation. For one thing, the orientation of the stick has nothing whatsoever to do with the orientation of the screen it’s attached to! I’ve also tested several versions of Android on a Raspberry Pi and same deal. Many Android devices have no sensor to determine device orientation. E.g., my Nook ereader’s original OS forced portrait mode. I installed Cyanogenmod on it and set it to be landscape. But some apps display portrait only and then leave it like that afterwards so I have to manually set it to landscape again for reading. (And of course I’ve run into apps that assume portrait mode so the screen is stretched wide with stuff cut off at the bottom.)