One of the touted features of the 3.0 iPhone upgrade was the addition of landscape mode throughout most Apple applications. Initially this sounded like quite a boon. Until I realized: I never use landscape mode, I don’t like landscape mode, landscape mode is always activating when I don’t want it to and there’s no way to turn it off.
Quit Doing That!
My biggest complaint about landscape mode — and what seems to me the biggest UI gaffe — is that it forces itself on the user. If you happen to be reading something in Safari using portrait mode and, for instance, lying on your side, the iPhone will constantly attempt to reorient the screen to landscape mode, even if it’s completely inappropriate. It interrupts what you’re doing and requires all manner of acrobatics to keep the thing in your orientation of choice. In the end you give in and just sit up. And that sucks.
The one time I almost always like landscape mode is when I’m looking at photos in the Photos app. Ideally we’d have a way to opt-in to landscape mode on a per-app basis. But at this point I use it so little I’d settle for a way to just turn it off.
I understand a lot of people love landscape mode, but the way it is now is far more annoying than useful for me.
5 Comments
The Apple apps won’t go into portrait mode “upside down”. So, put it in landscape mode, then turn it 90 degrees so the button is at the top, and enjoy reading landscape on your side. I just wish all apps implemented this.
landscape drives me nuts, especially in the iPod app as I’m laying down listening to podcasts.
Some people spit vitriol at me for suggesting this (and I still have no freaking clue why), but you should jailbreak your phone and install the “Rotation Inhibitor” SBSetting. A quick swipe across the top of the screen and you can turn rotation off, or when you want to watch a video, swipe it again and let the screen rotate.
Jesse,
I’m trying to get rid of landscape mode. Though I suppose this might be better than constantly shifting my position.
Thanks.
-systemsboy
Ryan,
Man, I hope you didn’t jailbreak your phone just because of landscape mode.
I probably won’t do this, mainly because I just don’t feel like going to the trouble. It’s good to know others feel as I do, however. Maybe we’ll see this feature make it to the iPhone OS someday.
Thanks.
-systemsboy
Status Notifier (the other one) lets me know if I have new mail by way of an icon in the status bar while my phone is still locked, just like a blackberry does (I hate having to punch in my pass code only to see if I have new mail).
I do hope that Apple does something to remedy my two remaining jailbreak apps. the new mail indicator I keep expecting to see with every release as it’s so obvious and every other phone does it – but I get let down each time
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[...] What’s orientation locking, you say? It’s the ability to keep the iPhone screen from switching to landscape mode. [...]