The iPhone has a limited amount of space on its screen. So, Apple uses small icons to inform you of the status of current things on your smartphone. Some symbols are straightforward to identify, while others are confusing. So, what does the lock icon on your iPhone mean?
When an arrow surrounds a lock icon on your iPhone screen, your device is locked in portrait orientation. Hence, this setting prevents your phone’s screen from rotating when you rotate your device horizontally. But if it is only a padlock with nothing around it, and it appears on the lock screen and not in the status bar, it means your device is locked.
It’s understandable if these two lock icons are confusing, as a lock icon is commonly associated with security. However, the idea behind the lock icon with an arrow around it is that the full clockwise pointing arrow surrounding the padlock icon represents your device’s orientation.
If you’d like to remove the lock icon on your iPhone, keep reading as we elaborate on how to go about it in this article.
How To Remove the Lock Icon on an iPhone
It would help if you considered a few things when you want to remove the lock icon on your iPhone screen. First, you need to understand which type of lock icon is on your iPhone screen. Two lock icons often appear on your iPhone’s screen: one has a circular arrow around the icon, and the other doesn’t.
The lock icon with a circular arrow around it means orientation lock, whereas the lock icon with no arrow means device lock. Also, look out for the position of the lock icon. The orientation lock icon is placed on the status bar, whereas the lock icon is on the lock screen. Below are steps to remove the lock icon on an iPhone in both scenarios.
Method #1: Removing the Lock Icon With an Arrow
The orientation lock icon will only appear on your screen when you enable it. However, you can quickly turn it off from the Control Center of your iPhone. Getting to the control center varies depending on the version of iOS your iPhone runs.
Here’s how to remove the lock icon with an arrow surrounding it on iPhone.
- Unlock your iPhone and exit any app that you currently have opened.
- On an iPhone with a Home button, scroll from the bottom of your home screen to open the Control Center.
- While on an iPhone without a Home button, scroll from the top right corner of your screen to access the Control Center.
- Click on the lock icon with an arrow surrounding it to disable the portrait orientation lock.
Method #2: Removing the Lock Icon on the Lock Screen
When you press the power button on your iPhone, you see a lock icon, which means your device is locked. In other words, you have a security lock activated on your device. This lock can be the Touch ID, Face ID, or PIN, depending on the model of the iPhone you use. But when you don’t have any security activated on your device, the lock icon will not appear on your lock screen.
Here’s how to remove the lock icon from the lock screen on iPhone.
- Unlock your iPhone and open the Settings app.
- Navigate to “Touch ID” or “Face ID & Passcode”, and tap on “Turn Passcode Off”.
- Enter your passcode, and the screen lock will be disabled.
- When you next lock your device, all you need to do to unlock it is to swipe.
When the orientation lock icon appears on your iPhone screen, it affects the behavior of your device in the sense that you cannot rotate your device into landscape mode when watching a video or viewing a picture.
Conclusion
When you see an icon on your iPhone, it’s a good thing to be curious about it. An icon will only appear on your iPhone when your device is trying to inform you of something. For example, when the lock icon with an arrow surrounding it appears on the status bar of your iPhone, your device is trying to inform you that orientation is locked. So, it is left to determine what you want to do with the information if you wish to disable the feature or keep using it as is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can edit the lock screen on an iPhone. To edit the lock screen, lock your device, then wake your device and touch and hold the lock screen until the customization button appears. In the customization menu, you can add widgets, a new screen and switch the lock screen, choose a wallpaper, and so much more.
When you see a lock icon beside a message or message thread, it means the message is locked. In other words, you can’t accidentally delete the message or thread. Before you can delete such a message, you must unlock it and try again.
If the only security feature on your iPhone is the passcode, and you forget your passcode, one way to unlock the iPhone is by using the “Forgot Password” option on the lock screen. Another way is to use a computer and put your iPhone in recovery mode. But when you put your iPhone in recovery mode, it erases everything on your iPhone. However, if you back up your files, you can quickly restore your data and settings after gaining access.
