DIY: Shortcut Tile for screen rotation toggle in Update 3 for Windows Phone

Screen rotation lock tile

If you're using Windows Phone viii Update three (Preview), and according to today'due south poll many of yous are, then yous're probably enjoying the benefits of the new screen rotation orientation lock.

A long sought after feature, albeit minor, is the new setting that allows you lot to lock the OS in place so that it won't auto-rotate—cracking for when lying in bed. In fact, it's your tertiary favorite characteristic right behind the preview programme and 'X' button for closing apps.

There's only ane problem: the orientation lock settings are a pain to get to. If yous want to toggle the orientation lock, yous need to hop into Settings, scroll down the massive listing of choices, find the orientation lock and and then toggle it. It's far from ideal in terms of efficiency. Microsoft could easily prepare this by making the setting pinnable to the Start screen for like shooting fish in a barrel admission, and hopefully they will for the final release.

Luckily for at present, users who are running Update 3 besides have programmer unlocked devices—there'southward no other style to take received the latest version of the OS. That likewise means y'all can sideload so-called 'homebrew' apps, which are apps non cleared in the Store.

Screen rotation

Developer and Windows Phone Central frequent member Bailey Stein has posted a cool piffling XAP to enable a Tile for the orientation lock. Y'all can see what it looks similar in the lead image to a higher place. It allows minor, medium and double broad sizes and tapping it brings y'all right to the toggle switch. Clever. Elementary. And to the point.

Hopefully Microsoft will do this themselves for the final release, but for at present, if y'all take Windows Telephone SDK tools installed, y'all can only load upward the XAP thru the deployment app on your PC and button this baby to your developer unlocked phone. Y'all can find the XAP via the source link below.

Source: Bailey Stein (blog); via Windows Phone Central forums

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