Telegram Camera Not Taking Landscape Photos on iPhone? What Works for Now

Published: November 7, 2026

Turn the iPhone sideways, frame a wide shot, and tap the shutter inside Telegram. The photo then appears sideways in the chat. For anyone who sends pictures of rooms, documents, screens, or products, that small glitch can turn a ten-second task into a re-shoot.

That is the behavior described in a report posted on Telegram’s public bug tracker on November 6, 2026. This guide explains what the report actually says, what is still unconfirmed, and which checks are worth your time while a proper fix is pending.

Quick Fix

Take the photo with your iPhone’s own Camera app, then attach it in Telegram instead of using Telegram’s built-in camera:

• Open the chat and tap the paperclip icon.
• Choose your photo library and select the picture you just took.
• Check the preview before tapping Send.

According to the report, landscape photos sent this way kept their correct orientation. To find out where the problem sits and what else you can check, keep reading.

What Is Happening With Telegram’s Landscape Camera on iPhone?

The original bug report was posted on Telegram’s public bug tracker (bugs.telegram.org) by one user on the morning of November 6, 2026. The user says landscape photos worked normally until the day before, and that the behavior began on November 6, possibly after a recent Telegram update. That timing is the reporter’s own guess, not something Telegram has stated.

Two behaviors are described:

• Sideways photos: When the phone is held horizontally and a photo is taken with Telegram’s built-in camera (opened from the paperclip menu), the photo is saved or sent in portrait orientation, rotated 90 degrees.
• Missing camera option: When the phone is already horizontal before the attachment menu is opened, the live camera option does not appear and only gallery photos are shown. The option returns when the phone is held upright.

In the report, the problem appears limited to Telegram’s own camera. The reporter says the iPhone’s Camera app works normally, and that landscape photos taken with it and then sent through Telegram keep their orientation.

The device details listed in the report are an iPhone 12 Pro Max and Telegram for iOS 13.2 (build 36535). The report also lists iOS 27.2, which is the reporter’s own entry and could not be cross-checked. Restarting Telegram, restarting the iPhone, clearing Telegram’s cache and reinstalling the app did not change anything for the reporter.

On the tracker, a Telegram admin first asked for a video recording. After the user posted two short clips, the admin replied that the issue would be resolved soon, and the status was changed to “Fix coming.” When this article was last checked, no fixed version number had been listed.

What this does and does not prove:

• It shows that one user reported the problem and that Telegram’s tracker acknowledged it.
• It does not show how many people are affected. The report page showed no comments from other users describing the same behavior, only a small number of votes.
• It is not a public announcement. No Telegram blog post or release note about this problem was found.
• Only one iPhone model is mentioned, so nothing here can be assumed about other iPhones.

Why Is Telegram Camera Not Taking Landscape Photos on iPhone?

No cause has been confirmed, so any explanation is informed reasoning rather than fact. These are the realistic possibilities:

• A problem inside Telegram’s in-app camera. Telegram’s camera is part of the app, separate from Apple’s Camera app. The app has to read how the phone is tilted and mark each photo with the right orientation. If that logic misfires, the photo can come out sideways even though the iPhone’s camera hardware is fine. The report fits this pattern, but it is still an inference.
• An orientation setting or an iPhone sensor issue. These can stop the screen from rotating. The report makes them less likely, because the Camera app handles landscape correctly on the same phone.
• A permission problem. This usually causes a blank or blocked camera rather than a rotated photo, so it is mostly something to rule out.

The steps below start with the quickest checks and end with the most disruptive one.

How Fix Telegram Camera Not Taking Landscape Photos on iPhone

1. Check Whether iPhone Orientation Is Locked

Open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen (on an iPhone with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom edge). If the Portrait Orientation Lock button is highlighted, tap it to turn it off. Then turn the iPhone sideways in an app that supports landscape, such as Safari or Calculator, to confirm the screen rotates.

Apple’s own steps are in Apple’s rotation guide, which also points out that some apps do not support rotation even when the lock is off. So treat this as a quick rule-out. Turning the lock off will not automatically make Telegram’s camera rotate.

2. Test the iPhone’s Built-In Camera

Open the Camera app, hold the iPhone horizontally and take a photo. Open it in Photos and check that it displays as a wide, landscape image. Then, in Telegram, send that photo to Saved Messages from your library and see whether it stays landscape. Finally, take a photo with Telegram’s own camera and compare the two results.

What the comparison tells you:

• Camera app photo is fine, Telegram’s camera photo is sideways: this matches the report and points to the app.
• The Camera app photo is also wrong: the problem is on the iPhone side, not in Telegram.

3. Close and Reopen Telegram

Swipe up from the bottom edge and pause to open the App Switcher (on an iPhone with a Home button, double-press the Home button), then swipe Telegram’s card upward to close it. Reopen Telegram, hold the iPhone upright, tap the paperclip, open the camera, turn the phone sideways and take a test photo.

This clears temporary glitches in the camera screen. It is quick and harmless, but it should not be expected to fix a problem inside the app’s code.

4. Check Telegram Camera Permissions

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera and make sure the switch next to Telegram is on. If the camera is blank, frozen or asks for access every time, this is the first place to look. If the camera opens normally and only the photo orientation is wrong, permissions are unlikely to be the cause.

5. Update Telegram From the App Store

Open the App Store, tap your profile picture in the top-right corner and scroll to the list of available updates. If Telegram has an update waiting, tap Update. You can also search for Telegram and look for an Update button on its page.

Because Telegram’s tracker marked this report as “Fix coming,” a newer build is the most likely route to a real fix. No specific version has been confirmed to resolve it, so test the in-app camera again after each update instead of assuming it worked.

6. Restart Your iPhone

Go to Settings > General > Shut Down, or hold the side button together with a volume button and slide to power off. Wait a moment, then turn the iPhone back on with the side button. Apple also lists a restart among the steps for rotation problems.

7. Check Whether the Problem Continues in a New Chat

Open a different chat, or use Saved Messages so no one receives test photos, and take a landscape photo with Telegram’s camera there. If the problem appears everywhere, it is tied to the app’s camera. If it happens in only one chat, make a note of which one, because that detail is useful if you decide to report it.

8. Reinstall Telegram Only as a Last Resort

Press and hold the Telegram icon, choose Remove App, then Delete App, and install it again from the App Store. Reinstalling is the most disruptive option: you will need to log in again with a code and, if you set one, your two-step password. Cloud chats come back after login, but Secret Chats are tied to the device where they were created and may not return.

Keep in mind that the reporter had already reinstalled Telegram without any change. A reinstall mainly rules out a damaged installation, and it is unlikely to fix something that comes from the app’s own camera code.

Is This a Telegram Bug or an iPhone Problem?

Based on the available evidence, it looks more like a Telegram problem than an iPhone one. The iPhone’s Camera app reportedly works correctly, photos from that app keep their orientation when sent through Telegram, and a Telegram admin set the report to “Fix coming.” Still, this is a single report, and the iOS version listed in it could not be verified, so it is not a confirmed or widespread bug.

Here is how to read your own results:

• Camera app fine, Telegram’s camera sideways: likely the same issue as the report.
• Camera app also sideways, or the screen will not rotate in other apps: likely an iPhone-side issue. Apple suggests opening the Measure app, choosing Level and checking whether the iPhone senses tilt, and restarting the iPhone if it does not.
• Everything works now: the problem may come and go. Keep notes if it returns.

When Should You Report the Problem to Telegram?

Report it if the problem is still there after updating Telegram and trying the steps above, and you can repeat it reliably. Before posting, search the bug tracker for an existing report and add your vote or comment instead of starting a duplicate. The tracker is a public place where anyone can create entries, view existing ones and vote on them.

A useful report includes:

• Your iPhone model and iOS version (Settings > General > About).
• The Telegram version number.
• The exact steps that cause the problem, and whether the Camera app behaves correctly.
• A short screen recording, since the admin in this report asked for one.

You can also contact support from inside the app. The Telegram FAQ says to go to Settings and choose Ask a Question, and notes that support relies on volunteers. It is a general help page and does not mention this camera issue, so a bug tracker report is the better route for a possible app bug.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the people I sent those photos to see them sideways too?

The report says the photo is saved or sent in the wrong orientation, so it is safest to assume the recipient received the same sideways version you see in the chat. Telegram lets you delete messages you sent for both sides in one-on-one chats (in groups, only your own messages), so you can remove the bad copy and send a correct one.

Should I update or roll back iOS because of this?

Nothing in the report points to iOS as the cause, since the Camera app works correctly. There is no reason to change your iOS version for this problem. Install iOS updates for their own benefits, not as a fix for this.

How will I know when a fix has arrived?

Search the bug tracker for the report title, “iOS Camera Bug – Landscape Photos unavailable.” Fixed reports on the tracker show the Telegram build where the fix landed. You can then compare it with the version you have installed. Telegram’s App Store update notes are another place to check.

Does this affect videos, iPads or Android phones?

The report describes photos on an iPhone only. It says nothing about videos, iPads or Android phones, so nothing can be said about them from this report.

Is it safe to attach a screen recording to a bug report?

Anything you record can be seen by the people who read the report, so keep the recording focused. Record only the camera steps, use Saved Messages instead of a real conversation, and turn on a Focus mode first so notification banners do not appear on screen.

For now, the situation is simple. One user reported that Telegram’s built-in camera on iPhone saves landscape photos sideways, Telegram’s tracker acknowledged the report and marked a fix as coming, and no wider scale or cause has been confirmed. The most dependable workaround is to take the photo in the iPhone’s Camera app and attach it from your library. Keep Telegram updated, retest after each update, and report the problem with clear details if it continues.

This article was last checked on November 7, 2026. If Telegram’s status on the report changes, the guidance here may be updated.