Odd icon has appeared on my iPad screen

[MoneyGuy]

I'm seeing an icon in the top right of my iPad screen beside the power status. It's a tiny lock with an arrow around it. What is this and how do I get rid of it? I don't know how it got there.

 

[J. A.]

I'm seeing an icon in the top right of my iPad screen beside the power status. It's a tiny lock with an arrow around it. What is this and how do I get rid of it? I don't know how it got there.

It means that your screen orientation is locked.
To change it, double press the Home button, slide to the right to reveal this:



Tap the arrow with the lock at the left.

 

[KevinJS]

It's your orientation lock. Check the side switch and see if you can see an orange dot. If so, slide the switch to unlock.

 

[MoneyGuy]

Thanks, guys. You're wonderful.

 

[twerppoet]

The difference between these two perfectly correct sets of instructions lies in the the mystery of Settings > General > Use Side Switch to:

Whatever the side switch is set to, the opposite will show up in the multitask bar's controls.

Kibitzing, just because I can.