The present invention discloses a method for automatically switching a handheld mode and a wireless handheld device. The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies. The method for automatically switching a handheld mode includes: updating, when it is detected that a duration during which handheld positions of a wireless handheld device do not match a preset first handheld mode of the wireless handheld device exceeds a first preset duration, a first user interface matching the first handheld mode to a second user interface matching a second handheld mode, where a layout of controls on the second user interface is a flip horizontal of a layout of controls on the first user interface.