Hands On With Official Facebook Client For The iPad
by Ammaar Reshi
July 25, 2011
Earlier today we uncovered a method that unlocked the official (hidden) Facebook iPad application. All it took was changing one line of code in the iPhone app and immediately after a reboot you would have unlocked Facebook's native iPad app. We successfully set it up on a jailbroken first generation iPad and are quite pleased with what we've got.
Upon launching the app you will immediately be asked to login; after you have successfully done so, you will notice its iPad optimized interface. I thought the interface was fantastic. On the left side of the screen you will notice a navigation column with essential Facebook links such as your newsfeed, messages, photos etc. Underneath these links is a separator where you will find all the groups you've joined; unfortunately I could not find any way to add my favorite pages to the column like you can in the iPhone app. On the right side, by default, you will be able to browse your Newsfeed which looks identical to the iPhone version. On the top of this view you can view your notifications, friend requests and access your messages quickly.
Tapping your profile on the navigation column will give you several options, you can choose to log out, tweak your account and privacy settings, view the help center or simply view your profile. The profile view covers your whole screen and on the left you can choose to view your photos, info or friends list. Your friends list is organized in alphabetical order and each friend has a large rectangle displaying their photo. Additionally you can switch and view your pages by tapping a small button on the top of the screen. Unfortunately for me, the app would consistently crash whenever I would try to browse through my pages, but do remember this isn't exactly ready for the iPad yet. Viewing photo albums was great, as the app utilizes the large screen of the iPad well.
Updating your status or writing on your friend's wall creates a small pop-over where you can type your message, you can also control the privacy settings on these messages with a single tap. Switching to landscape mode brings up Facebook chat on the very right of the screen, I could find no way to access chat in portrait mode and there was no link on the navigation column to it either.
Overall I was really pleased with the application, the interface was great and all of Facebook's essential features were available. The app did resemble MyPad+ for Facebook a bit, however, the fact that Facebook can actually make use of their own API is probably what will make this app a winner. I can't wait for the official release and if you want to grab this app right now, follow our guide here.
Update: As many of you noticed, Facebook seems to be now blocking access to its network from this yet unreleased iPad app to some users. We'll keep you posted if the situation evolves or if we hear of any workarounds.