How To Get Facebook For iPad Now (Update: Quick Version, Video & Workaround)
July 25, 2011
Update: Facebook has, following this article, been attempting to prevent users from using the app on the iPad. There is now a workaround available, as well as a much easier solution to activate the new interface. Click here for all the details.
Following today's discovery that Facebook is hiding a native iPad app for its network inside the iPhone Facebook app, everybody has been jumping on us asking how they can try it out. Well, it's actually feasible for anyone with some iOS hacking skills, that is, knowing how to jailbreak and the ability to transfer files between your device and your computer. If you don't have any of this, don't worry, we'll show you how.
The gist of the trick is a modification made inside the Facebook app as discovered by Twitter user AeroEchelon:
If you change the UIDeviceFamily to 2 for iPhone on the Facebook app you get an iPad version!Fortunately for us, iClarified has a full step by step guide on how to achieve just that. It's actually the same technique that has long been used to force iPhone-only apps to run in full screen on the iPad. That is, you're going to need to be using a jailbroken device (or jailbreak it for the occasion, which means all original iPads are good to go, and iPad 2s as long as you didn't update to 4.3.4). Install the Facebook app. Then, using SSH and a desktop client access the Facebook app directory, and change the number 1 in the info.plist file under UIDeviceFamily into a 2, then save. If you need more details, open iClarified's how-to, and follow step one through 10. At Step 11, rather than adding a new line, you just scroll to the bottom, where you'll find that Facebook already has the UIDevicefamily line, and switch the number 1 to 2. Then save. Restart, and say hello to Facebook for iPad! Any issues? Success? Share them in the comments! [Image Credit: Techcrunch] Update: Our good friend Adrian Durso from Jailbreaknation.com has just put together a video walkthrough showing how to activate Facebook for iPad right from your iPad using iFile. Using this method you won't even need a desktop computer. Check it out: Update: Facebook has, following this article, been attempting to prevent users from using the app on the iPad. There is now a workaround available, as well as a much easier solution to activate the new interface. Click here for all the details.