Tablets

How To Get The Official Facebook App On Your iPad

[UPDATE] A new method has been discovered on how to run Facebook for iPad. Use this method instead. See our new post

[UPDATE] There have been reports that Facebook has blocked this loophole to allow you to use the iPad Facebook app, for now. It seems to block you at the login screen although there are still a few people to be able to get in. You can still try if you’d like. Let us know if it works for you in the comments. Guess it was fun while it lasted. Come on Facebook, get with it already!

Facebook’s iPad app is secretly hidden within their iPhone app. Below are instructions on how to install the Facebook app for iPad. Your iPad must be jailbroken to install the Facebook iPad app.

How to install the Facebook iPad App with iFile on Cydia

  1. First you must Jailbreak your iPad. You can find instructions on how to Jailbreak iPad iOS 4.3.3 can be found here.
  2. After you have jailbroken your iPad, download the Facebook iPhone app or if you already have it make sure it is updated to 3.4.4. You can do this by syncing your apps with iTunes or by installing the iPhone app directly from the App Store on your iPad.
  3. Open Cydia and search for the app iFile. Once you have installed iFile, go to preferences, turn on application names, then go to Applications > Facebook > Facebook.app > info.plist > and finally select UIDeviceFamily.
  4. Change the integer value from 1 to 2 and hit done.
  5. Restart your iPad and the next time you open the Facebook app it will load up the iPad Facebook app.
  6. Enjoy!

It’s not yet known when Facebook will officially release their iPad app but fingers crossed this leak will speed up their release plans. If you don’t want to go to the bother of Jailbreaking your iPad, it might be mere weeks before an official release is announced.

How to install the Facebook iPad App by editing the ipa File

  1. Again, your iPad must be jailbroken and you must have Installous installed from Cydia.
  2. Update your facebook app through app store to version 3.4.4
  3. Sync your iPad or iPhone with itunes.
  4. Click Apps on the left in iTunes and select facebook, click show in windows explorer.
  5. Rename Facebook3440.ipa to Facebook3440.zip.
  6. Open the zip file, navigate to \Payload\Facebook.app\Info.plist, extract that Info.plist file to a folder and open it in pList Editor
  7. Change the UIDeviceFamily integer value from 1 to 2.
  8. Exit pList Editor, it will prompt you to Save, in Winrar click add file to archive, and replace the Info.plist with the edited Info.plist file.
  9. Close archive and rename the zip file back to Facebook 3440.ipa
  10. Use WinSCP to ssh into your iPad and copy the new Facebook ipa file to this folder    /var/mobile/Documents/Installous/Downloads
  11. Open Installous, then downloads and you should see your Facebook ipa without an image Click and Install.
  12. Open your new iPad version Facebook!