location based blog: HOW TO: Get Facebook's Hidden iPad App Right Now (AAPL)

Monday, July 25, 2011

We heard about Facebook's new iPhone app a month or so back, but now there's proof Facebook is building an app for your iPad.

And it's almost finished.

Buried deep within Facebook for iPhone, the iPad app lingers in a nearly-complete state, TechCrunch discovered.

It doesn't look a whole lot different from the iPhone app, but it includes some deft pop-ups for Notifications, status updates, and more.

There's also a big navigation sidebar on the left which replaces the grid of icons the Facebook iPhone app uses.

You'll need to jailbreak your iPad to get it, as of this point. There are no signs yet of an official release date.

Once we get it up and running on our iPad, we'll have a full photo walkthrough.

Here's how to do it:

Check for updates to make sure you have the latest version of Facebook from the App Store. Also, backup your iPad in iTunes.
Visit jailbreakme.com from your iPad. Jailbreaking your iPad is legal, but voids your warranty if you bring your iPad into an Apple Store. It's easy to undo if need be. Just plug your iPad into your computer and restore it from your previous backup. (If you're running iOS 4.3.4, this will NOT work.)
Once the jailbreak process is complete, tap on Cydia, the jailbreak app store that was just installed on your iPad.
Tap the Search tab in Cydia and search for iFile. Download it using the button in the upper right hand corner.
Once iFile installs, open it up, and navigate to the "var" folder of your iPad. Then go to "mobile," then "applications," then "directory."
Click the settings gear icon in the bottom navigation bar and turn "Application Names" to "On."
Open the Facebook folder within the "directory" folder you're inside of. Once you're inside the Facebook folder, open Facebook.app.
Look for the info.plist file, then open it. Pick "Property List Viewer" to view the hexadecimal settings for the Facebook app.
Look for the UIDeviceFamily field and select it.
Delete the 1 you see, and put a 2 in instead. Tap "Done" to complete the process.
Hold down your power button to reboot your iPad.
Open up the brand new Facebook app! It's a bit buggy, but it works.