How to Play Facebook Games on iPad

The Apple iPad has sold more than 20 million units worldwide since its release, the Apple iPad 2 has sold around 1.5 million units in a select few countries (while more countries are being added to the list every week) and Facebook is a social networking website with more than 700 million active users worldwide. It would be reasonable to say that every individual who owns an iPad will definitely be a member of Facebook, so he will be accessing the network through the device at least once a day.

There are several games and applications that are available for use on Facebook which are highly successful thanks to the highly social nature of the platform, and the large ecosystem that it provides. Moreover, people who own iPads are tech savvy, to say the least, and can find their way around simple web based activities, so they will undoubtedly be immersing themselves in some of the best Facebook games that various game developers have to offer.

Can You Play Facebook Games on iPad

The simple answer to this question is a resounding yes, since there is absolutely no reason why you cannot play video games, and Facebook games as well, on the Apple iPad. You have pretty much everything that you need for playing these games on the iPad. This includes access to the web, a large touchscreen for good viewing and optimal navigation and control, excellent image clarity, a three-axis gyroscope (in the iPad 2) and also an accelerometer which can come in handy for some fast action games. But the only tool missing for this purpose is a rather significant one, and it mentioned below. In the meantime, these are pretty much all the tools that you need in order to learn how to play Facebook games on iPad (only some selected games), so it is fair to say that the Apple iPad is more than capable of achieving this.

The only problem in this scenario is that some Facebook games require the device running it to have Adobe Flash installed on it. This is a software that is totally absent from Apple products because of a long-running feud between Steve Jobs (the founder and CEO of Apple) and the good folks at Adobe. This software is not going to be found on the iPad anytime soon, so any game which requires Flash will not run at all on the Apple iPad, which is slightly disappointing to learn.

Best Facebook Games

With that in mind, here are some popular Facebook games that do not run on an iPad due to the unavailability of Adobe Flash.

• Bejeweled Blitz
• CityVille
• Cafe World
• FarmVille
• Mafia Wars
• Monopoly Millionaires
• Pet Society
• Texas Hold 'Em Poker
• Uno

This list is much bigger than this, but we have only mentioned some of the best Facebook games here. It is unfair on consumers that they have to go through this because of Apple's refusal to accept Adobe Flash's conditions, but this is something that all iPad owners have to live with. If it is any consolation, this disadvantage is not only restricted to Facebook games. It spreads to other iPad activities like surfing the web and playing other browser games as well, making this the iPads only possible weakness via-a-vis its direct competitors in the tablet market.

How to Play Facebook Games on iPad

One possible solution to this problem is to jailbreak your iPad and then install some third-party applications that allow you to make use of Flash content. While this can be extremely useful, it can also prove to be dangerous and expensive, since an iOS devices warranty is considered null and void if it has been jailbroken. So this is a dilemma that you will have to deal with, in a manner that you see fit. You can also try installing an application known as iSwifter on the iPad through the official Apple App Store. This app apparently allows the iPad to play a few Flash games, but not all. Unfortunately, it can also only be used over a Wi-Fi connection and not a 3G Internet connection.

Another piece of advice for an iPad owner who wants to learn how to play Facebook games on iPad would be to discard the iPad completely and then get an alternative replacement tablet that runs on Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) or RIM's QNX OS. These support Adobe Flash so these games will work seamlessly on such tablets.

Apple has created a lot of problems for their consumers by continuing their issues with Flash. This is still a very prevalent software in today's media driven world and it is no surprise that Apple users are suffering as a result. For all the greatness of an Apple iPad, it is more than just a little frustrating that it is unable to play the best Facebook games around.