Thursday, July 21, 2011

How to Install Google+ on Your iPad or iPod Touch


After several weeks of being forced to use the web app,
early iOS Google+ adopters were finally given a native App Store app yesterday. The app included all kinds of enhancements over the web version, including the ability to manage profiles and upload photos.
However, a lot of folks were upset that Google didn’t include support for iPad and iPod Touch users. The omission was rather odd, considering folks with either device weren’t even able to download the app. Luckily, iDB has your back, and we’ve put together an easy guide to installing Google+ on your iPad or iPod Touch

If you’ve tried looking for the Google+ app in the App Store from your iPad, chances are you didn’t find it. And if you followed an App Store link to the application from the iPad, you likely received an error message saying, “Your request could not be completed.”
So, how in the world are you supposed to use the new social networking service on Apple’s tablet? It’s easy, just follow this step-by-step tutorial:
[Important Note: We haven't tested this out on an iPod Touch yet, just the iPad. But as of right now we're assuming it works on both.]
Step 1: First, you will need Apple’s free iPhone Configuration Utility, which you can download here. iOS developers will be familiar with the utility which lets you install software on your device that hasn’t been approved by Apple yet.
Step 2: You’ll also want to make sure you have the Google+ app on your computer, which is as easy as popping into iTunes and clicking the Apps tab. If it’s not there, just click here to download it.
Step 3: Open the iPhone Configuration Utility and make sure your iPad is plugged in. Select your device from the left-side menu and click the Applications tab. You should see a list of all the apps on your tablet. Now click the Add+ button in the top left corner of the window.
Step 4: You should see a browser window pop up that’ll allow you to navigate to the Google+ app. For me, it was located in MacintoshHD/user/*/Music/iTunes/MobileApplications/. You can also find it by right-clicking the Google+ icon in iTunes and selecting Show in
Step 5: You should now see the Google+ app when you go into the iPhone Configuration Utility. Make sure your device is selected, click the Applications tab, and select install. You’re finished!

The Google+ app is still iPhone-specifc, so it’ll only show up on the iPad in 2x mode. You would think RetinaPad would improve the enlarged version dramatically, but since this particular iPad isn’t jailbroken, I haven’t had a chance to test it yet. Regardless, this should hold you over until Google+ is officially iPad friendly.
Any questions? Did it work with your iPod Touch? Does the app look better with Retina Display? Sound off below!

[Thanks, iDB]

No comments :

Post a Comment