How to request the desktop site in Safari for Facebook

Have you ever had clients need help and all you had with your mobile device?

Are there Facebook features you can’t access from your mobile device?

In this article, I’ll show you how to request the desktop site in Safari for Facebook.

Facebook mobile frustrations

Have you ever tried to access a website from your mobile device only to be directed to a mobile-friendly version?

Often times, mobile-friendly means limited.

According to The Next Web, 30% of Facebook’s active user base are mobile-only.

I’m expecting those numbers to continue to increase as more and more people go completely mobile.

In the meantime, while Facebook has some great mobile apps by way of the Facebook mobile app and Facebook Page Manager, sometimes it can be frustrating to switch back and forth between apps.

Fortunately, there’s a hidden shortcut that will let you switch to the desktop version of Facebook.

To use the request desktop site feature, you will need to be running iOS 8 on an Apple device.

Follow these instructions to request the desktop site for Facebook.

How to request the desktop site for Facebook

Step 1: Launch Safari on your iOS device

Step 2: Go to Facebook

Step 2: Tap on the address bar in Safari

Step 3: Swipe down

Step 4: Select “request desktop site”

 

Request desktop site
Use request desktop site to access desktop-only Facebook features.

Now you can access features that are only available on the desktop version of Facebook from your mobile device!

Hopefully this means you won’t have to rush to find a laptop to make changes for your clients because you can now do them from your mobile device!

Going beyond Facebook

You’re not limited to using the request desktop site to access just Facebook.

If you’re ever on a website and want to load the desktop version, just use this tip!

Note: The request desktop site feature won’t work if a website uses responsive web design.

Over to you

I’m glad to see more and more businesses are giving users the option to switch between the desktop and mobile versions of their website.

Although it requires some extra pinching and zooming, it’s nice to have access if you’re in a pinch!

Question: Are you more or less productive on your mobile device? Leave a comment below and let me know!