Want to get Facebook Home on any Android phone? Yes, it’s already possible

By Andrew Kalinchuk April 15, 2013

facebook-home-2-625x1000 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

For those of you with devices not compatible with Facebook Home or living in a country it hasn’t arrived in yet, there’s hope for you yet.

The wonderful folks at Madaco have put together a bunch of APKs to get Facebook Home up and running on almost every Android device out there. Madaco had access to the leaked version as well, perhaps giving them the necessary insight to pull this off.

The working solution comes in two distinct variations: one for anyone who doesn’t own an official device and the other for those of you with a device that is supported but happen to live in a country you live in has yet to receive Facebook Home.

If your Android device is unsupported then the workaround can be complicated, but definitely not impossible. First you’ll need to remove every Facebook app that’s installed on your phone. This will be easy unless your particular phone has Facebook pre-installed. In that case, if your phone won’t let you remove it in the regular way then you may have to root your device and remove the files manually.

Once that’s done and your Android device has been completely scrubbed of Facebook, you’ll need to install three patched APKs. There’s one each for Facebook Home, Facebook Main, and Messenger. The APKs are basically identical to the official apps, with the one change being the removal of a device check from Facebook Home.

Alternately, if you do have a compatible device but don’t reside in a supported country then the fix is a lot simpler. First off, ensure you have the main Facebook and Messenger apps installed on your device, this is important as it may not work correctly if the two apps are installed first. After that you can go ahead and load up the modified APK to get Facebook Home working.

The files, installation guide, and some tips are all available through Madaco if you’re ready to take the plunge and hand your phone over to Facebook.

So far, users are reporting all features are working as promised. Only one bug seems to be persistent, which is the SMS from Messenger function. Some users are saying the function tends to quit working form time to time. Bugs aside, this workaround is more than welcome, especially if you’re hungry for more Facebook, all the time.

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Andrew Kalinchuk

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Andrew covers news and opinions pertaining to smartphones, tablets, and all else mobile for Digital Trends. He recently…

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