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  • How to View Flash on the iPad (…and other iOS Devices)

How to View Flash on the iPad (…and other iOS Devices)

kcroy —  November 7, 2011 — 16 Comments

Question:

Can I view Flash sites on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch?

Answer:

Yes!

How to View Flash on the iPad (…and other iOS Devices)

How can I view Flash sites on an iPad? I have been asked this question often enough. I have recommended iPads to many individuals and schools and occasionally someone asks this very question. Competitors pointed out the inability of the iPad to view Flash at its release, and have tried to make its inability to view Flash as a weakness or fault. Most educators familiar with the iPad realize the new standard for video is and will continue to be HTML5 which nearly everyone is adopting. Flash has been viewed by Apple as old, outdated code that hasn’t even tried to keep up. Flash just isn’t good for tablet devices, some say, citing battery consumption and other problems. Still there are those that would like to view Flash on an iOS device like the iPad and it can be done.

For those seeking possible solutions for viewing Flash on the iPad we have a variety of solutions for you and one Wired Educator recommendation.

Wes Fryer, a speaker, writer, and Apple Distinguished Educator, recommends the Puffin Web Browser for .99¢ cents on a recent Speed of Creativity Post. Wes states that Puffin allows the viewing of Flash-format videos on many sites unlike other browsers which just support Flash videos. He also likes it because it is inexpensive. Please read Wes’s article here.

Craig Nansen, also an Apple Distinguished educator, has recently curated a wonderful list of alternative browsers for iOS devices that allow the viewing of Flash along with their prices and download links:

Craig Nansen’s Curated List of  Alternative Browsers for the iPad:

While Skyfire has been the most popular of the Flash enabling Web Browsers it is also the most expensive and has its own limitations.

Wired Educator Recommends: the Puffin Web Browser based on the combination of factors: it has the greatest range of viewing Flash styled sites, you can practically view any Flash file, it works on ANY iOS device, and it is only ninety-nine cents. Still it is not without it’s limitations. It works best on a WiFi network and doesn’t “yet” support Flash games.  It’s always best to check each link and compare its strengths and weaknesses for your device and planned usage.

 

 

 

Lorrain Croy

“Lorrain Croy”

In Hardware, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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kcroy

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  • Vikingsin2009

    Did anyone check which browsers view flash? Opera Mini – no; Diigo – no and I’m not about to check the $$ ones. ISwifter is a yes, but free for 30 minutes at a time.

    • Kcroy

      We recommended Puffin for ninety-nine cents and it does.

      • Sn1030joe

        No puffin is not working for me

        • Sergei8219

          It works for me (iphone 4s), but the video is very choppy. In other words not worth using…

          Price is no longer 99 center either.

  • Mikedefoe

    Also try Photon browser! It works very well and has other great features as well.

  • Red Dragon

    Opera mini does not play flash.

  • Pingback: How to Make up for No Adobe Flash on Your iPad « GDS Tech Tips

  • Training

    photon is crap and blurs your pages when viewing flash. I bought Puffin and like it better. It does everything it says.

  • CRM

    There is still an issue with Apple’s non-support of Flash on iOS and expectation that HTML5 can completely replace that need: For users who need captioning/subtitling for video, there is still no option for doing that within HTML5, without the use of some plugin/player technology such as the Flash video component. So, at least until that changes, Apple has essentially locked out those users from the ability to see captioned video (or audio feeds/podcasts).

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  • Gategovo

    Rover works and it’s free

  • Mt

    Yea..flash is sooo old 99% of the web who uses dynamic web content still uses it. Html5 has not caught on as people say. Has apple ever heard of backwards compatibility so that apple users are not left out of that high percentage of web? It’s arrogant and shows beautifully how apple just doesn’t care about making sense. Schools need to use android devices. End of story.

  • Jkk

    Puffin is free now

    • Sagatiaej Morey

      Puffin is free for a few days only. If you see they are offering it free for good. Let us know. I don’t see that anywhere.

  • Sagatiaej Morey

    This is just another way for apple to charge us money for something that other products offer for free. I own a MacBook Pro, an iPad, an iPod, a shuffle, and a nano and I would rather sell everything I have to buy Adobe products that support flash than pay you for puffin when they are getting it for free. To hell with you if you think you can treat LOYAL customers that way. NO SALE!

    • Sagatiaej Morey

      No one else does this to their customers. What they are not telling you is that Adobe and Apple don’t get along. They won’t change the software to make it comparable like everyone else. Now they want to take it out of our wallets to make up for it so that they don’t have to. I am not going to pay for their little pissing contest and neither should you.