2 Ways to View Flash-Based Websites on iPad

Curry30

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posted on 12 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Due to Apple's policies on web content, Flash is not natively supported on the iPad (or iPhone or iPod touch). In order to play Flash files, you will need to either download an app that allows you to load Flash websites, or download and convert the Flash file on your computer and then sync it to your iPad.

Things You Should Know

Apple does not allow Flash pages to run on iPad (or any iOS product) but there are a few workarounds for this.
Download a web browser from the App Store that allows Flash pages.
Get the .SWF (Flash) file on your computer, then convert it to a format your iPad accepts.

Opening Flash Webpages

Open the App Store on your iPad. Your iPad has no built-in support for Flash content. You will need to download and install a third-party browser that comes with Flash support.

Find a browser that supports Flash. There are several apps that support Flash. The two most popular options are Photon Flash Player and Puffin Web Browser. Puffin Web Browser has a free trial version available so that you can test if it works properly. Click here for detailed instructions on installing apps from the App Store.

Open the browser. After it has finished installing, tap the new browser's icon on your Home screen to open it up.

Ensure Flash is turned on. The Photon browser allows you to turn Flash support on and off. Turning Flash off improves the browser's performance, but prevents you from loading Flash content. You can toggle Flash on by tapping the "Lightning Bolt" button in the upper-right corner.

Visit the site that contains the Flash content you want to view. The Flash content should begin playing as if you were using a computer to view the content. Some Flash content may run poorly on the iPad. This is an unfortunate limitation of third-party browsers. Ensure that you have a fast internet connection, as loading Flash content can put a strain on your bandwidth.

Converting SWF Files

Download the SWF file on your computer. You can convert SWF (Flash) movie files into a format that is compatible with your iPad. You cannot convert SWF games. Click here for detailed instructions on downloading SWF files on your computer.

Download and install a conversion program. There are a lot of conversion programs available. Two of the most popular programs are Freemake Video Converter and Avidemux. Both of these programs can be downloaded for free.

Select the SWF file as the source file. The process will vary depending on the program you are using, but generally you can load a file as the source for the conversion process.

Select "MP4" or "iPad" as the output format. If your conversion program has a preset for iPad, choose it. Otherwise, select MP4 as the output format.

Convert the video. This may take a while, especially if the video is a long one.

Add the converted video to your iTunes library. Videos that you add to iTunes will be found in the Home Videos section. Click here for detailed information on adding files to iTunes.

Sync your converted video to your iPad. Once the video has been added to your library, you can sync it to your iPad. Plug your iPad into your computer, select the "Home Videos" section, and ensure that your newly-added movie is selected. Click here for more instructions on syncing the video file.

Watch the video. Open the Videos app on your iPad and select the "Home Videos" tab. Your converted SWF file will be listed here. Tap it to begin playing it.