Facebook introduced a new mobile app at the end of last month. Paper , that's its name, aims to allow mobile users to improve their monitoring by relying on their favorite social network. Pretty promising, isn't it? Certainly, but only our American friends can benefit from it at the moment and the application is therefore not available on the old continent. There is however a trick to get around the problem and to install Paper from Europe , France, Belgium and the rest of the world.
A trick known for a long time, in fact, and which consists quite simply of logging into the Apple AppStore using a US account. Rest assured, because you will not need to have family in the United States to carry out this delicate operation. In reality, what you are going to have to do is simply create a new account.
Installing Paper in France is perfectly possible and not necessarily very complicated.
How? 'Or' What ? Nothing complicated, as long as you follow all the following steps.
Connect to the US version of iTunes
The first step is relatively simple since we will have to connect to the American version of iTunes. Not everyone necessarily knows it, but Apple's application store comes in several versions that vary depending on the continent and country. When developers design an application, they can decide to deploy it to all stores around the world, or only to certain markets.
Facebook has opted for the latter solution and Paper is therefore only available on the American version of iTunes. And so we will have to manage to access it.
- Launch iTunes.
- Click on your address in the toolbar at the top left.
- A window opens.
- Click on the “Log off” button.
- Go to iTunes if you are not automatically redirected.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
- Click on the small flag.
- A new page opens.
- Select “United States” from the list at the top.
Congratulations, you are now connected to the US version of the store and nothing is stopping you from celebrating the event. Be aware that we still have two or three odds and ends to complete.
The different versions of the Apple store.
Create a US account on iTunes
Like creating an American account, for example. Because indeed, Apple has implemented several security systems and it is not enough to go to the American version of the store to retrieve the applications it contains. No, now we're going to have to pretend to be an American, and therefore create an account that will be identified as such.
In other words, we're going to have to lie, and do it with a lot of finesse.
- Click on the “App Store” button located at the top of the toolbar.
- Go to the page of a free application (Paper, or other).
- Click the "Free" button located on the left.
- A window opens.
- Click the "Create Apple ID" button.
- A new page is displayed.
- Click on the “Continue” button located at the bottom right.
- Check the box “i have read and agree to these terms and conditions”.
- Click the "Agree" button.
- A new page opens.
- Fill in the different fields of the form.
- Click on the “Continue” button.
- A new page opens.
- Choose “none” in the “Payment Type” area.
- Enter the coordinates of a location based in the United States in the “Billing Address” box. (*)
- Click the “Create Apple ID” button.
- It's over.
*: Important precision, it is preferable to fill in the coordinates of a place that really exists. In any case, you must imperatively enter an American telephone number to validate the creation of the account. The best is therefore to go to Google Maps and stroll in the corner of your choice to find a place and the associated coordinates. My US account, for example, is domiciled in the State of Maine, in Bangor, at the Penobscot Theater.
Google Maps will be your friend.
Download and install Paper
The hardest part is behind us. Once your account is created, all you have to do is activate it by clicking on the link of the message that will have been sent to you by email. When this is done, and when your account is active , all you have to do is go back to iTunes, access the Paper sheet and download the application. A little bit of synchronization further and the application will be automatically pushed on your iPhone.
I just installed Paper on an old iPhone 4 that was lying around in the corner of my office, and I must admit that my first impressions are quite positive. The interface is particularly neat, and a thousand places from what the official application offers.
