How to make an iPad icon that will go to a specific Twitter feed?

December 25, 2018 1:17 PM

I'm trying to give my mom an icon on her iPad home screen that will go directly to a specific Twitter feed.

I can make a website icon on an iPad. But I can't do it when the target website is a Twitter feed.

Usually I navigate to the site I want, and then make the icon using the current page. But this isn't working for me with Twitter feeds.

On the iPad (5th Gen, A1822) I'm using, when I go to a Twitter feed, the url changes from what I typed, like, say, "www.twitter.com/fluff" to "mobile.twitter.com". So when I try to make a website icon using the current page, I get "mobile.twitter.com" which is useless.

Can someone provide the step-by-step instructions?

posted by lockedroomguy to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

The URL changes to “mobile.twitter.com/fluff”. I just tried on my own iPad and making a home screen icon works as expected despite the redirect. The URL shown while you’re doing it is just “mobile.twitter.com”, yeah, but once the icon is made, tapping it opens the specific profile, not just the Twitter home page. Are you getting something different or did you not actually test it?
posted by sailoreagle at 2:31 PM on December 25, 2018

It didn't work for me either until I logged out of Twitter (on Safari, not on the Twitter app).
posted by Etrigan at 2:36 PM on December 25, 2018

That’s really strange, I’m logged in to Twitter and it’s working fine.

Possible workaround without logging out if that’s the issue: request desktop site (in the same share menu you use to add a home screen icon) -> manually remove “mobile” from the URL -> go (so you are now at the desktop version of the profile) -> add icon to home screen.

It redirects to the mobile version when tapped, but starts off as the standard URL, so by rights it should work. If not, I’m out of ideas.
posted by sailoreagle at 3:13 PM on December 25, 2018

Response by poster: What happens here is it takes me to the "log in to Twitter" screen.

She's not going to log in to Twitter.
posted by lockedroomguy at 3:26 PM on December 25, 2018

I know this is just a kludge, but could you make her a Twitter account that only follows that one account you want to link to?
posted by Etrigan at 3:36 PM on December 25, 2018

Best answer: 1. Visit mobile.twitter.com/account_to_follow
2. Turn on airplane mode/disable wifi and data
3. Click add to homepage (the URL should now be to the specific account page)
4. Turn wifi/data back on
5. Rejoice
posted by cichlid ceilidh at 10:11 PM on December 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

Create a Twitter account that only follows that person and install the app?
posted by chrispy108 at 4:11 AM on December 26, 2018

I wonder about using Apple’s free shortcuts app to do it. I created a shortcut that goes to the fluff twitter feed and added it to my home screen. It seemed to work on my iPad. If you install shortcuts on your mom’s iPad, you can get the shortcut I created by clicking this link: Fluff
Add it to the home screen by clicking the ellipsis next to the shortcut then the settings icon in the top right that looks like stacked switches. Finally, there’s an add to home screen button. Memail me if I can help.
posted by putzface_dickman at 7:54 AM on December 26, 2018

Response by poster: Thanks cichlid ceilidh! I did rejoice!
posted by lockedroomguy at 3:08 PM on December 26, 2018