How to Post to Facebook and Twitter from the Notification Bar in iOS 8

One of the greatly missed features in iOS 7 was the ability to post to Facebook and Twitter right from the notification bar. It allowed users to update their social profiles without launching the official apps for these sites. Many of you who were super active on these social sites felt bad when they heard that this feature was removed from iOS 7.

Fortunately, there’s hope. iOS 8 brings back this functionality for everyone who missed it (with the help of a third-party app that uses iOS 8’s new widget feature). All you have to do, is install an app from the App Store on your Apple device running iOS 8, and you’re good to go. Here’s how:

1. Tap on App Store.

2. Tap on the Search icon located in the bottom-right corner.

3. Search for and tap on TapToShare.

4. Tap on the FREE button.

5. Tap on INSTALL. Enter your Apple login details if it asks you. The app should begin downloading on your device.

6. Now pull down the notification bar from the top of your screen and tap on Edit.

7. On the screen that follows, tap on the plus icon given just before the TapToShare widget.

8. It’ll then appear in the widgets list given above indicating it’s been added to your widgets bar. Tap on Done.

9. You’ll then be able to see icons for both Post to Twitter and Post to Facebook. Just tap on them and they’ll allow you to update your social profiles without leaving your current screen.

You just brought back the quick-updating functionality on your iOS 8 device that’ll help you be more active on two of the most popular social sites.

Give it a shot, post some updates, and let us know how it works for you! We’d love to hear what you guys think!

Don’t forget to check out our iOS How To’s section to learn more tips and tricks for your iPhone or iPad.