Stop using Facebook's internal browser altogether.
In the quiet architecture of the modern web, small technical agreements — cookies, permissions, browser handshakes — form the invisible foundation upon which access to information rests. When those agreements break down, as they sometimes do within Facebook's in-app browser, readers find themselves locked outside a door they believed was open. The Cairns Post, like most contemporary publications, depends on these mechanisms to remember its visitors and serve them properly, and the path back in is usually simpler than the frustration it causes might suggest.
- A hidden quirk in Facebook's in-app browser silently strips stored cookies, trapping users in an access loop they didn't create and may not understand.
- The disruption is subtle but maddening — settings appear correct, yet the site refuses entry, leaving readers to wonder if the fault is theirs.
- The fix is immediate and decisive: redirect all Facebook links to open in your phone's native browser by toggling a single setting buried in Facebook's App Settings menu.
- Desktop users on legacy browsers like Internet Explorer 7–9 face their own cookie barriers, solvable through a specific sequence of privacy overrides in browser options.
- Firefox and Chrome each offer their own paths through settings menus, all leading to the same destination: cookies accepted, sessions restored, content unlocked.
The Cairns Post relies on cookies to function — to remember users, maintain logins, and deliver a coherent experience. For most readers, this works invisibly. But for those arriving through Facebook's built-in browser, a documented defect can quietly erase stored cookies, creating a frustrating loop where access is denied despite seemingly correct settings.
The most effective remedy is to stop using Facebook's internal browser entirely. On mobile, this means opening Facebook's settings via the hamburger menu, finding App Settings, and enabling the option to open links externally. Once toggled, tapped links will launch in Safari, Chrome, or whichever native browser the device uses — bypassing the cookie problem at its source.
For desktop users on older versions of Internet Explorer, the fix lives in the browser's Privacy tab under Internet Options. Selecting Advanced and manually setting both first- and third-party cookies to Accept resolves the issue immediately. Firefox users follow a comparable path through its Options and Privacy menus, enabling cookies and setting them to persist until expiry. Chrome users must navigate a few layers deeper into Content Settings to allow local data and unblock third-party cookies.
The underlying cause in each case is the same: without cookies, the site cannot recognise or serve its visitors properly. The Facebook app issue remains the most common offender, but for those who know where to look, the door back in is never far.
The Cairns Post website requires cookies to function, a technical requirement that occasionally creates friction for readers accessing the site through certain browsers and apps. The most common culprit is Facebook's built-in browser, which has a documented quirk: it sometimes strips away cookies that were previously stored, forcing users into a loop where they cannot access the site even though their browser settings should allow it. The issue appears to stem from a defect in how Facebook's in-app browser handles cookie persistence, though the platform has not yet issued a permanent fix.
For users encountering this problem, the simplest solution is straightforward: stop using Facebook's internal browser altogether. Instead, open links in your device's default browser—Safari on iPhone, Chrome on Android, or whatever you've set as standard. To make this change automatic, open Facebook's settings menu by tapping the hamburger icon in the top right corner, navigate to App Settings, and toggle on the option labeled Links Open Externally. From that point forward, any link you tap will launch in your phone's native browser rather than Facebook's wrapper, bypassing the cookie issue entirely.
For desktop users working with older versions of Internet Explorer—versions 7, 8, or 9—enabling cookies requires a trip through the browser's privacy settings. Open Internet Options from the Tools menu, navigate to the Privacy tab, and click Advanced. From there, check the box for Override automatic cookie handling, then set both First-party Cookies and Third-party Cookies to Accept. Click through the confirmation dialogs and the change takes effect immediately.
Firefox users follow a similar path but with slightly different menu labels. Open the browser's Options dialog from the Tools menu, select the Privacy tab, and choose Use custom settings for history. Check the boxes for Accept cookies from sites and Accept third party cookies, then set the retention period to Keep until: they expire. Click OK and you're done.
Google Chrome's cookie settings live deeper in the menu structure. Open Tools, then Options, then Privacy Options, then look for Under the Hood and Content Settings. Check the box for Allow local data to be set, then uncheck both Block third-party cookies from being set and Clear cookies. Close the settings window and the configuration is saved.
These technical requirements exist because cookies allow websites to remember user preferences, maintain login sessions, and track basic analytics. Without them enabled, the Cairns Post cannot deliver a functional experience. The Facebook app issue remains an outlier—a browser-specific problem that most users won't encounter unless they're specifically clicking links from within the Facebook app. For everyone else, the site works as intended once cookies are permitted.
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a news website need cookies at all? Can't people just read the articles?
Cookies store information about you—your login, your preferences, whether you've already read something. Without them, the site can't remember who you are between visits.
So what's the actual problem people are running into?
Facebook's app has a bug where it strips cookies that were already set. You might have cookies enabled in your phone's settings, but Facebook's browser ignores that and makes requests without them anyway.
That sounds like a Facebook problem, not a Cairns Post problem.
Exactly. But from a reader's perspective, they just see a blank page when they click a link from Facebook. The Post can't fix Facebook's browser, so they're telling people to use their phone's default browser instead.
Is this a widespread issue or just a few people?
It's intermittent, which makes it harder to pin down. Some people hit it every time, others never see it. That's why Facebook hasn't rushed to fix it—it's not consistent enough to trigger urgent action.
What about people still using Internet Explorer?
They need to manually enable cookies through a settings menu. It's a few clicks, but it requires knowing where to look. Most people don't.