Download Facebook APK 561.0.0.42 Free for Android

Facebook has passed 3 billion monthly active users and now runs Marketplace, Reels, Groups, Messenger, and Meta AI inside one Android app that fits on a single home screen.

Facebook is the official social networking app from Meta Platforms Inc., built around Feed, Groups, Marketplace, Reels, and Messenger for Android phones and tablets, with parallel versions on iOS and the web at facebook.com. Version 561.0.0.42 keeps the 2026 redesign that moved navigation toward the bottom of the screen, arranged photos into a standardized grid, and added Meta AI into search. The app needs Android 9 or higher and the install runs around 150 MB. What separates the current build from the social network most people remember is how much sits in one place: buying a used couch, watching a 90 second Reel, running a 50,000 member Group, and chatting in Messenger all happen without leaving the app.

How Facebook Marketplace handles local buying and selling near you

Marketplace is the reason a large share of users open Facebook at all, and it works as a free local classifieds board with no listing fee for personal sellers. You set a search radius (commonly 1, 5, 20, 40, 60, or 100+ miles) and filter by category, price range, and condition before anything loads. The main categories cover Vehicles, Property Rentals, Electronics, Home & Garden, Apparel, and Free Stuff, and each listing carries photos, a price, a location pin, and a one tap “Message” button that opens a chat with the seller.

Three details matter when you actually transact here:

• Saved searches and alerts: tap the bookmark on any search and Facebook notifies you when a matching item posts, which is how flippers catch underpriced electronics within minutes.
• Seller ratings: profiles show how many items a seller has sold and their response time, so a “Very responsive” badge is a quick trust signal before you drive across town.
• Holiday Shop: a seasonal section added for the 2024 holiday window and carried forward, curating affordable gift listings from real local sellers rather than retailers.

Payment stays mostly cash or local pickup for personal items, while business listings can run through Meta’s checkout. The risk to know about: Marketplace draws scams, so the app added in app warnings on listings that ask for deposits before pickup.

Reels, Watch, and how Facebook pushes short video now

Reels has become the front door of Facebook video, and the app now opens to short clips faster than it opens to text posts. Reels run up to 90 seconds, support the “Remix” tool that lets you film alongside someone else’s clip, and share the same recommendation engine Meta tuned in 2026 to surface clips from accounts you do not follow. The editor inside the app stacks the practical pieces: trimming, audio from a licensed library, on screen text, and speed controls between 0.3x and 3x.

Watch sits next to Reels for longer content, hosting full episodes, creator shows, and livestreams, with a “Save” option that drops videos into a dedicated tab for offline-style queuing. The split is simple in practice: Reels is the vertical, swipe up feed for quick entertainment, Watch is where you sit with a 10 minute video or a live broadcast.

Two things changed the video experience recently. First, the redesigned Feed groups multiple photos and clips into a grid and supports double tapping a photo to like it, the same gesture Instagram uses. Second, Facebook confirmed it is retiring the Gaming Creator Program in 2026, ending partner support for game streamers and pushing that audience toward general Reels and Watch instead.

Facebook Groups and the community tools admins actually use

Groups is where Facebook still beats almost every rival, because a 100,000 member buy-sell group or hobby community has no real equivalent on other apps. Each Group runs as Public or Private, and admins can now switch a Private group to Public while keeping existing members’ past posts hidden from new visitors, a privacy control added in 2026. Joining is one tap, and you can belong to hundreds of Groups at once with their activity folded into your main Feed or filtered into a dedicated Groups tab.

For people who run communities, the admin toolkit is the real draw:

• Membership questions: set up to three approval questions so only people who answer correctly get in, which is how niche groups keep spam bots out.
• Fan challenges and custom badges: creators can launch challenges and hand out custom badges to active followers, turning regular commenters into recognizable regulars.
• Scheduled posts and admin assist: queue posts in advance and set automatic rules that decline posts containing blocked keywords or links.

The 2026 comment tools also landed here, streamlining replies and moderation so a single admin can manage threads that used to need a team.

What Meta AI does inside Facebook search and Feed

Meta AI is the biggest functional change to Facebook in years, and it now lives directly inside the search bar rather than as a separate chatbot screen. When you search, the app offers AI-powered suggested searches that expand a vague query (“hiking near me,” “gift for a 10 year old”) into specific topics, and results appear in a grid layout with a new full screen viewer instead of a plain list. Meta AI also generates content help, suggesting captions for posts and creating visual templates before you publish.

Two limits are worth stating plainly. Meta AI is not available to everyone yet; it is rolling out by region, currently centered on the United States and several English-speaking markets across Meta’s apps. And the same AI system now personalizes the ads and content you see based on your interactions, which is part of why the free app shows more targeted sponsored posts than it did a year ago.

Meta has also tied AI into safety. Facebook Messenger is testing “AI scam reviews” that flag suspicious messages and show a warning banner before you reply to an unknown sender, a direct response to the scam volume that follows Marketplace and friend-request spam.

Turning on dark mode and taming the redesigned 2026 Feed

Dark mode is the single most searched Facebook setting, and the app keeps it under Menu, then Settings & privacy, then Dark mode, with three options: On, Off, or Use system setting. Set to system, Facebook flips to a near-black background whenever your Android phone enters its scheduled night theme, which cuts glare during late scrolling without you touching it again.

The 2026 redesign reshaped everything around that setting. The Feed now arranges multiple posts into a standardized grid for cleaner browsing, the double tap gesture likes a photo, and a full screen viewer lets you tap into any image or video edge to edge. The most divisive change is the navigation bar, which a phased server side test moved from the top of the screen to the bottom on many devices. The bottom bar lines Facebook up with Instagram and WhatsApp, though it sits close to Android’s own gesture area and has frustrated long time users.

If the clutter is the problem, three controls help: tap the three dots on any post and choose “Hide” or “Snooze for 30 days” to retrain the algorithm, switch your Feed sort to “Most recent” through the menu to escape recommendations, and use “Why am I seeing this?” to mute the ad categories that keep returning.

What’s new in Facebook version 561.0.0.42

Version 561.0.0.42 continues the redesign Meta began rolling out in December 2025 and refined through the first half of 2026. The headline changes:

• Bottom navigation rollout. The main tab bar moved to the bottom of the screen on Android phones and tablets through a phased, server side test, matching Instagram and WhatsApp layouts.
• Grid Feed and full screen viewer. Multiple photos and videos now stack into a standardized grid, with a full screen viewer and double tap to like.
• AI powered search. Suggested searches and a grid results layout went live, surfacing topics tied to your interests.
• Messenger scam detection. AI scam reviews and warning banners began testing for suspicious chats.
• Account security hub. A 24/7 support hub launched across Facebook and Instagram for recovering hacked accounts.

Older builds such as 549.0.0.61.62 still carried the top navigation bar and the older list-style search, so the jump to 561.0.0.42 is mostly visual and AI driven rather than a feature you have to learn from scratch. Routine version notes continue to list bug fixes and performance work for low-end devices alongside the bigger changes.

Facebook MOD APK features

The Facebook MOD APK strips out the parts of the official app most people complain about, ads, tracking, and privacy gaps, while keeping every real function (Feed, Marketplace, Reels, Groups, and Messenger) intact. The build hosted on APKRUNE is aimed at users who want a cleaner, quieter Facebook and more control over what other people can see about their activity.

No Ads (sponsored posts, sponsored Reels, and Story ads removed)

The MOD removes Sponsored posts from the main Feed, promotional clips inside the Reels tab, and the ad slots that appear between Stories, including full screen interstitial pop ups. Where the stock 561.0.0.42 app threads a targeted ad after roughly every four to six organic posts, the MOD shows none, and some builds display a running counter (often capped at “999999”) for ads blocked that day. This matters most during long scrolling sessions and inside Reels, where the official app stacks the heaviest ad load.

Download videos, Reels, photos, and Stories

A download button is injected onto videos, Reels, photos, and Stories so a 90 second Reel or a friend’s Story saves straight to your gallery for offline viewing. The stock Facebook app has no native save option for other people’s videos and routes you to screen recording instead, so this is the feature most users install the MOD for. It works through either an in app download or a browser handoff for larger clips.

Privacy mods (hide seen, typing, story views, and last seen)

The MOD lets you read Messenger chats without firing the blue “Seen” receipt, hide the typing indicator while you compose, watch friends’ Stories without appearing in their viewer list, and mask your online/last active status. The stock app forces all four signals on by default with no toggle, so this bundle is the core “Privacy MOD” people search for. It is most useful for anyone who wants to browse a 50,000 member Group or check a Marketplace seller’s Story without leaving a trace.

Built-in Messenger and background video playback

Messenger runs inside the MOD without installing the separate Messenger app, saving the extra 60 to 100 MB and the second set of background processes that drain battery. The build also keeps Reels and Watch videos playing in the background while you switch apps, something the official app blocks unless you pay for nothing in particular because Facebook simply does not offer it.

The note below explains exactly what the MOD changes against the stock 561.0.0.42 build before you download.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Facebook MOD APK safe to use?

It is as safe as the source you get it from, since the MOD modifies the official Meta app rather than replacing your account. Download only the latest matching version (currently 561.0.0.42), keep it updated when Meta ships server side changes, and avoid logging two accounts into an outdated build, since old versions can break after a forced Facebook update.

Can the MOD get my Facebook account banned?

Facebook bans accounts for behavior (spam, mass friend requests, scam listings), not for which APK renders the app, and the privacy mods like hiding “Seen” or Story views are read-side tweaks that Meta’s servers do not flag. The practical risk is login interruptions when a MOD lags behind a major version like 561.0.0.42, not a permanent ban.

How is the MOD different from the official Facebook app?

The MOD keeps every real function (Feed, Marketplace, Reels, Groups, Messenger) and adds four things the stock app refuses to: ad removal, downloading other people’s videos and Stories, hiding read/typing/online signals, and background video playback. Nothing is removed except ads and tracking, so Marketplace listings and Group memberships behave exactly as they do on the official build.

What Android version and storage does Facebook need?

Facebook requires Android 9 or higher and installs at roughly 150 MB, growing with cached photos and videos. On phones with 2 to 3 GB of RAM, clearing the cache under Settings & privacy keeps Reels scrolling smoothly, and the MOD’s removal of background ad processes typically lowers battery drain on those lower end devices.

Is Meta AI available to everyone in the app?

No. Meta AI search suggestions and the in app assistant are rolling out by region, currently centered on the United States and several English-speaking markets. If your search bar still shows the older list results instead of the AI grid layout, the feature has not reached your account yet, regardless of whether you run version 561.0.0.42.