Facebook unusable for some Android users as app ‘keeps stopping’ following recent update

It seems many Facebook users on Android devices have been locked out of the app as it keeps crashing following a recent update. Reports began popping up late last week and have only grown louder in the last few days. From budget handsets to high-end tablets, the bug seems to strike without warning. For many, the app simply closes on its own or never gets past a blank screen. Frustrated users have flooded Reddit and even Google’s support forums looking for help.

One Moto G22 user posted the following:

Facebook app keeps crashing on Moto G22 after latest update — anyone else having this issue? Since this afternoon, my Facebook app has been constantly crashing. Every time I try to open it, it just closes by itself.

Meanwhile, a Galaxy Tab user also described the issue, stating:

Facebook crashes repeatedly on Galaxy Tab. App launches but displays black or grey screen and is inaccessible.

New phone owners are also caught in the crossfire. One user who just bought a handset found Facebook pre-installed and totally unusable:

I have recently bought a mobile and facebook is already installed but app isn’t opening and it’s closing immediately on itself. I tried deleting the app and downloading it again but the app isn’t opening at all.

Even tried-and-tested fixes have fallen flat. Users report uninstalling updates, clearing cache and storage, rebooting phones, toggling permissions and even switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data. Nothing restores normal function.

Interestingly, I haven’t been able to replicate the issue on a Pixel 8 with the latest available Facebook version on the Play Store — 514.0.0.65.72. So it’s unclear what might be causing the app to crash for others. For reference, the last update to the app was on May 21, which is just a few days before reports about the app crashing started popping up.

While I couldn’t find any immediate workarounds that tried and tested by users, I do have some potential tips that will get you back to scrolling through Facebook. First and foremost, make sure that you’re on the latest Facebook version by heading to the Play Store. If you have the latest update, then the best bet in such situations is to sideload an older version of the app. You can do this by downloading an older Facebook APK file and installing it.

In case you aren’t inclined to installing APKs from third-party sources, then you could also attempt to join the Facebook Beta testing channel officially on the Play Store. To do this, just search for Facebook on the Play Store and navigate to the app’s listing. Then, under the ‘App support’ section, tap the ‘Join’ button where it says ‘Join the beta’.

It’s possible that Facebook already patched the bug in the beta build, so you might be able to use the platform without a problem. However, do note that beta versions of apps usually tend to be slightly more unstable. So my first suggestion would be installing the older APK itself.

Last but not the least. Just use Facebook on a browser like Chrome. This will be the most simple and straightforward step, however, you’ll miss the slick in-app experience. Either way, I’ll keep tabs on the situation and will post an update if and when there are any further developments.

Featured image credit: u/Existing-Side-1226 / Reddit