Free space optical communication technology is one of the cutting edge technology in communication.APD array detector has been widely applied to the FSO system because of its high sensitivity,high bandwidth and low noise,so it becomes a research hotspot at home and abroad.The performance requirements of FSO for APD array detectors are analyzed,and the research status of APD arrays for wireless optical communication in recent years is reviewed.The research results of Lincoln Laboratory and Naval Research Laboratory are introduced.Finally,the development directions of APD array detector in FSO are forecasted and summarized.