After a scan, issue of Webshield set OFF is reported, giving steps to Accessibility to to turn Avast ON.
But in Accessibility, Avast service is found set to ON.
To get Webshield to work, I have to toggle Avast setting in Accessibility to OFF, then back to ON.
Why is Avast not seeing the ON state and reporting Webshield as inactive.
Webshield is important to Avast mobile. I cannot trust Avast mobile to keep Webshield active, which is a vulnerability which I consider to be a bug in the product.
EDIT: I intended to post in Android sub-section as applies to Samsung.
This has been an issue on Samsung phones I have had previously and I think related to the overly aggressive battery saver function, trying to reduce background activity.
It hasn’t happened to me for some considerable time so I have forgotten exactly what I did to resolve it. I currently have Android 13 on both of my phones, but I think this was definitely on Android 11 (and possibly 10 also), it was driving me bonkers.
I ensured that the Avast Program is always allowed, and if the notice came up I too had to go into Advanced Settings and flip flop to off and back on. A pain in the backside.
If you can possibly update to Android 12 (don’t know how old you phone is to be able to receive updates) or even 13 if possible.
For me these are the last Samsung phones I will buy, I find them to be chock-a-block with both Samsung and Google crap. I find it despicable that I, having paid hundreds of £ pounds for a phone that I have virtually zero control over what is on it.
Avast does not notify that Webshield is off, only when I seek to do a scan. I will just have to keep checking.
I don’t think I will get further android version updates.
Well you probably know my opinion on on-demand scans and a resident antivirus (much depreciated), so I rarely ever do one. If you don’t do one, Avast reminds you to do one if you haven’t done one after 7 days. As and when I do one, nothing has been found, shock horror, so generally I ignore these (each to their own).
Periodically I also get a notification ‘Avast has done a scan, see what we have found’, now this is going to be like what the Smart Scan in the Windows version promotion of other paid Avast services. So I generally ignore that too.
I have just run a scan (and I didn’t get a notification that the Web Shield was off), first it told me I hadn’t run a scan for 268 days (shock horror). Scan complete and nothing found, but 2 Advanced issues found, enable scam protection and no sensitive apps locked. That produces two options RESOLVE ALL and SKIP FOR NOW, I chose Skip For Now.
My results 432 apps scanned (Have I really got 432 apps I hate default apps) no new threats found, 11 Security settings checked, no new vulnerability settings found. 2 New Files scanned, No New Threats found. Here is the catch 2 Advanced Issues Checked, Upgrade to Premium for additional protection. Essentially this is what I would have expected in a Resident Free Antivirus, nothing found and a promotion of the Premium version.
So for 268 days nothing found other than promoting the Premium version.
I don’t normally run scans so see the “No scan for 7 days” Notification.
But do not get any Notification that Webshield is disabled >:(
So unimportant issue is notified, but the important issue is not notified. Sadly seems all too standard for Avast these days.
As I said, "the “No scan for 7 days” Notification, when I ran the manual scan to test.
I never really had that type of notification, mine was Avast telling me to check Accessibility as the Web Shield was off, but on checking it was enabled. This I determined was more related to Samsung and battery saver being overly aggressive and putting it to sleep, the fact that it is sleeping doesn’t appear to switch it off. So Avast complains it is off, when it is On and the only thing was to flip flop the setting.
I tried absolutely tons of things battery saver and background activity settings, to no end, only when I update to Android 11 did I see that activity reduce and with Android 12 and 13 I very infrequently get this.
Try looking at the Samsung Battery savings settings as they are very aggressive.
Trying to find and navigate the battery settings in Samsung/google phones a bloody nightmare (and the ton of forced installed apps).
I did many searches on deep sleep/battery settings and navigating in the google/samsung android phones is sole destroying. I spent literately days fighting this, making notes on where I had been, how I got there, options I had tried, results, etc. etc. To this day I don’t really know what I did to reduce the impact. But it did tail off/reduce on Android 12 and Android 13. My primary phone is on Android 13 and secondary (no sim card) on Android 12 that I use when running may not receive another OS update. Ultimately I will replace that with another non-Samsung sim free ‘cheap’ phone for running.
@DavidR Thanks. I had a look at that, specific for my Phone and Android version.
Problem I have is “Avast” is not listed when I select to add to my list of Non-sleeping apps.
I even uninstalled and re-installed Avast, but same result.
Yes it a blood minefield, I won’t buy another Samsung/Google mobile phone, I’m done paying through the nose for a phone I don’t have control of. It’s a minefield trying to negotiate their settings.
Plus they treat you as a cash cow and not a customer who has choices. The amount of junk apps installed, that you can’t get rid of. What I also dislike is the fact that they don’t give any details on what apps actually do, to make a decision if it is essential or not… But I guess that is the same for most mobile phone apps.
I have been regularly checking status of WEBSHIELD since learning that it was prone to switching itself OFF unnanounced.
I don’t know if there has been a fix delivered in a recent version, as I have not found WEBSHIELD turned OFF in recent days.
I hope it stays working consistently, without constant manual intervention.
@DavidR Yes. I got that.
The UI is quite different with this AMS update version.
Also see Avast have also changed what components are or not provided in free edition.
I can’t see any release notes about it fixing webshield.
I just hope this version fixed webshield issue for all supported Andriod devices without intervention.
I’m still not 100% certain just who/what is responsible for the accessibility issue, I’m still leaning to overly aggressive actions of battery saving disabling stuff.
I know that Samsung comes chock-a-block with junk that I have no intention of using and zero ability to remove. Samsung can kiss my ass goodbye for mobile phones.
The answer is NO.
I had another instance of unexpected WEBSHIELD = OFF with the new version yesterday and had to toggle the services setting from ON to OFF then ON again to resume.
I am also on Samsung device, but alwayson Android 12
I am also struggling with the issue that webshield is getting disabled permanently i think every 5 days or so without any notification. And exacly as you wrote, even visiting the webshield sectio in Avast doesn show that it is off, i just notice that by looking on the statistics of how many websides are beein scanned, and it show 0 for this day. But NO notification.
I use AMS very long time and can remember that i have this issue for a long time
As i said am already on Android 12, but i had the issue on 11 on the same Samsung device too. I also spend a lot of time to fight eith the settings on Samsung, some of which often are doubled. Here i can say:
Well, you dont have Avast listed there because you probably have set Avast to “no limits” (dont know how is it called in English). Check Apps-> Avast->battery-> there you have 3 options “limit/optimal/no limits”. Wo for every app you have set it to “no limits” will not appear in the device’s global setting for the standby apps. For me if you set it up on the one end (by visiting the settings of every app) or on other end (through the global settings for standby apps) it doesnt make any difference, it should lead to the same result. But who knows how it does get from Samsung. Maybe you could look at the settings of Avast how you have it set for the battery?
@rocksteady
And which Android version are you using?
And which AMS version do you have now?
