MS Defender 'notifications'

Question

MS Defender 'notifications'

Brian 60

Every once in a while, I get "Web protection was turned off on "My phone" and I did not turn it off. So, what is happening?

Also, on my desktop, I will go to 'Device Protection' and get "Something went wrong. Wait a bit then try again'. Well, I gotta tell ya, it is a long 'bit' because that message does not go away! :-(

Does anyone have the same issue or know what is 'wrong'? TIA.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Kai-H 18,195 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi, Brian

The phone warning does not always mean someone turned Defender off manually. It can also happen after app updates, VPN/secure browsing conflicts, or Android deciding Defender has not been used recently. On the PC side, the “Something went wrong” message usually points more to a broken Windows Security app page than to Defender protection itself being fully off.

Besides the solutions provided by the Q&A Assist, here are some suggestions you can try:

On the phone, first update Microsoft Defender from the Play Store/App Store, then restart the phone. If it still happens, open the phone’s app settings for Microsoft Defender and clear only the app cache, not storage/data at first. Also check if you use another VPN, ad blocker, DNS filter, browser protection app, or “safe browsing” app. It is suggested that these can conflict with Defender’s web protection/VPN layer, so temporarily turn those off and test Defender again.

If your phone has a Recent Apps screen, open Defender, then lock/pin it there if your Android brand supports that. This can stop the phone from killing Defender’s background process.

On Windows, install all Windows Updates, including Microsoft Defender/Security Intelligence updates. Then go to Settings, Apps, Installed apps, Windows Security, Advanced options, and try Repair first. If that does not help, try Reset. This only resets the Windows Security interface, not your personal files.

If the page still fails, it is recommended that you run these two commands in Windows Terminal or Command Prompt as Administrator:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

sfc /scannow

Restart afterward and check Windows Security again. If the warning remains but Virus & threat protection is working, it may just be the Device Security page failing to load properly.

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you.

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Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-05-26T16:10:07.78+00:00

Thank you.
Kai-H 18,195 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-27T06:49:06.4933333+00:00

Glad to hear that I can help.

Have a nice day!
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-05-27T15:44:46.9833333+00:00

Kai-H,

I checked everything on the phone and I have always had auto update enabled, permissions granted, etc., yet it did it again yesterday & it is not always clear when it tells you it is going to permission settings! :-( I cleared the cache today so we shall see. Thanks.
Kai-H 18,195 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-28T06:35:28.9866667+00:00

Hi, Brian

Thanks for the update. If the cache was corrupted or Defender was not opening the right Android permission screen cleanly, clearing it may help, but if it happens again it may be more of an Android/Defender handoff issue than anything you are doing wrong.

Since the phone is not always clearly taking you to the correct permission area, I would manually check the permission from Android Settings instead of relying on the Defender prompt. Open Settings, then Apps, Microsoft Defender, and look through Permissions, Battery, and “Special app access” if your phone has that menu. Also check Accessibility separately from Settings and make sure Microsoft Defender is still enabled there after the warning appears.

If it turns off again after clearing the cache, it is recommended that you remove and reinstall Microsoft Defender, then set it up again from scratch. That can sometimes fix a bad app state where permissions look enabled, but Defender still does not read them correctly.

One other thing worth checking is whether the phone has any “unused app” cleanup option. Even if auto-update and permissions are on, Android can still remove permissions from apps it thinks are not being used. Look for wording like “pause app activity if unused,” “remove permissions if app is unused,” or “auto revoke permissions,” and turn that off for Microsoft Defender.

For now, I’d monitor it after the cache clear. If it happens again, note whether it happened after a phone restart, system update, Defender update, or battery saver mode being used. That pattern may point to what is knocking the protection off.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-05-29T13:10:14.4166667+00:00
Kai-H,

Thanks. I will monitor it & if it continues, I will remove and install. In the meantime, I also found the following for which most was already done.

On Samsung Galaxy S21 devices, Microsoft Defender's web protection frequently turns itself off because Android’s aggressive battery-saving features kill background apps to save power. When the app stops running, Android revokes its required Accessibility permissions, disabling the feature. [1, 2]

How to Fix It

To keep Web Protection running permanently, you need to adjust your Samsung settings to prevent the system from putting the app to sleep: [1, 2]

1. Set Battery to Unrestricted

Go to your phone's Settings.

Tap Apps and find Microsoft Defender.

Tap Battery.

Change the setting from Optimized to Unrestricted. [1]

2. Turn Off Adaptive Battery

Go to Settings > Battery > Battery limits (or More battery settings).

Toggle Adaptive Battery to OFF. [1]

3. Allow Background Usage

Go to Settings > Device care > Battery.

Select Background usage limits.

Make sure Microsoft Defender is not in the "Sleeping apps" or "Deep sleeping apps" lists. [1]

4. Lock the App in Recent Apps

Open the Microsoft Defender app.

Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to open the Recent Apps screen.

Tap the Microsoft Defender icon (or long-press) and select Keep open (or tap the padlock icon). [1]

After adjusting these settings, open Microsoft Defender and turn Web Protection back on. For more details, refer to the Microsoft Support Guide for Android.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/defender/web-protection-keeps-turning-off-on-my-android-device

Answer 2

On the phone, the “Web protection was turned off on ‘My phone’” notification usually means Android has disabled Defender’s web protection service in the background to save battery or because another app took over the Accessibility Service.

Why it happens on Android:

Many Android devices aggressively optimize battery usage and stop background apps.
When this happens, Android can remove the Accessibility permission Defender uses for web protection, which turns web protection off.
Only one app at a time can use the Accessibility Service; if that permission is given to another app, Defender’s web protection is turned off.

How to reduce or stop this on the phone:

Turn off battery optimization for Microsoft Defender and allow it to run in the background:
- In device Settings, open the Battery / Power / App battery usage section (name varies by vendor).
- Set Microsoft Defender to Unrestricted or Don’t optimize / No restrictions.
- Ensure Allow background activity / Run in background / similar is enabled for Microsoft Defender.
- Make sure any “put unused apps to sleep” or “app quick freeze” lists do not include Microsoft Defender.
Re‑enable web protection in the Defender app:
- Open Microsoft Defender on the phone.
- Tap the Device protection or web protection alert card and follow the prompts to turn web protection back on.
Ensure no other app is using the Accessibility Service for the same type of protection, or web protection in Defender will be turned off.

On the Windows desktop, the “Something went wrong. Wait a bit then try again” message on the Device protection page is a generic failure when opening that section of Windows Security. From the provided information, there is no specific documented root cause or fix in the context. However, note that Windows Security notifications and sections can be affected if another security product is installed and has taken over some protection features (for example, another antivirus can disable parts of Microsoft Defender). If a third‑party security suite is installed, Device protection and related areas may not function as expected until that product is removed or its integration changed.

References:

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MS Defender 'notifications'

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