Android Accessibility Keeps Turning Off Accountable2You

To monitor your device, the Accountable2You monitoring app needs permission to use your phone's Accessibility settings. This article walks through some common obstacles and solutions to keep these permissions enabled for A2U.

1. Turn off the A2U Accessibility shortcut

First, follow the steps below to make sure the "Accountable2You shortcut" for Accessibility is turned off. If this shortcut is enabled, you might accidentally disable the monitoring app without knowing it.

1. Open your Settings app, search for "Accessibility", and tap Accessibility in the results.
2. Next, tap one of these three buttons (the button that you see will depend on your device): Installed Apps, Downloaded Services, or Downloaded apps.
3. Tap Accountable2You.
4. Make sure the Accountable2You shortcut (also known as the accessibility button) is toggled OFF. (It should look like this when you're finished.)

If the Accountable2You shortcut is already disabled, and Accessibility for A2U is still turning off, move on to the next step below.

2. Check for security, cleaning, or task-managing apps

If you've installed a third-party app that performs any of the functions listed below, you'll need to make sure these apps' functions don't affect Accountable2You's monitoring app:

• An app that performs security functions.
• An app that cleans your phone.
• An app that lets you manage background processes on your phone.

Make an exclusion for the monitoring app

If you have an app like this installed, you'll need to make an exclusion inside that app for Accountable2You. You can usually find instructions on how to exclude an app by searching for something like this on the web: "add exclusions for [name of your security, cleaning, or task manager app] on Android". 

If your app doesn't have an exclusion option, try disabling or uninstalling it and see if that improves A2U's monitoring.

Haven't installed a device cleaner, task manager, or security app? Go ahead and proceed to the next step! 

3. Allow A2U to run without battery restrictions

The final step is to disable any battery optimization settings for the Accountable2You monitoring app on your device. 

Many Android phone manufacturers have added battery-saving features to their devices in an effort to help their users maximize the phone's battery life. However, this can come at a cost.

Some "overly zealous" battery optimizers can disable important functions for your phone's apps—including an app's Accessibility permissions. If you notice that Accountable2You's monitoring suddenly stopped on your device, or that Accessibility turns off in the background, your phone’s battery saver settings may be causing this. 

The good news is that most phones allow you to customize these settings! While each manufacturer's settings vary slightly, the general steps below apply to many Android devices:

1. Open your Settings app, search for "Apps", and tap Apps in the results.
2. Find and select Accountable2You from the list.
3. Tap Battery, and ensure A2U's usage is set to "Unrestricted".

Further troubleshooting battery optimization for Accountable2You

If the instructions above don't seem to fit your specific device, or you'd like to dig deeper, there is another option! While we're naturally hesitant to stamp our approval on an app from a third-party developer that we can't support or manage, we've found the website and app "Don't Kill My App" has helpful guides for disabling the battery optimization settings for many phone brands.

To update your battery optimization settings, just follow the steps below:

1. On your Android device, open Google Play and search "Don'tKillMyApp". (Or, tap this link from your Android device.)
2. Install and open the app.
3. Follow their in-app steps to disable the battery optimization settings (for Accountable2You's monitoring app).

If downloading the app doesn't work, visit their website (listed below), select your device type, and follow the suggested steps there:

• https://dontkillmyapp.com/