Very high battery usage since November 2017 update

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I'm running Avast Mobile Security (free) on a Pixel (original version) on Oreo (Android v8.0, with Nov 2017 Security Patch).  I keep my apps up to date and have been running Avast 6.8.3 since 28 November 2017.

Two issues:

1. I get occasional messages that Avast has stopped working and needs to restart.  This has manifested ever since I upgraded the phone to Oreo.  To try to prevent Android's new system to control app's in the background I have made Avast exempt from "battery optimization".  I assumed this was a teething issue when I first upgraded to Oreo, but I'm surprised this issue hasn't been fixed, as Oreo has been around for a while now.

2. Since around the last update of Avast (but I cannot put a precise date on when the problem started) I have noticed much faster battery drain on my phone.
 Looking at the battery usage stats in the Settings menu of the phone, Avast is consistently the main consumer of battery power (even more than the operating system itself, which is unusual).  Restarting my phone does not address the issue.

Does anyone know of a fix, or whether the developers are going to fix these issues themselves?  I'm going to have to disable the app if I don't get this sorted soon as I'm having to charge my phone multiple times a day.

Thanks very much.

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Same thing here with my HTC One A9, Mobile Security Pro drains my battery very very fast, from 100% to 87% in 27mins! That's crazy!

[andycc1989]

Same problem here with nokia 8
Pls fix it asap, or I will uninstall it.

[Tereza V.]

Hi, our apologies for this bug, we are working on a fix, it has the highest priority now and the plan is to have it done for the next release (version 6.9.0) - not able to say the exact date now though.

It seems to help to force stop the app (device Settings > Applications > Avast Mobile Security > Force stop).

To the crashing issue - please clear the app data (Android Settings > Apps > AVG AV > Clear data and cache), it should help.

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I'm finding that periodically, I get a message from Samsung Device Maintenance that Avast is overusing my resources, Galaxy S8.  If I restart the device, that seems to stop it until it happens again.  So far twice in 3 or 4 days.  If I force stop Avast, does it restart again automatically so I'm protected?

[vianello_85]

I would say that if the staff makes available the link of the previous version of avast waiting for the fix I think it could be the best solution for those who find problems

[Tereza V.]

Hi pvdiamon, new Samsung models have a Device Maintenance manager, which keeps flagging apps that need to constantly run in the background. Solution is to go to your device Settings--Device Maintenance--Battery--Unmonitored apps and add the Avast Mobile Security to the list. Only then will the Maintenance stop killing our app.
If you force stop Avast, the protection will be discontinued.

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I have the same battery drain issue.  My Samsung S5 used to go 2 days between charges.  Since installing Avast Mobile on Nov 30, the phone is down to 50% battery within 8 hours of being fully charged.   I have uninstalled Avast.  I have a paid license for this app and am very disappointed.

[Asyn]

I have the same battery drain issue.  My Samsung S5 used to go 2 days between charges.  Since installing Avast Mobile on Nov 30, the phone is down to 50% battery within 8 hours of being fully charged.   I have uninstalled Avast.  I have a paid license for this app and am very disappointed.

See Reply #6 from Tereza.

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I haven't had the problem since my post last week. Has there been a fix? I didn't notice an update. Also not sure if I stop Samsung from flagging the app in Device Manager, will that impact battery usage? Or will it just avoid the flag which is useful to let me know Avast is in battery drain mode again.

[Arielphf]

Adding to the chorus - posted a thread about the device maintenance issue before i saw this thread.  I haven't noticed much of a battery issue, but I keep getting the device maintenance alerts.  If I turn off the alerts, I just won't get the messages; the problem will remain.  Never had this problem with previous versions of Avast.  Please let us know when you will have a fix for this issue.  Thank you.

[Anthony297]

Same as above. Started getting the high usage alert on my S8 a few weeks ago. Lost considerable battery life throughout the day once I started getting that notification of avast "overloading the system"

Had  to uninstall avast and now back to 1 full battery charge will almost last me a whole day with moderate usage. Before, with same typical usage I was charging the battery twice in one day.

Not sure if the culprit is avast and their update or S8 and one of verzion's security updates.  Who knows

Just hope it gets looked into and fixed so I can go back to having some protection.

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I'm having the same problem with my HTC One M9 since updating to 6.8.3 so you can rule out Samsung, Oreo & Verizon as possible causes. I've been running Avast on Android for 5 years (or since release if less) & never seen anything like this. According to GSam Battery Monitor, Avast used ~33% of my battery & 3hours of CPU time in 8 hours! (I can post screenshots if you want) I force-stopped & disabled Avast yesterday & haven't seen the battery problem since. As a long-time user, I'm not thrilled about having Avast disabled. It defeats the purpose but I also want to be able to get some use out of my phone. Please release a fix soon or make the prior version available for sideloading until it is!

[Tereza V.]

Hi all, when I posted the previous message, we were not yet aware of the 6.8.3 battery draining bug. We are working on a fix for 6.10.0.

You can still help us by getting more details - just install the current 6.9.2 version (currently rolled out to 5% of users, if it is not available to you yet, you can install Beta, more on goo.gl/r8UPdZ) and generate a bug report file (step-by-step on goo.gl/ow1dUi) and send it to me (you can get my e-mail address by clicking on my name in this forum). We would really appreciate your help, thanks!

[dariushbabri]

Adding to the chorus - posted a thread about the device maintenance issue before i saw this thread.  I haven't noticed much of a battery issue, but I keep getting the device maintenance alerts.  If I turn off the alerts, I just won't get the messages; the problem will remain.  Never had this problem with previous versions of Avast.  Please let us know when you will have a fix for this issue.  Thank you.