Avast free AV - updating javascript files in resources folder

[REDACTED]

I am running Avast Free AV on 3 machines - v17.4.2294 (build 17.4.3482.0). I know there is a newer version. I installed on all 3 machines in January 2018. I have program updates to manual, and virus definition updates to auto.

I have noticed that even thought program updates are set to manual, every now and then Avast updates some of the javascript files in the resources folder. The javascript files are part of the program, so it seems odd they update by themselves.

Two things:

1. All 3 machines get virus definition updates with no problem. On one machine there has been no update of the contents of the resources folder since installing in  January 2018, but the other two machines received their latest updates to the resources folder in September and October 2018, i.e one month apart;

2. On the two machines that were updated in September and October 2018, the Subscriptions panel in the User Interface no longer shows the activation status or the number of days left on the licence. But the machine that has never received an update to the javascript files in the resources folder does show the subscriptions panel correctly.  The subcriptions.js file in the resources folder on the 2 machines that have received the update is different from the machine that has received no update.

Does anyone know if the behaviour is by design?

[Asyn]

Update to the latest version (18.7.2354): https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=222453.0

[DavidR]

The Virus Definitions Update, includes more than just virus definitions.  It also updates the engines and can be used to do minor updates that don't require a program update.  This may be what you are seeing, but why there would be differences across three installations I have no idea.

If you check the right click menu of the Avast Tray icon you will see it mentions updating the Engines.

As Asyn mentions, a program update would be the way to go, hopefully that would bring a consistency on the three installations.