Accessibility Service Keeps Turning Off on Oppo? The Fix

Quick answer: Oppo's ColorOS has its own battery manager that stops apps in the background, and an accessibility service stops together with the app that provides it. To keep it on, change four things for that app: allow background activity, allow auto launch, lock the app in the recent apps list, and switch off sleep standby optimization. Then turn the accessibility service back on once. Exact steps are below, including Realme, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo and Huawei.

The symptom is always the same. You switch an accessibility service on, it works for a while, and then it is off again. Maybe after you close the app, maybe after the screen has been off for a few minutes, maybe only the next morning. The app says its permission is missing, the blocker stops blocking, the automation stops running. You switch it on again and the cycle repeats.

Why Oppo phones switch accessibility services off

An accessibility service is not a separate program. It runs inside the app that provides it. Stock Android keeps an enabled accessibility service alive. Several phone makers add their own battery manager on top of Android, and that manager decides which apps may keep running when you are not looking at them. When it stops an app, the accessibility service inside that app stops too. On some firmware versions the switch in Accessibility settings then flips to off, on others the service simply never comes back until you switch it off and on again.

This is not a bug in any single app, and it is not limited to one kind of app. It hits everything that relies on accessibility: screen-time blockers, automation tools, password managers, some screen readers. The community-maintained site Don't Kill My App documents it by phone brand, and Oppo is one of the brands it lists. Realme and OnePlus phones run on the same ColorOS base, so they behave the same way.

How to fix it on Oppo (ColorOS 12 to 15)

Menu names change a little between ColorOS versions, so look for the closest wording if yours differs. Do these steps for the app that keeps losing its accessibility service.

1. Allow background activity

Open Settings, then Apps, then App management, and pick the app. Tap Battery usage (on some versions the path is Settings, Battery, App battery management, then the app) and turn on Allow background activity.

2. Allow auto launch

On the same app page, or under Settings, Apps, Auto launch, switch on Allow auto launch for the app. This lets the phone start the app again in the background instead of leaving it dead.

3. Lock the app in your recent apps

Open the recent apps screen, tap the small icon or menu at the top of the app's card and choose Lock. A locked app is skipped when you press Clear all and when the phone cleans up in the background. This is the step people skip most often, and it matters a lot on Oppo.

4. Switch off sleep standby optimization

Open Settings, then Battery, and look for Sleep standby optimization (it may sit under a menu called Power saving settings or More battery settings). Turn it off, and switch off any other smart or adaptive power saver you find there.

5. Turn the accessibility service back on

Open Settings, then Accessibility (on some versions under Additional settings), find the app under Downloaded apps or Installed services, and switch it on. If it already shows as on but does nothing, switch it off and on again.

How to check that it worked

Open the app, make sure it works, press the home button and lock the phone. Wait ten minutes, unlock, and test it again. For a stronger test, clear your recent apps (the locked app should stay) and restart the phone once. If the service is still on after both, you are done.

Realme: the same fix with different names

Realme UI uses the ColorOS battery manager. Open Settings, Battery, then App battery management (sometimes under Power saving settings), pick the app and allow background activity and auto launch. Lock the app in the recent apps list, and turn off power saving mode while you test.

OnePlus: check the battery optimization list too

Recent OnePlus phones are ColorOS-based, so the Oppo steps above apply. In addition, open Settings, Battery, Battery optimization, pick the app and choose Don't optimize. In the same menu, switch off Advanced optimization (deep optimization and sleep standby optimization). OnePlus phones are known to reset some of these switches after updates, so check them again if the problem returns.

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO

Open Settings, Apps, Manage apps, pick the app and turn on Autostart. In the same page open Battery saver (or Battery) and choose No restrictions. Then open the recent apps screen, press and hold the app's card and tap the lock icon. On older MIUI versions you lock the card by dragging it down.

Samsung

Open Settings, Battery, Background usage limits. Turn off Put unused apps to sleep, make sure the app is not listed under Sleeping apps or Deep sleeping apps, and add it to Never sleeping apps. Then open the app's info page, tap Battery and choose Unrestricted. In the recent apps screen, tap the app's icon and choose Keep open.

Vivo and iQOO

Open the app's info page, tap Battery and choose Unrestricted or allow High background power consumption. Under Settings, More settings, Applications, Autostart, enable the app. Lock the app's card in the recent apps screen. On newer versions you can also check Settings, Battery, Background power consumption management.

Huawei and Honor

Open Settings, Battery, App launch. Find the app, switch off Manage automatically, and turn on Auto-launch, Secondary launch and Run in background. Lock the app's card in the recent apps screen, and switch off power saving modes while you test.

Pixel and other stock Android phones

Open the app's info page, tap App battery usage (or Battery) and choose Unrestricted. Stock Android rarely stops accessibility services, so this step is usually all it takes.

It still turns off. What else can I check?

• Restart the phone once after changing the settings. Some of them only take effect after a restart.
• Restricted settings. If you installed the app from outside Google Play, Android 13 and newer can grey out the accessibility switch. Open the app's info page, tap the three-dot menu and choose Allow restricted settings. Apps installed from Google Play do not need this.
• Other cleaner or battery apps. A third-party cleaner or booster app can close apps in the background and undo everything above. Remove it or exclude your app.
• System updates. After an update, open the settings above again. Some phone makers reset them.
• Battery saver mode. A strict battery saver can stop background apps even when everything else is set correctly.

If you use Dam It!

Dam It! blocks short-form feeds through an accessibility service, so it is affected like any other app of this kind. Newer versions of the app show the steps for your phone brand when you first set it up, show a banner on the dashboard while protection is off or likely to be switched off, and have a Protection check in Settings that you can open at any time. If it still stops after all of this, use the email link in that screen. It adds your phone brand and the state of the relevant settings, so we can see what happened instead of asking you to describe it.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my accessibility service turn off by itself on Oppo?

Because ColorOS stops background apps to save battery, and an accessibility service stops together with its app. On some firmware the switch in Accessibility settings also flips to off.

Does this happen on every Oppo phone?

No. It depends on the model, the ColorOS version and the settings. But it is common enough that the fix above is worth doing on any Oppo, Realme or OnePlus phone before the problem shows up.

Will allowing background activity drain my battery?

The cost is usually small, because you only allow one app that you chose. It depends on what the app does in the background. Only do it for apps that need it to work.

Do I have to repeat this after a system update?

Sometimes. Some phone makers reset battery settings during updates. If the problem comes back, check the settings again.

Does this work for apps other than Dam It!?

Yes. The settings are per app and work the same way for any app that has to keep running in the background.