Accessibility Service Keeps Turning Off on Oppo? The Fix
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.
The exact steps are below, followed by the equivalent settings on Realme, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo, Huawei and Pixel phones.
Why Oppo phones switch accessibility services off
The symptom is always the same. You switch an accessibility service on, it works for a while, and then it is off again: after you close the app, after the screen has been off for a few minutes, or the next morning. The app says its permission is missing, the blocker stops blocking, the automation stops running.
An accessibility service is not a separate program. It runs inside the app that provides it. Stock Android keeps an enabled accessibility service alive, but several phone makers add their own battery manager on top, 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 it stops too. On some firmware the switch in Accessibility settings then flips to off; on others the service never comes back until you switch it off and on again.
This is not a bug in one app. It hits screen-time blockers, automation tools, password managers and some screen readers alike. The community site Don't Kill My App documents the behavior by brand and lists Oppo. 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.
- Allow background activity. Open Settings, Apps, App management and pick the app. Tap Battery usage (on some versions: Settings, Battery, App battery management, then the app) and turn on Allow background activity.
- Allow auto launch. On the same app page, or under Settings, Apps, Auto launch, switch on Allow auto launch. This lets the phone start the app again in the background instead of leaving it stopped.
- 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.
- Switch off sleep standby optimization. Open Settings, Battery and look for Sleep standby optimization (it may sit under Power saving settings or More battery settings). Turn it off, along with any other smart or adaptive power saver you find there.
- Turn the accessibility service back on. Open Settings, 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 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 and OnePlus
Realme uses the ColorOS battery manager. Open Settings, Battery, 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 phones are ColorOS-based too, so the Oppo steps apply. In addition, open Settings, Battery, Battery optimization, pick the app and choose Don't optimize, and switch off Advanced optimization in the same menu. OnePlus is 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. On 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, iQOO, Huawei and Honor
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, and lock its card in the recent apps screen. Newer versions also have 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 is usually all it takes. Google describes the battery settings in its Android help.
It still turns off. What else can I check?
- Restart once after changing the settings. Some only take effect after a restart.
- Restricted settings. If the app was installed 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 from Google Play don't need this.
- Cleaner or booster apps can close apps in the background and undo everything above. Remove them or exclude your app.
- System updates. After an update, check the settings again; some phone makers reset them.
- Battery saver. 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. The app shows the steps for your phone brand during setup, shows a banner on the dashboard while protection is off, and has a Protection check in Settings 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. More on how the app stays active is on Runs in the background.
Questions people ask
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. It is common enough that the fix is worth doing on any Oppo, Realme or OnePlus phone before the problem shows up.
Will allowing background activity drain my battery?
Usually only a little, because you allow one app that you chose. It depends on what the app does in the background, so only do it for apps that need it.
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.