Background protection and quarantine
Real-time monitoring helps Argus assess installed apps as they are used and respond to relevant app installation, update, and download events. It complements manual scanning and network protection.
It cannot guarantee detection of every threat or uninterrupted operation on every phone.
Enable real-time monitoring
- Open Preferences, or menu > Detection preferences.
- Turn on Real-time Background Monitoring.
- If Android opens Usage access or Apps with usage access, select Argus Sentinel and allow access.
- Return to Argus and check that the switch remains on.
Usage access lets Argus identify app-use activity. It does not give Argus permission to read everything displayed inside another app.
If the switch returns to off, recheck Usage access and follow the troubleshooting steps below.
Allow warnings and the blocked-app screen
Notifications let Argus show alerts. Enable App Notifications under App preferences or Preferences, and allow notifications in Android when requested.
Display over other apps lets Argus place an Application Blocked screen over a quarantined app when it opens. Allow it during setup or in Android's Special app access > Display over other apps settings for Argus. Some phones call it Appear on top or Draw over other apps.
Notification permission and notification access for Message Protection are separate permissions.
Keep monitoring running
After a restart, app update, force stop, or permission change, reopen Argus and verify its status. Do not rely on automatic recovery.
Android and phone battery controls can restrict background activity. An ongoing Argus notification indicates background service activity; it does not guarantee Android will keep the service running indefinitely.
If protection stops after the screen is locked:
- Open Argus and check background monitoring and network protection separately.
- Open Android Settings > Apps > Argus Sentinel.
- Find the battery or background-activity controls. If available, allow background activity or select Unrestricted for Argus.
- Check any sleeping-app, automatic-start, or app-cleanup controls on your phone. Remove Argus from restrictive lists if you want continuous monitoring.
- Reopen Argus, restore the protection switches, lock the phone, and check again after using it normally.
The names and locations of these settings vary by manufacturer and Android version. Use your phone's Settings search or manufacturer help if you cannot find them. Allowing more background activity can increase battery use.
What quarantine does
Quarantine does not uninstall the app. If network protection is off or another VPN takes over, do not rely on Argus network restrictions.
For an installed app, quarantine combines network restrictions with an optional blocked-app screen:
- Network restriction: Argus blocks the app's connections handled by its network protection while that protection is running.
- Blocked-app screen: with monitoring and the necessary display permission, Argus can cover a quarantined app when it is opened.
The blocked-app screen does not prove that all background activity has stopped, and quarantine does not undo information already shared or changes already made.
To remove a harmful installed app, open its finding and use Uninstall, then complete Android's confirmation. See scan results and removal.
Release an app carefully
Open the app's threat details and tap Release only after reviewing the finding and deciding to trust the app.
Release lifts quarantine and also allows the app through Argus network protection. It does not establish that the app is safe. Review Manage Apps Allowed Through Network afterward if you want to remove that network exception.
If you are unsure whether a finding is a false positive, keep the restriction and contact support.
Monitoring exclusions
- Open Exceptions, or menu > App exceptions.
- Select Manage Monitoring Exclusions.
- Search for the app and enable its exclusion switch.
- To restore monitoring, turn that app's exclusion off.
An exclusion reduces monitoring of that app and can also allow its traffic to bypass Argus network filtering. It does not uninstall the app or clear a detection. Do not exclude an app simply to silence a warning you have not reviewed.
When restoring protection, remove both its monitoring exclusion and any separate network allowance. Re-enable network protection and check its status so the connection uses the updated rules.
Background-protection troubleshooting
| Symptom | Checks and next steps |
|---|---|
| Monitoring turns off | Check Usage access, background battery controls, and whether Argus was force-stopped. Reopen Argus and enable monitoring. |
| No warning notifications | Check App Notifications, Android notification permission and notification categories, and any phone settings that silence alerts. |
| No Application Blocked screen | Check display-over-other-apps permission, real-time monitoring, and whether the app is actually quarantined. Avoid launching a suspected threat just to test the screen. |
| No prompt for a downloaded APK | Automatic detection depends on access to the download and running background protection. Open Scan APK and check file access and the completed download. |
| Protection looks active but an app connects | Check network protection and whether the app has a network allowance. Review the actual finding and current app settings. |
| Battery use seems high | Check Android's battery-usage page, recent scanning activity, and network quality. Send support the observed usage and circumstances; there is no fixed battery-use percentage. |