LiveUpdate Disabled But Product Updates Download and Install Anyway

[bjm]

@jimklo

The issue here is that while disabling Live Update works for controlling the download of virus definitions, any updates for the Norton product itself are downloaded and installed regardless of the disabled setting for Live Update. This usually results in prompting the user to restart

Hello @jimklo
adding to @SoulAsylum
fwiw ~ as per Norton Chat support

While the “Automatic LiveUpdate” setting primarily governs the automatic download of virus definitions and routine program updates, critical product updates and patches for the Norton application itself are often handled separately and may bypass this setting.

This is a design choice by Norton to ensure that the core security software remains up-to-date with essential fixes and improvements, regardless of user-configured automatic update preferences. These critical updates are deemed necessary for the stability, security, and proper functioning of the Norton product itself, and to protect against newly discovered vulnerabilities.

The restart prompts you’re experiencing are typically a result of these core product updates requiring a system reboot to fully integrate the changes.

Therefore, even with “Automatic LiveUpdate” set to “Off,” you may still see:

• Critical product updates: These are essential for the Norton application’s own security and performance.
• Restart prompts: These occur when a product update requires a system reboot to complete the installation.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a user-facing setting within Norton 360 v25.10 that allows you to completely disable these critical product updates, as they are considered vital for maintaining your overall protection and the integrity of the software.