Windows’ new AI‑powered Smart App Control is breaking Armory Crate on the Xbox Ally — and handheld owners are fed up

Xbox Ally with sad face on the screen.

Another day, another Windows update breaking something it shouldn’t. This time, instead of power issues or black screen crashes, users who bought into the Xbox Ally lineup, or earlier ROG Ally devices, are being greeted with an “Oops!” moment as Armory Crate simply refuses to work.

For those unfamiliar, Armory Crate is ASUS’s companion software for the Xbox Ally and ROG Ally. It is used to manage performance profiles, system settings, and other essential features.

What’s going wrong with Armory Crate

Armory Crate issue on Xbox Ally (Image credit: u/Illustrious_Hunt_798 on Reddit)

Users on Reddit report that Armory Crate is hitting them with an error message reading, “Oops! There was an issue with the connections to Armory Crate SE. Please open Armory Crate SE for repairs and try again.”

The issue appears to be tied to Windows Smart App Control, which many users are mocking as not so smart, given the circumstances. Neowin, which also reported on the problem, summed up the irony neatly by calling it a “Not-so-smart Windows Defender.”

Armory Crate is an essential part of the Xbox Ally and ROG Ally experience. It lets users tweak device settings, manage controls, adjust performance profiles, and install important system updates.

Windows Smart App Control is a security feature in Windows 11 that, if you could not already guess from its breaking things, uses AI to block what it considers malicious, untrusted, or harmful applications by analyzing them before launch.

In typical Microsoft fashion, whether through overreliance on AI or poorly tested updates, Smart App Control now appears to be blocking Armory Crate from opening at all, locking users out of a genuinely useful tool their devices rely on.

How to fix the issue

To fix the issue, users can disable Smart App Control in Windows 11. Here is how to do it.

On your device, switch to Windows desktop mode and Open the Start menu. (Image credit: Windows Central)

Go to App & browser control and select it. (Image credit: Windows Central)

Select Smart App Control settings and Set Smart App Control to Off.Make sure to restart your device once it's turned off. (Image credit: Windows Central)

1. On your device, switch to Windows desktop mode.
2. Open the Start menu.
3. Search for Windows Security and open it.
4. Go to App & browser control.
5. Select Smart App Control settings.
6. Set Smart App Control to Off.
7. Restart your device once disabled.

Once disabled, Armory Crate should open and function normally.

So far, this is the only consistently reported fix circulating online. If it does not resolve the issue for you, the next step is to uninstall and reinstall Armory Crate after doing the steps above. ASUS provides a clear FAQ covering both the uninstall and reinstall processes, which you can find here.

Windows’ AI‑powered security tools are supposed to make the platform safer, but issues like this show how easily they can collide with the realities of handheld gaming. Until Microsoft and ASUS smooth out the compatibility gaps, Ally owners are stuck navigating yet another Windows‑on‑handheld growing pain.

Are Windows 11 updates and forced AI features starting to impact how you use your devices, or is this just another isolated misstep? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and make sure you take part in our poll below:

Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!