Recently started receiving Smart Detection notification emails

Receiving the emails does not by itself indicate a recent configuration change: Application Insights Smart Detection notifications are enabled by default, and they are sent only when sufficient telemetry produces a qualifying anomaly.

Smart Detection continuously analyzes Application Insights telemetry for failure-rate, performance, exception, memory, and related anomalies. It requires no initial configuration, but it operates only after the application sends enough telemetry; therefore, a site can run for years before generating its first notification. All non-preview Smart Detection rules are configured to email when a detection occurs.^1^

Check what generated the notification

1. In the Azure portal, open the Application Insights resource named in the email.
2. Select Investigate → Smart Detection.
3. Open the corresponding detection and review:
   • Detection time
   • Affected operation or dependency
   • Failure or performance change
   • Scope and diagnostic details
4. If it is a performance anomaly, use the notification to establish impact and scope, then open Application Insights → Performance for further diagnosis.^2^

Check why your address receives email

The configuration location depends on whether that Application Insights resource has been migrated to alerts-based Smart Detection.

If it has not been migrated:

1. Open Application Insights → Investigate → Smart Detection.
2. Open Settings and select the rule.
3. In Edit rule, inspect whether:
   • Default role-based notifications are enabled.
   • Your address appears under additional recipients.
   • The rule itself is enabled.
4. Disable the default notification or replace it with an explicit recipient list if required.

For legacy Smart Detection, notifications normally go to users assigned Monitoring Reader or Monitoring Contributor on the subscription. Both the rule and role-based email setting default to enabled.^3^

Also check whether you recently received one of those roles. Microsoft changed the default recipients from Subscription Owner/Contributor/Reader to Monitoring Reader/Contributor on April 1, 2019; that documented change is not recent, but a newer role assignment could explain why a particular person has only just begun receiving messages.^4^

If the resource has been migrated:

1. Open Application Insights → Monitoring → Alerts → Alert rules.
2. Filter Signal type to Smart Detector.
3. Open the rule that generated the email.
4. Inspect its attached action group, including email recipients and Azure Resource Manager role notifications.
5. Modify the action group, or disable the individual alert rule if that detection is not wanted.

Migration is applied separately to each Application Insights resource and is not automatic for resources that were not explicitly migrated. During migration, Azure creates alert rules and attaches an action group. If the old rule used default or no notification settings, the default action group emails Monitoring Reader and Monitoring Contributor users; previously configured addresses are carried into an email action.^5^

The most likely explanations are therefore:

• A genuine anomaly has occurred for the first time.
• Application Insights has only recently accumulated enough relevant telemetry.
• Your account recently gained a monitoring role.
• Someone enabled a rule or added your address.
• The resource was explicitly migrated and an action group now controls delivery.

Review the detection itself before disabling notifications, because it may identify a new website failure or performance regression rather than merely an email-setting change.

References

1. Smart detection in Application Insights
2. Smart detection - Performance anomalies
3. Manage Application Insights smart detection rules by using Azure Resource Manager templates
4. Smart Detection e-mail notification change
5. Migrate Azure Monitor Application Insights smart detection to alerts (preview)