Badges are the small red circles, numbers, and dots that appear on your app icons to grab your attention
A badge is a small visual marker on an app icon — usually a red circle with a white number, or sometimes just a red dot. It tells you that something in that app needs your attention: an unread message, a missed call, a software update, or a notification waiting for you. The number inside the badge typically shows how many unread or pending items you have.
Badges appear in two main places on your iPhone: on the home screen icon itself, and sometimes in the app switcher (the screen you see when you swipe up from the bottom or swipe left from the right edge). They are designed to be noticeable without forcing you to open the app to see what's waiting.
Not every app uses badges, and not every notification creates one. An app only shows a badge if its developer programmed it to, and only when certain conditions are met — usually when there is unread content or an action you have not yet taken.
Key Takeaways
- A badge is a red circle with a number or a plain red dot on an app icon, showing you have unread messages, missed calls, or pending notifications.
- The number inside a badge typically counts unread items, though some apps use a badge just to signal that something new exists without showing a count.
- You can turn badges off for individual apps in Settings by going to Notifications, selecting the app, and toggling off Badge App Icon.
- Badges disappear automatically when you open the app and read or clear the pending content, though some apps require you to take a specific action first.
How badges work on different types of apps
Messages and Mail show a badge with the number of unread messages you have. If you have three unread texts, the Messages app icon displays a red circle with the number 3. Once you read those messages, the badge disappears. The same logic applies to email apps, calendar apps with pending events, and reminder apps with overdue tasks.
Social media apps like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok often show a badge when you have new likes, comments, or direct messages. Some show a count; others show just a red dot to indicate that something new exists without telling you how many items are waiting. This is intentional — the vagueness sometimes encourages you to open the app to find out what you missed.
System apps like Settings show a badge when a software update is available for your iPhone or for one of your apps. The App Store shows a badge when updates are ready to download. These badges persist until you install the updates or dismiss them.
Why badges sometimes stay even after you think you have cleared them
A badge does not always disappear the moment you open an app. Some apps require you to actually read or interact with the content, not just launch the app. For example, the Mail app may keep showing a badge until you open and read each message, not just until you open the Mail app itself.
Other apps have badges tied to specific actions. A reminder app might show a badge for an overdue task until you mark that task complete. A calendar app might show a badge for an event invitation until you respond to it. Simply opening the app does not clear these badges — you have to take the action the badge is prompting you toward.
If a badge seems stuck, try opening the app, finding the notification or item it refers to, and taking the expected action: reading the message, responding to the invitation, or marking the task done. If the badge still does not clear, force-closing and reopening the app sometimes helps, or restarting your iPhone.
How to turn off badges for apps you do not want to see them on
You can disable badges for individual apps without turning off all notifications from that app. Open Settings, then tap Notifications. Scroll down and select the app you want to change. Look for the toggle labeled Badge App Icon and turn it off. The app will still send you notifications — they will just appear as banners or sounds instead of a badge on the icon.
If you want to turn off badges for many apps at once, you can do this from the Notifications settings page. Some people disable badges for social media apps to reduce the constant visual pressure to check them, while keeping badges on for Messages or Mail so they do not miss important messages.
Turning off a badge does not silence the app or stop it from sending notifications. It only removes the red circle from the icon. You will still get alerts, sounds, or banner notifications depending on how you have configured that app's notification settings.
The difference between badges, banners, and sounds
A badge is just one way an app can notify you. A banner is a message that slides down from the top of your screen (or appears at the bottom on older iPhones) and then disappears after a few seconds. A sound or vibration is an audio or haptic alert. An app can use any combination of these, or none at all.
You control each of these separately in the Notifications settings. You might want Messages to show a badge, play a sound, and display a banner. You might want Instagram to show a badge only, with no sound or banner. You might want a work email app to play a sound and show a banner but no badge. The choice is yours for each app.
Why some apps show a badge and others do not
Whether an app shows a badge depends on how the app developer built it. Apple provides the tools for developers to create badges, but using them is optional. Some apps choose not to use badges at all, relying instead on banners or sounds to alert you.
Developers sometimes avoid badges because they can feel intrusive or because the app does not have a clear concept of "unread" items. A fitness app, for example, might not use badges because there is no unread content — it just tracks your activity. A game might not use badges for the same reason, or it might use them to alert you when a daily reward is available.
If an app you use does not show badges, it is not a setting you can change — it is a choice the developer made when they built the app. You can only control whether to see badges for apps that already support them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I clear a badge without opening the app?
Not directly. Most badges clear when you open the app and view the content, but some require you to take a specific action like reading a message or marking a task complete. There is no universal "clear all badges" button, though you can disable badges in Settings if you do not want to see them.
Why does my Mail badge show a number that does not match my unread emails?
Mail sometimes counts messages differently than you expect. It may count emails across multiple accounts, or it may count messages you have marked as unread even if you have already read them. Check your Mail settings and make sure you are looking at the right account or folder.
Do badges use battery or data?
Badges themselves do not use meaningful battery or data. The app has to check for new content anyway to know whether to show a badge, so the badge is just a visual display of information the app already retrieved. Disabling badges does not save battery or data.
What does a red dot badge mean instead of a number?
A red dot (with no number) means the app has something new to show you, but the developer chose not to display a count. This is common on social media apps. The dot just signals "something happened" without telling you how many items are waiting.
Can I customize the color or style of badges?
No. Badges are always red circles with white numbers or dots. You cannot change their color, size, or appearance. You can only turn them on or off for each app in Notifications settings.