iPhone badges are the small red circles with numbers that appear on your app icons
A badge on iPhone is a small red circle (or sometimes another color) that sits on top of an app icon, usually in the top-right corner. It almost always shows a number — like a "3" or "47" — telling you how many unread items are waiting inside that app. The badge is Apple's way of letting you know something needs your attention without opening the app first.
You see badges most often on Mail (showing unread emails), Messages (unread texts), and Reminders (overdue tasks). Some apps use badges to show notifications that aren't messages — like the App Store badge telling you how many app updates are ready to install. The badge disappears once you open the app and deal with what's inside, though some apps let you clear the badge without reading everything.
Key Takeaways
- Badges are small numbered circles on app icons that show how many unread or pending items are waiting inside.
- The red badge is the standard design, but some apps use other colors or symbols depending on what they're alerting you to.
- You can turn badges off for individual apps in Settings, which stops the notifications from appearing on that icon.
- Clearing a badge usually means opening the app and reading or dismissing the items — though some apps let you clear it another way.
How badges work on different apps
Mail badges show the count of unread emails in your inbox. If you have 12 unread messages, the Mail icon displays a "12" badge. Opening Mail and reading those messages makes the badge disappear. Some people leave emails unread on purpose to use the badge as a to-do reminder, so the badge stays until they actually deal with the message.
Messages badges count unread text conversations. If three people have sent you texts you haven't read yet, you see a "3" on the Messages icon. The App Store uses a badge to show how many of your installed apps have updates waiting — this one is useful because you can't always tell an update is available just by looking at the app itself.
Reminders, Calendar, and Health can all use badges to alert you to overdue tasks, upcoming events, or activity rings you haven't closed. Some third-party apps (apps not made by Apple) use badges for their own purposes — a banking app might show a badge when a payment is due, or a news app might show how many unread articles are in your feed.
Turning badges off for apps you don't want them on
If a badge is annoying you, you can disable it for that specific app. Open Settings, then tap Notifications. Scroll down and find the app you want to change. Tap it, then look for the "Badge App Icon" toggle. Turn it off, and that app will stop showing badges on its icon.
You don't have to turn off all notifications to remove a badge — you can keep sound and banner alerts on while disabling just the badge. This is useful if you want to know when a message arrives (through a sound or banner) but don't want a number sitting on your home screen. Some people turn off badges on apps like Mail or Messages because they check those apps so often that the badge becomes pointless.
Why badges matter for staying organized
Badges give you a quick way to see what needs attention without unlocking your phone or opening every app. A glance at your home screen tells you that you have 5 unread emails, 2 unread texts, and 1 app update waiting. This is faster than opening Mail, then Messages, then the App Store to check each one.
The downside is that badges can create visual clutter if you have many apps with active badges. Some people find them stressful — the red circle feels like a demand for attention. That's why turning them off for low-priority apps (like a news app or social media) can make your phone feel less demanding while keeping badges on for things that actually need action, like Messages or Calendar.
Clearing badges without opening the app
Most of the time, opening an app and reading or dismissing the items is the only way to clear its badge. But some apps let you clear the badge through other methods. For example, you can swipe left on an email in the Mail app's notification center and tap "Clear" without opening Mail itself — though this doesn't always work for all emails.
Some third-party apps include a "Clear Badge" option in their settings, letting you reset the count manually. This is rare, though, and most developers expect you to open the app and deal with the items to clear the badge. If an app's badge won't go away no matter what you do, restarting your phone or force-closing the app sometimes fixes it.
Badges on your lock screen and notification center
On newer iPhones, badges also appear on your lock screen and in the Notification Center (the screen you see when you swipe down from the top). These work the same way as home screen badges — they show you at a glance that something is waiting. You can customize which apps show badges in these places through the same Notifications settings.
The lock screen badge is especially useful because you can see it without unlocking your phone. If your Mail badge shows "8" on the lock screen, you know you have unread emails before you even pick up your phone. This gives you a reason to check Mail without having to open it first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my app badge show a number that doesn't match how many unread items I have?
Some apps count items differently than you might expect. Mail might count unread emails across multiple folders, or Messages might count unread conversations rather than individual texts. Force-closing the app and reopening it usually fixes a badge that's out of sync with the actual count.
Can I change the color of a badge?
No. Apple's badges are always red by default, and you cannot change the color through Settings. Some apps might use a different color in their own design, but the system badge on the icon itself is red. If you want a different look, your only option is to turn the badge off.
What does a badge with no number mean?
Some apps show a dot or small circle instead of a number. This usually means the app has a notification or update waiting, but the app doesn't count items the way Mail or Messages do. A dot badge is common on apps like Settings (when a system update is available) or Health (when you have activity to log).
Do badges use battery or slow down my phone?
No. Badges are just visual indicators — they don't drain battery or affect performance. The app itself might be running in the background and using resources, but the badge display is not the cause. Turning off badges won't speed up your phone or save battery.
Why do some apps have badges I didn't turn on?
When you install an app, badges are often turned on by default. The app developer chose this setting. You can turn off badges for any app in Notifications settings — you don't have to contact the developer or change anything in the app itself.