Badges are the small red circles with numbers that tell you how many unread messages or updates you have

A badge on your iPhone is a small red circle, usually with a white number inside, that appears on an app icon. It tells you at a glance that something inside that app needs your attention — typically an unread message, a missed call, or an update waiting for you. The number shows how many items are waiting. If you see a badge with just a dot instead of a number, it means something new is there but the app doesn't count individual items.

Badges appear on the home screen, in folders, and sometimes on the app switcher. They're designed so you don't have to open every app to know what's new. Once you open the app and read or dismiss the messages, the badge disappears.

Key Takeaways

  • A badge is a red circle with a number that shows how many unread items are waiting in an app.
  • Badges appear on app icons on your home screen and disappear once you open the app and view the notifications.
  • You can turn badges off for individual apps in Settings if you find them distracting.
  • A red dot instead of a number means the app has something new but doesn't track a specific count.

Where badges show up on your iPhone

Badges most commonly appear on your home screen, sitting in the top-right corner of an app icon. If you organize apps into folders, badges also show on the folder itself — usually displaying the total count of all unread items across the apps inside. When you're using the app switcher (the screen you see when you swipe up from the bottom or swipe left from the right edge), badges appear there too, though smaller.

Some apps also show badges on their settings within the Settings app itself. For example, if you have unread emails, you might see a badge on the Mail settings icon. This helps you spot which system apps have pending notifications even before you open them.

Common apps that use badges

Mail uses badges to show unread emails. Messages shows unread text messages and iMessages. Phone displays missed calls. Reminders shows overdue or upcoming tasks. Calendar can show upcoming events or invitations waiting for a response. The App Store badge tells you how many app updates are ready to install.

Third-party apps like social media platforms, messaging services, and news apps also use badges. Each app decides what counts as "unread" — some count individual messages, others just show a dot to indicate something new exists. The behavior depends on how the app developer programmed it.

How to turn badges off for specific apps

Open Settings and tap Notifications. Scroll down and find the app you want to change. Tap it, then look for the toggle next to "Badge App Icon" and turn it off. The badge will no longer appear for that app, even if unread items exist inside.

You can also turn off all notifications for an app from this same screen by toggling off "Allow Notifications" at the top. This removes badges, sounds, and banners all at once. If you only want to remove the badge but keep other notifications, use the Badge App Icon toggle specifically.

Why badges disappear when you open an app

When you open an app, your iPhone marks the notifications as read. The badge count drops to zero because there are no more unread items to display. This happens automatically — you don't have to do anything. If new messages arrive while the app is open, the badge may reappear once you close the app and return to the home screen.

Some apps let you clear badges without reading everything. For example, in Mail you can swipe left on a message and tap "Mark as Read" without opening it. The badge updates when ready. In Messages, you can do the same with individual conversations. This is useful when you have many unread items but don't want to read them all right now.

The difference between a number badge and a dot badge

A number badge shows exactly how many unread items exist — you might see a red circle with "5" inside. A dot badge is just a small red dot with no number, meaning the app has something new but doesn't track a specific count. Some apps use dots because they don't organize notifications into countable units, or because the developer chose not to display a number.

Both serve the same purpose: they alert you that something in the app needs attention. The difference is just how much detail the badge provides. A number badge is more useful when you need to know exactly how many unread items are waiting. A dot badge is simpler and less visually busy if you just need to know that something is new.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do badges sometimes show a number that seems wrong?

Badge counts can lag behind reality. If you read a message on your Mac or another device, your iPhone might not update the badge when ready. Close and reopen the app to force an update. Also, some apps count notifications differently — Mail might count unread emails, but a messaging app might count unread conversations rather than individual messages.

Can I clear a badge without opening the app?

For some apps, yes. In Mail, you can swipe left on messages and mark them read without opening them. In Messages, you can do the same with conversations. For other apps, you usually need to open them. Check the app's settings or try swiping on notifications in your notification center to see what options exist.

What if a badge won't go away?

Force close the app by swiping up in the app switcher, then reopen it. If that doesn't work, restart your iPhone. Occasionally a badge gets stuck due to a glitch. If it persists after a restart, try turning the badge off and back on in Settings > Notifications for that app.

Do badges use battery or data?

Badges themselves don't drain battery or use data. They're just visual indicators of information your iPhone already has. However, the apps that generate badges may use battery and data depending on how often they check for new content. Turning off badges doesn't reduce that usage — only turning off notifications entirely does.