Apple often uses unique terminology for its products and features, and one such term is “badges” in the context of iPhone notifications. In this explanation, we will clarify what Apple means by notification “badges” and provide guidance on how to manage or disable them.
Badges in iPhone Notification Settings
“Badges” refer to the red circles that occasionally appear in the corners of app icons on your iPhone. Most badges display a numerical value, representing information that the app developer believes requires your attention. For example, you might see badges for unread messages in Gmail, new tasks in Asana, or unseen notifications on Facebook. It’s common to encounter badges with numbers, although there are cases where a badge might not have a number, such as when you have a new voicemail, but your carrier doesn’t support Visual Voicemail.
If you observe a badge over a folder icon rather than an individual app, it signifies that one or more apps within that folder have data to display as badges.
How to Clear Notification Badges on an iPhone
One of the frustrations of using an iPhone is that as long as badges are enabled, there is no straightforward way to temporarily clear them without individually opening the affected apps. You may need to go a step further, such as checking specific tabs or marking all messages as read in chat or email apps, regardless of whether you have the time to review them.
If badges are genuinely bothering you, you can permanently disable them on an app-by-app basis.
How to Turn Off Notification Badges on an iPhone
Unfortunately, there is no universal option to disable badges for all apps, but it’s usually only a few apps causing the annoyance. Here’s what you can do:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap “Notifications,” then scroll down to the “Notification Style” section.
- Find and select the app for which you want to disable badges.
- Under the “Alerts” section, toggle off the “Badges” option.
- Tap “Notifications” at the top to go back, then repeat steps 3 and 4 for each app you want to configure.
- Some apps, like Apple Books, may not offer controllable badge options. This is a rare occurrence and usually not a significant issue.
By following these steps, you can manage and, if necessary, disable notification badges for specific apps on your iPhone.
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