Badges on an iPhone are small red circles with white numbers that appear on app icons. These numbers indicate the count of unread or pending notifications for that specific app, such as unread messages, missed calls, unread emails, or available updates
. For example, a badge with the number "3" on the Messages app means you have three unread messages. Badges serve as visual reminders to alert users about new activity or notifications within an app without opening it. They typically appear on the home screen or in the App Library
. Once you open the app or the relevant conversation (in the case of messaging apps), the badge count usually clears, signaling that you have addressed those notifications
. Users can control whether badges appear for each app by going to Settings > Notifications, selecting the app, and toggling the "Badges" option on or off
. This allows you to customize which apps show badge notifications based on your preference. In summary, badges on iPhone are notification indicators on app icons that help you keep track of unread or pending items at a glance.
