As helpful as iPhone alerts can be for informing you of missed phone calls, text messages, emails and meeting reminders, having unwanted alerts can make it easy to overlook an important notification. In the case of badge alerts, which are the red circles that appear on an app's icon on the iPhone's home screen, you can clear these after they appear by launching the app and accessing whatever service caused the badge to appear. If you want to stop badges from appearing on specific app icons, you can disable them in the iPhone's Notification Center.
Clearing Badge Alerts After They Appear
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Step 1
Launch the app that is displaying an alert by tapping its icon on the iPhone's home screen. In some cases, this is sufficient to clear the badge. For example, if there is a red circle with a number on the Messages icon, it indicates that you have new text messages. Launching the Messages app and closing it again erases the icon's red badge.
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Step 2
Examine the app for any red badges or notifications within the app. For example, on the Phone app, you will see a red badge on the "Recents" button indicating you have missed a call. There may also be a red badge on the "Voicemail" button indicating you have a new voice mail message. If you open the Settings app when it has a badge, you may see a badge next to "Software Update," indicating that you have a new iOS update to install.
Step 3
Tap the button that has a notification within the app. For example, on the Phone app, you may need to tap "Recents" to clear that button's badge. If there is a badge on the "Voicemail" button, you need to tap that button and listen to the message to clear that badge. In the case of an iOS update, you'll have to install the update to clear that badge. When you go back to the home screen, the badge is removed from the app's icon.
Clearing Badge Alerts You Don't Want to See
Step 1
Tap the "Settings" icon on the iPhone's home screen and then tap "Notifications."
Step 2
Scroll down through the list of apps in the Notification Section and select the app you want disabled from using badge alerts. The notifications used by that app are displayed beneath its name, such as "Badges," "Alerts" and "Banners."
Step 3
Tap the "Badge App Icon" button to toggle it from "On" to "Off." Alternatively, if you don't want any notifications for that app, tap the "Notification Center" button at the top of the screen to turn it off instead. When you click the "Home" button, the badge is removed from the app's icon.