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Those tiny red dots on your app icons are the hidden champions of user engagement. Learn about app icon badges and how these subtle attention-grabbers can boost interaction and keep your users coming back for more.
Every day, you likely see something on your smartphone screen that you might not know the name for—app icon badges.
In 2024, there are over 7.21 billion smartphone users worldwide, and that number is expected to climb to over 8 billion by 2029.* The average smartphone user has over 80 apps and spends nearly three hours per day on their phone, checking it 63 times daily.* Apps are deeply ingrained in our digital culture, and because of that, so are app icon badges.
We’ll take a closer look at app icon badges—a type of notification—and talk about what they are, how they function, and how mobile marketers can drive user engagement through the power of a simple red dot.
Before we talk about what app icon badges do, let’s quickly touch on what an app icon is. They’re the small icons on your smartphone screen typically made from an app’s logo, the icons you click to launch an app.
An app icon badge is the little red dot that appears in the corner of an app icon. Inside the red circle, you’ll usually find a number in white text called the badge count.
These fancy terms describe a simple function. The app icon badge tells you a new notification or message is waiting for you when you open the app, and the badge count tells you how many notifications there are.
According to a study by Localytics, app icon badges can boost app open rates by up to 88% compared to apps without them. These badges act as gentle reminders, sparking a subtle sense of urgency that there might be something important, interesting, or stimulating to see if they launch the app.
Badges are particularly powerful because they work at a subconscious level. People naturally want to resolve open tasks or notifications, and badges tap into that instinct. Users don’t always need the loud interruption of a push notification, but they notice the tiny badge number. It’s enough to prompt action without being overbearing.
Why they matter:
Simply put, app icon badges are more than just a design choice for mobile marketers; they are a powerful strategic tool for driving user engagement.
Although app icon badges are ubiquitous in the mobile user experience, they’re best used under specific circumstances and by certain types of apps. Here’s how different types of apps leverage this tool to drive user engagement in a non-intrusive way:
In short, think of badges as a tool to indicate something your user actively wants to stay informed about, like if their favorite podcaster uploaded a new YouTube video or whether someone just beat their high score.
By offering a wide variety of updates through these badges, apps can gently guide users back without overwhelming them with disruptive notifications.
App icon badges are subtler than push notifications or audible notifications. They’re delivered silently and don’t appear until users decide to check their phones, so users tend to find them helpful rather than distracting.
In fact, our curiosity, desire to be informed, and urge to complete things are all part of the human behavior that makes app icon badges a valuable customer engagement tool. Here are some reasons why they are so effective at driving engagement:
Neuroscientific research has shown that information is a reward for the human brain.* We’re driven by curiosity, which may explain why we can’t resist checking to see what a new notification is about. That red dot on our app icon is as irresistible to us as a red laser pointer dot is to a cat.
But curious though we may be, there is such a thing as too many notifications. Our data science team discovered that 28% of consumers will uninstall an app if they receive too many notifications or ads.
This one’s particularly relevant when it comes to games or social media apps. If there’s a community involved — and especially if we have friends in that community — FOMO (“fear of missing out”) kicks in. Science has discovered a direct link between FOMO and high social media engagement levels.*
An app badge in a mobile game app might mean that someone’s thrown down the virtual gauntlet by beating your high score. On a shopping app, it could mean we have a new shipping notification. Either way, customers are likely to engage with your app if they fear they might be missing something good.
The average smartphone user taps, swipes, or clicks 2,617 times a day.* While curiosity powers much of that interaction, it’s also due to app icon badges’ surprisingly significant psychological impact on us.
App icon badges tap into what’s known as the Zeigarnik Effect—the human tendency to want to complete unfinished tasks.* When a user sees an unread message or notification badge, it creates a subtle urge to “resolve” the task by opening the app.
Humans are naturally wired to seek validation from their peers, and this is particularly true in the digital age. Studies show that the brain releases dopamine when we receive positive feedback, such as likes, comments, or messages on social media.*
An app icon badge on social apps like Instagram or Facebook could signify that someone liked your post or left a comment, which immediately pulls us back to check. This dopamine-driven feedback loop keeps us engaged, coming back for more digital interaction and validation.
When it comes to mobile marketing, both app icon badges and push notifications are powerful tools, but they work in different ways. Which one is more effective depends on your goals and how you want to engage users.
App icon badges are subtle. They don’t interrupt the user’s experience but instead act as gentle nudges, sitting quietly on the app icon until the user notices. This non-intrusive nature makes badges especially effective for long-term engagement. Users feel in control—there’s no pressure to respond immediately, but the small badge number taps into curiosity. This makes badges great for building habit loops without overwhelming users.
Push notifications, on the other hand, are louder. They demand attention, often appearing with sound or vibration, forcing users to engage. This makes them highly effective for immediate responses. Whether it’s a time-sensitive sale or an urgent update, push notifications work well for grabbing attention. However, there’s a downside—users can find them annoying if they’re overused.
In essence, neither tool is inherently better than the other. App icon badges excel in subtle, ongoing engagement, while push notifications are best for direct, immediate calls to action. For a well-rounded strategy, the two should be used together.
For marketers, there’s more power than you might imagine behind app icon badges. Put something valuable behind that little red dot each time your user clicks, and you’ll build an effective long-term customer engagement strategy.
But remember that App icon badges are only powerful when used thoughtfully. Here are some best practices for mobile marketers to maximize their effectiveness:
The following best practices will make your app “sticky” and build meaningful connections between your users and your brand.
App icon badges are user-friendly because they don’t cause interruptions in the same way audible or pop-up notifications do. Savvy marketers use them to remind their users—without outright annoying them—that something good awaits if they launch the app.
Badging can complement your push notification strategy—the two functions often work in tandem. Badges can alert a user to push notifications that await them. As the number of notifications increases, so will the badge counter, which serves as a regular reminder that there’s unseen content behind the next tap.
Related: The Right Way To Do In-App Notifications
Although badges are often tied to push notifications, they don’t have to be.
Badges can appear without an accompanying push notification, especially when tied to an in-app feature your user will navigate to, like a message inbox, news feed, or event landing page.
No one wants to feel notifications are “blowing up” their phone. Although badges are pretty unintrusive, users may find a high number of pending notifications overwhelming, much like having 2,000 unread emails in your inbox.
Of course, the number of notifications we tolerate depends on the app. Although we might feel flattered by a significant badge count on dating or chat apps, double-digit notifications from a budgeting or banking app might make us worry that there’s trouble with our finances.
When developing your badging strategy, empathize with your users to better understand how many badge notifications might be too many.
Not all users engage with apps the same way, so customizing app icon badges based on user behavior can make a huge difference. For example, if a user frequently checks for new messages but rarely looks at promotions, badges can be triggered for messages while leaving promotional notifications in the background. Tailoring badge notifications to user preferences makes them feel more personalized and relevant, reducing the risk of notification fatigue and app uninstalls.
While badges are great for driving engagement, they should be cleared once a user has responded to the action or notification. Leaving badges on after a user has completed a task can confuse them and make the app seem cluttered. Whether it’s checking a message, making a purchase, or acknowledging an update, make sure the badge count returns to zero once the user has addressed the content. This keeps things clean and ensures that badges maintain their effectiveness as a call to action.
Not every interaction or update within your app warrants an app icon badge. Only showing badges for important, meaningful actions is critical to maintaining user trust and engagement. For example, badges should alert users to new messages, task reminders, or significant updates rather than every minor interaction. Overloading users with irrelevant badge notifications can lead to frustration and disengagement. Studies show that users are more likely to ignore or uninstall an app if they feel overwhelmed by unnecessary notifications, so keep your badges focused on what matters most to your users.
Badges work best when they enhance the user experience without overwhelming or annoying them. Proper balance is key.
Anyone who has ever fought the urge to resist an unread message notification knows just how effective badges and badge counters can be. That tiny dot or number signals that something is missing in the user’s day, making them more likely to open the app to resolve the notification. It’s a low-effort, high-reward engagement strategy that doesn’t feel intrusive but remains effective.
By thoughtfully integrating badging into your messaging strategy, you can encourage users to stay active and engaged with your app without a sound or a pop-up. CleverTap can help you optimize these strategies for maximum engagement. It allows you to segment users based on behaviors, personalize messages, and coordinate badging with push notifications and other touchpoints, ensuring that each badge feels relevant and timely.
In an era of fragmented user attention, these small nudges can make all the difference. Learn how CleverTap can help you optimize your customer in-app messaging strategy for maximum engagement, or contact us to arrange a personalized demo.
