The number on the App Store icon is a notification badge, usually showing how many app updates are waiting. To hide it, go to Settings > Notifications > App Store and turn off Badges. To clear the count instead, open the App Store, tap your account button, tap App Updates, and tap Update All.
This guide covers iPhone and iPad on iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. It explains what the number means, how to hide it, how to clear it by installing updates, how to stop it from building up, and what to try if it won’t go away. The steps come from Apple’s notification settings guide and its app update article, checked in October 2026.
What the Number on the App Store Icon Means
The red circle with a number is called a badge. On the App Store icon, it usually counts apps with updates waiting to install. Apple’s update article explains that if you turn off automatic updates, the App Store notifies you each time an update for one of your apps is released, so the count can climb quickly.
You have two choices: hide the badge so you don’t see the number, or install the updates so the count goes to zero. You can do both.
How to Hide the Number on the App Store Icon
- Open Settings on your iPhone. Result: the Settings menu opens.
- Tap Notifications, then tap App Store in the list of apps. Result: the App Store notification settings appear.
- Turn off Badges. Result: the switch turns gray.
- Go back to the Home Screen. Result: the red number is gone from the App Store icon.
This only hides the badge. Your updates are still waiting, and other App Store alerts can still appear if they’re turned on. To see the count again, turn Badges back on in the same place.
How to Clear the Count by Updating Your Apps
Apple’s steps to update apps manually are:
- Open the App Store. Result: the App Store opens.
- Tap the My Account button or your photo at the top of the screen. Result: your account page opens.
- Tap App Updates. Result: apps with updates waiting are listed.
- Tap Update next to an app, or tap Update All. Result: the updates download and install, and the badge count goes down.
Leave the App Store open, or come back to it, until the updates finish. A large update can take a few minutes on a slow connection.
Stop the Number From Coming Back
Apple says apps you download from the App Store update automatically by default. If yours don’t, someone may have turned automatic updates off. To turn them back on:
- Open Settings, then tap Apps. Result: your app list appears.
- Tap App Store. Result: the App Store settings appear.
- Turn on App Updates. Result: apps update on their own, so updates don’t pile up.
For more on this setting, see how to turn automatic updates on or off on iPhone.
If the Number Won’t Go Away
- Check which icon has the badge. Each app has its own Badges switch. Turning off the App Store badge doesn’t hide numbers on Mail, Messages or other apps. The steps are the same for a third-party app, as shown in our guide to turning off the Dunkin’ app badge on an iPhone.
- Recheck the setting. Go back to Settings > Notifications > App Store and confirm Badges is off.
- Look for a stuck update. Open App Updates again. An update may have failed or still be waiting. Apple suggests touching and holding an app that’s downloading on the Home Screen and choosing Prioritize Download.
- Restart your iPhone. Apple lists restarting as a fix when apps won’t update, and it can also clear an old count.
- Check your payment method. Apple’s troubleshooting article says you might need a valid payment method on file, even for free apps. If you see “billing problem with previous purchase” or “verification required,” fix that first.
Hide Numbers on Other App Icons
The same Badges switch exists for every app that uses badges. Go to Settings > Notifications, tap the app, and turn off Badges. For example, see how to get rid of the red number on the iPhone Mail app, which counts unread email. To review alerts you’ve missed, see where to find Notification Center on iPhone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off Badges stop App Store updates?
No. It only hides the number. Your apps still update automatically if App Updates is on in Settings > Apps > App Store.
Why does the App Store show a number if automatic updates are on?
Apple notes that even with automatic updates, there can be an issue that leaves an update waiting. Update it manually from App Updates.
Can I hide the number on iPad too?
Yes. The steps are the same on iPad: Settings > Notifications > App Store > Badges.
Looking for something new to install? Here’s how to browse for apps by category on an iPhone.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.