Phone App Badge Won’t Go Away on iPhone 18 Pro? Fix

Quit the Phone app and reopen it if its badge won't go away on your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max.

By Chris Smith - Senior Editor
2 Min Read

This article explains how you can fix when the notification badge on the Phone app won’t go away. When you miss a call and when you receive a voicemail, a notification badge will appear on the Phone app on your iPhone 18 Pro. This badge is the red circles that appear on an app’s icon (in the upper right-hand corner of the app icon). The badge displays as a number. This number lets you know how many new missed calls are waiting for you.

If the Notifications setting is enabled (Settings > Notifications > Phone) for Phone, these badges will automatically appear when a notification (missed calls, etc) is received. This will show you the number of missed calls or voicemails. Ideally, you can clear this easily by launching the app or accessing your voicemail messages. So what can you do when these badges do not disappear? If you are having this problem, then this article is for you.

How to fix when the phone notification badge icon will not go away when there are no new missed calls or voicemails

1. Make sure that your iPhone 18 Pro is running the latest version of the iOS software. To see if there is an update available, tap Settings > General > Software Update.

2. Quit the phone app and then re-open it. Here is how:

  • Go to your Home screen and swipe up, this will reveal the last used app previews. You may swipe left or right. Find the Phone preview icon and swipe up on the Phone’s preview icon to quit. Then reopen the phone app.

    The App Switcher. Icons for the open apps appear at the top, and the current screen for each open app appears below its icon.

3. Restart your iPhone 18 Pro. Here is how:

  • Simultaneously press and hold the side button and either volume button until the sliders appear, then drag the Power Off slider.

    An illustration of iPhone with arrows pointing to the side button on the upper right and a volume button on the upper left.

4. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > scroll down and tap Phone, turn off Badges and wait about a minute and then turn it back on.

5. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > Phone and turn off Badges. Then restart your iPhone 18 Pro and then go to Settings > Notifications > Phone and turn Badges on.

6. Force restart your phone. Here is how:

  • Press and quickly release the volume up button. Press and quickly release the volume down button. Press and hold the side button. When the Apple logo appears, release the side button.

    An illustration of iPhone with arrows pointing to the side button on the upper right and the volume up and volume down buttons on the upper left.

7. Reset all settings. Doing so will restore your settings to default values (display settings, network settings etc). Your data will not be affected. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings.

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Chris Smith is a senior editor at GeeksChalk based in Canada. He likes to think of himself as a jack of all trades (and a master of at least a few), though he mainly focuses on iPhones and Macs. Often covering both at the same time. When not surrounded by various Apple devices while putting them through their paces, Chris can be found streaming the latest movies or series, gaming on his PS5, or getting fresh air on a hike in the beautiful wilderness of British Columbia.
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