The little red badge notifications on app icons can be pretty handy, but there are several reasons you may prefer to switch them off for the Mail app. (Or any other app with badge notifications, for that matter. We’re just picking on Mail today.)
Perhaps you’ve got hundreds of unread emails that you don’t like to be reminded of, or maybe you just like to have a super tidy Home screen at all times. Whatever the reason, it’s an easy fix.
Open the Settings app and press Notifications. Swipe down and tap Mail, then look for the Badges setting and toggle it off. You can leave all the other alert types on if you like.
Voila! You will still get notifications if you want them, and push email, but no more annoying red badges on the app icon. Now you can pretend you’ve achieved “Inbox Zero” while thousands of emails sit quietly unread in your inbox. Bliss.