Badges are a common way to let users know about new messages or status updates on a mobile device. These notifications should be brief and easily identifiable.
There are different types of badges including status, toasts & snack bars, dot badges, and counter badges. Learn more about each type of badge on your iPhone and how to use them in your apps.
Status Badges
Badges on iOS are typically used to represent supplementary information about a particular view. They can be displayed in list rows or tab bars. Usually, they display a number or a word.
They can also be configured to include a sound, that users can choose to hear when the badge displays. This is a great way to let users know that the information is important.
One of the most popular use cases for badges is to indicate a change in the status of an app or a test build. This can be done using Selenium’s Desired Capabilities or via markdown code.
You can even add a special sound to your badges that play when a new notification arrives, making them more engaging and fun to look at.
In addition to badges, you can also use a notification center icon to let users know that they haven’t viewed a particular notification. The Facebook app is a great example of this, as it shows a red dot in the corner of the screen when the user hasn’t viewed a certain notification.
This can be very useful for users who want to keep track of what notifications they haven’t viewed and how much time has passed since the last one was received. It can also be used to inform users when a particular notification has been dismissed by the user.
Toasts & Snackbars
Toasts and snack bars are non-modal notifications that appear in a pinch on the screen, usually shortly after a user has clicked on something related to your app. This is a great way to get the attention of your users and give them a hint about what you do, where you do it, and when.
The trick is choosing the right type of toast or snack bar for the job, especially in a small form factor. You want to make sure the toast or snack bar is not distracting from the main content of your app, so opt for a svelte design that’s just big enough to fit your message.
The best part is that you can customize the size and color of your snack bar to meet your requirements. The best snack bar is the one that catches the eye with the most flair. Unlike most other mobile components, a well-designed snack bar can be rendered in context without the need for custom jQuery or CSS.
Dot Badges
There are a lot of different notification types on iOS, from simple dot badges to more sophisticated banner notifications. Depending on the device and how they’re configured, each type can have its own unique effect on how users respond to alerts.
For example, dot badges can be used to notify users about important updates or new messages. However, these notifications may disappear after users have seen them, so it’s important to make them stand out from the rest of the app icons.
Another type of badge notification is a counter badge, which counts unread messages and notifications. These notifications can be useful for app developers who want to give users a quick overview of what they have in their inboxes.
Badges can also be used to notify a user of the system or other issues, such as an error message or the failure of a Bluetooth device. In these cases, they should be accompanied by an explanation of what the issue is and why it’s important to fix it.
In this case, it’s best to use a bright contrasting color. Otherwise, users will likely ignore them.
One of the most common ways to clear an app’s badge is to tap on its icon or long-press it. This will display its quick actions menu.
Once you’ve invoked that menu, there’s an option called “Clear Badge.” Upon doing so, it will remove all of the badge notifications from the iOS notification center.
This is a great way to get rid of any unwanted notifications on your iPhone, regardless of whether you’re running iOS 16 or older versions. Alternatively, you can install a Cydia tweak called QuickClear, which will add this same functionality to any app’s Quick Actions menu.
Counter Badges
Badges are a great way to notify users about new items in your app. They come in various forms and differ based on the platform.
A dot badge is a simple notification that simply indicates an update, while a counter badge will have a number inside it to indicate how many unread messages or unviewed notifications the user has. They generally disappear once the user has seen them.
If you want to use a counter badge on iOS, the first step is to build the badge functionality into your app. This can be done through the app events widget.
The next step is to set up a nanoflow that clears the badge count when your user opens the app. This is done by selecting Page load > On load and calling a nanoflow called ACT_ClearBadge.
Once you have the nanoflow set up, test the ACT_ClearBadge flow on your mobile device to see if it clears your badge. If it doesn’t, try changing your page load settings and calling the nanoflow again.
You can also add a “Clear Badge” option to an app icon’s Quick Actions menu, which is accessed with a long-press or upward swipe gesture. This is a great way to reduce the number of push notifications users receive and is a convenient feature for many apps.