Red Dot Notification on Android: What Does It Mean and How to Remove It

If you ever noticed a small red dot appearing on your app icons, there is nothing to worry about. It's a visual indicator, which was introduced with Android 8.0 Oreo back in 2017. The red dot notification on Android indicates that there are pending notifications from that app. While the feature is helpful, some people want to turn it off because it clutters the home screen. So, if you want to disable the red dot notification on Android, follow along.

What Does the Red Dot Notification on Android Mean?

The red dot notification on Android is officially called notification dot or notification badge. It's a small red circle that appears on the top-right corner of an app icon on your home screen or app drawer. It shows up whenever that app has one or more unread notifications. Instead of pulling down the notification panel, you can long-press the app icon and check brief notifications right there.

It's basically a way to tell the user which app requires your attention. On Stock Android like on Google phones, you get a simple red dot notification. However, on Samsung phones running One UI, you can choose between a dot-style badge or a number badge that shows the count of unread notifications.

Note that the red dot notification on Android is linked to the notification shade. The dot disappears once you swipe away the notification from the panel or open the app to read the alert. You can choose to entirely disable the red dot notification on your Android device if you find it annoying. You can check out the guide below and follow the steps to get rid of it.

How to Dismiss Red Dot Notification on Android

If you want to dismiss or remove red dot notifications on your Android phone temporarily, follow the below steps.

1. First off, you can simply open the app and attend to the message or alert you want to dismiss to clear its red dot notification.
2. Next, you can access the notification panel and swipe the concerned app's notification to dismiss its red dot.

How to Disable the Red Dot Notification on Android

If the constant red dots on your home screen are driving you crazy, you can permanently turn them off. Here are the instructions to follow.

1. Open the Settings app on your Android phone and tap on Notifications.
2. Here, turn off the Notification dots on app icon toggle.

3. If you're on a Samsung phone, go to Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings.
4. Here, turn off the App icon badges toggle.

That's it. You'll no longer see the red dot notification on your Android phone until you turn it back on. Keep in mind that disabling the red dot notification won't disable notifications from apps. It only prevents the visual indicator on the app icon from the home screen. Notifications will still appear as long as you've enabled them for your preferred apps. 

Don't Confuse the Red Dot with the Privacy Indicator

The red dot notification on Android is different from privacy indicators. Google introduced privacy indicators with Android 12, which shows small green dots that appear in the top-right corner of your screen when an app is accessing your camera or microphone. This is not a notification dot but a privacy feature on Android to alert you if some apps access sensitive permissions in the background.

You can tap on the dot to check which app is responsible and change its permissions. On Android 16, Google has brought blue dots, which indicate location access. 

So that is all about the red dot notification on Android. It's an effective feature that keeps you informed about pending alerts. However, many users don't like the persistent red dot on the home screen. In that case, you can choose to disable it entirely on your Android phone.