If you upgraded your old Galaxy phone to Galaxy S9 or S9+, you might be frustrated with the new Galaxy S9 notification number badge (notification dots, aka Galaxy S9 app icon badges).
Galaxy S9 notification number badge (notification dots) simply does not work like the old number badge with which you are familiar.
This Galaxy S9 guide explains the differences between Galaxy S9 notification number badge (notification dots) and the old number badge and shows you how to customize Galaxy S9 notification number badge (notification dots).
What is Galaxy S9 notification number badge (notification dots)?
When you get a notification in Galaxy S9 notification panel, by default, you will find a number badge on the top right corner of the corresponding app icon in Galaxy S9 Home screen and Apps screen.
For example, as shown below, when you have 3 notifications for the Internet app (browser app), you will find the number (3) in the top right of the browser app icon.
This number badge is usually referred to as Galaxy S9 notification number badge. In old Galaxy phones, there has been a number badge which looks similar to Galaxy S9 notification number badge.
Because Galaxy S9 notification number badge corresponds to notification dots in stock Android, the notification number badge was sometimes referred as Galaxy S9 notification dots.
If you think the new Galaxy S9 notification number badge (notification dots) is just a beautified version of the old number badge, you are then totally wrong.
What are the differences between Galaxy S9 notification number badge (notification dots) and the old number badge?
Although they look similar, Galaxy S9 notification number badge and the old number badge are two entirely different things.
The major differences include:
- Galaxy S9 notification number badge is actually the notification dots introduced in Android Oreo. The old number badge in Samsung's phones is Samsung's proprietary implementation in TouchWiz (now Samsung Experience).
- Galaxy S9 notification number badge directly links to notifications in Galaxy S9 notification panel. The old number badge is not linked to the notification panel.
- Galaxy S9 notification number badge works for all apps. The old number badge only works with selected apps, usually Samsung apps and a few pre-installed apps.
- Galaxy S9 notification number badge only counts notifications, nothing else. The old number badge may count both notifications and unread messages depending on apps.
- For Galaxy S9