NewTwos

Make it yours

The app badge

iPhoneiPadAndroidWebMacWindowsLinuxWatchUpdated 2026-08-18

The number on the NewTwos icon, and what it counts.

Choosing what it counts is part of NewTwos Plus.

What it can count

Unfinished to-dos, or overdue to-dos only.

Which to choose

Overdue only, almost always.

Counting every unfinished to-do produces a number that is permanently large and therefore meaningless. A badge of 47 tells you nothing and, worse, trains you to ignore the badge.

Counting only overdue things produces a number that is usually zero and occasionally two, which is a signal you will actually respond to.

Turning it off

A badge is optional. If a number on an icon makes you anxious, remove it. Nothing about carry-over or reminders depends on it.

Going further

It is not a notification count. The badge counts things, not unread items, so it does not clear by opening the app. It clears by finishing what it counts.

Carry-over interacts with it. With carry-over on, unfinished to-dos accumulate on today rather than staying in the past, which is another reason the unfinished count runs high. See carry-over.

Settings that change this

  • Settings → Your features → Custom badge chooses what the badge counts.

Tips

  • Overdue only, or off. Those are the two settings worth having.
  • If the number never reaches zero, it has stopped being information.