Why does the app icon badge show a different count?
The app icon badge has its own count setting. On iPhone and iPad, open Settings > Alerts & Badge > Count on app icon. On Mac, open 2Do > Settings > Alerts > Count on Dock app icon.
What the Today Options Count
- Today counts eligible Today tasks but excludes overdue tasks. Start dates, durations, and the options to include starred and Still Working On tasks can bring tasks into this count before their due day.
- Today + Overdue includes the eligible Today tasks and overdue tasks, counted once each. It includes overdue tasks even when Include overdue items is off under Settings > Today & Lists.
- Due Today Only counts unfinished tasks whose own due date is today. It keeps counting them after their due time passes. A start date, duration, or star alone does not make a task count.
A task due earlier today can also be overdue when Due Time taken into account when marking a task Overdue is on. Counting it in both groups by hand would count it twice; the badge counts it once.
The numbers beside list names use separate settings. In particular, Not Done means unfinished tasks, not just tasks due today. With Undone counts should include Overdue tasks on, that number already includes overdue tasks.
Why Some Tasks Do Not Count
All three Today badge options follow scheduled-task visibility. A task due today with a future start time stays out of the count while scheduled tasks are hidden. Reveal scheduled tasks using the clock button on iPhone or iPad, if shown, or Task > Show Scheduled on Mac, to let it count before its start time if it meets the selected badge option's other rules.
These badges skip hidden and archived lists and tasks on hold, even when paused tasks are visible in the task list. Lists excluded from Today do not normally contribute; Today and Today + Overdue still honor the Include starred items exception. Due Today Only does not use that exception.
Password-protected lists still contribute to the app icon badge while locked. The badge shows an aggregate number without revealing task details.
See the full badge reference for iPhone and iPad or Mac.
When Devices Show Different Numbers
Supported app settings sync over iCloud across iPhone, iPad, and Mac using the same iCloud account. Each device calculates its own badge from the tasks it currently holds, so a matching badge mode alone does not guarantee matching numbers.
- Check that each device has the same tasks and, if you sync them, let task sync finish on each device.
- Compare the badge mode in Alerts & Badge on iPhone and iPad or Alerts on Mac. Also compare Include starred items and Include 'Still Working On' tasks under Settings > Today & Lists, and whether scheduled tasks are shown. Allow time for any preference changes to reach your other devices through iCloud.
- Check whether the tasks belong to lists excluded from Today, or are paused or archived. Compare the device dates and time zones too, since Today depends on the device's current day.
- To refresh the badge, change its count option to None, then back to the option you want. On iPhone or iPad, return to the Home Screen to check it.
If a count still looks wrong, send a screenshot of the Today list and badge, plus a diagnostic report from Settings > Diagnostics on each affected device. State which device each report came from and the count you expected.