diff --git a/App.tsx b/App.tsx
index fe627cc5..d7ec84ef 100644
--- a/App.tsx
+++ b/App.tsx
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ import { useUpdatesStore } from './src/stores/updates-store';
 import { UpdateBanner } from './src/components/UpdateBanner';
 import { PushOnboardingPrompt } from './src/components/PushOnboardingPrompt';
 import { ToastHost } from './src/components/ToastHost';
+import { AppIconBadge } from './src/components/AppIconBadge';
 import { getEmails } from './src/api/email';
 import { handleDeepLink, parseDeepLink, shareToDeepLink, type DeepLink } from './src/navigation/linking';
 import { addShareListener, getInitialShare, shareAttachments } from './src/lib/share-intent';
@@ -146,6 +147,7 @@ function MainTabsNavigator({ navigation }: NativeStackScreenProps<RootStackParam
       <OfflineCacheBanner />
       <PushOnboardingPrompt />
       <ToastHost />
+      <AppIconBadge />
     <Tab.Navigator
       screenOptions={{
         headerShown: false,
diff --git a/locales/rn/en.json b/locales/rn/en.json
index cafc460b..763c8467 100644
--- a/locales/rn/en.json
+++ b/locales/rn/en.json
@@ -562,6 +562,8 @@
     },
     "notifications": {
       "email": {
+        "app_icon_badge": "Unread count on app icon",
+        "app_icon_badge_desc": "Show the inbox unread count as a badge on the app icon.",
         "sound_channel_hint": "Sound and vibration for mail alerts are controlled by the Android notification channel: long-press a notification or open the system app settings."
       },
       "push": {
diff --git a/src/components/AppIconBadge.tsx b/src/components/AppIconBadge.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fd5a5c4a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/AppIconBadge.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+import { useEffect } from 'react';
+import { useEmailStore } from '../stores/email-store';
+import { useSettingsStore } from '../stores/settings-store';
+import { appBadgeCount, setAppBadge } from '../lib/app-badge';
+
+/**
+ * Keeps the app icon badge on the active account's inbox unread count (see
+ * `lib/app-badge`). Mounted with the signed-in UI; unmounting means the last
+ * account signed out, so the badge is cleared then. Renders nothing.
+ */
+export function AppIconBadge() {
+  const enabled = useSettingsStore((s) => s.appIconUnreadBadge);
+  const count = useEmailStore((s) => appBadgeCount(s.mailboxes, enabled));
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    void setAppBadge(count);
+  }, [count]);
+
+  useEffect(() => () => { void setAppBadge(0); }, []);
+
+  return null;
+}
diff --git a/src/components/settings/NotificationSettings.tsx b/src/components/settings/NotificationSettings.tsx
index 07225873..5ed92924 100644
--- a/src/components/settings/NotificationSettings.tsx
+++ b/src/components/settings/NotificationSettings.tsx
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ import {
   isUnifiedPushSupported,
   saveUnifiedPushDistributor,
 } from '../../lib/unified-push';
+import { canBadgeAppIcon } from '../../lib/app-badge';
 
 type PushStatus =
   | { kind: 'idle' }
@@ -79,6 +80,7 @@ export function NotificationSettings() {
   const emailEnabled = useSettingsStore((s) => s.emailNotificationsEnabled);
   const calEnabled = useSettingsStore((s) => s.calendarNotificationsEnabled);
   const invitationParsing = useSettingsStore((s) => s.calendarInvitationParsingEnabled);
+  const appIconBadge = useSettingsStore((s) => s.appIconUnreadBadge);
 
   const supported = isPushSupported();
   const upSupported = isUnifiedPushSupported();
@@ -465,6 +467,17 @@ export function NotificationSettings() {
         >
           <ToggleSwitch checked={emailEnabled} onChange={(v) => update('emailNotificationsEnabled', v)} />
         </SettingItem>
+        {canBadgeAppIcon() && (
+          <SettingItem
+            label={t('settings.notifications.email.app_icon_badge', 'Unread count on app icon')}
+            description={t(
+              'settings.notifications.email.app_icon_badge_desc',
+              'Show the inbox unread count as a badge on the app icon.',
+            )}
+          >
+            <ToggleSwitch checked={appIconBadge} onChange={(v) => update('appIconUnreadBadge', v)} />
+          </SettingItem>
+        )}
         {Platform.OS === 'android' && (
           <Text style={styles.fieldDescription}>
             {t(
diff --git a/src/lib/__tests__/app-badge.test.ts b/src/lib/__tests__/app-badge.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..49a9d8ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/__tests__/app-badge.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+vi.mock('expo-notifications', () => ({
+  setBadgeCountAsync: vi.fn(async () => true),
+}));
+
+import { Platform } from 'react-native';
+import * as Notifications from 'expo-notifications';
+import { appBadgeCount, setAppBadge } from '../app-badge';
+import type { Mailbox } from '../../api/types';
+
+const setBadge = Notifications.setBadgeCountAsync as unknown as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
+const platform = Platform as { OS: string };
+
+function mailbox(id: string, extra: Partial<Mailbox>): Mailbox {
+  return {
+    id,
+    name: id,
+    totalEmails: 0,
+    unreadEmails: 0,
+    totalThreads: 0,
+    unreadThreads: 0,
+    ...extra,
+  } as Mailbox;
+}
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  platform.OS = 'android';
+  setBadge.mockClear();
+});
+
+describe('appBadgeCount', () => {
+  it("counts the own inbox's unread, not a shared inbox listed first", () => {
+    const mailboxes = [
+      mailbox('team:inbox', { role: 'inbox', isShared: true, unreadEmails: 40 }),
+      mailbox('inbox', { role: 'inbox', isShared: false, unreadEmails: 3 }),
+      mailbox('lists', { unreadEmails: 12 }),
+    ];
+    expect(appBadgeCount(mailboxes, true)).toBe(3);
+  });
+
+  it('is 0 when the setting is off or there is no inbox yet', () => {
+    expect(appBadgeCount([mailbox('inbox', { role: 'inbox', unreadEmails: 3 })], false)).toBe(0);
+    expect(appBadgeCount([], true)).toBe(0);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('setAppBadge', () => {
+  it('sets and clears the badge on iOS', async () => {
+    platform.OS = 'ios';
+    await setAppBadge(5);
+    await setAppBadge(0);
+    expect(setBadge.mock.calls).toEqual([[5], [0]]);
+  });
+
+  it('never touches the badge on Android, where a 0 cancels every notification', async () => {
+    await setAppBadge(5);
+    await setAppBadge(0);
+    expect(setBadge).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('swallows a failing native call', async () => {
+    platform.OS = 'ios';
+    setBadge.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('no permission'));
+    await expect(setAppBadge(2)).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/app-badge.ts b/src/lib/app-badge.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fc9facf6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/app-badge.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import { Platform } from 'react-native';
+import * as Notifications from 'expo-notifications';
+import type { Mailbox } from '../api/types';
+
+/**
+ * The number on the app icon: the unread count of the active account's own
+ * inbox, like the webmail's tab/app-icon badge (`FaviconBadge`). `role ===
+ * 'inbox'` alone is not enough: shared and group inboxes sit in the same list,
+ * so the first match can be somebody else's. 0 (no badge) when the setting is
+ * off.
+ */
+export function appBadgeCount(mailboxes: readonly Mailbox[], enabled: boolean): number {
+  if (!enabled) return 0;
+  const inbox = mailboxes.find((m) => m.role === 'inbox' && !m.isShared);
+  return Math.max(0, inbox?.unreadEmails ?? 0);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Whether this platform can badge the app icon without side effects.
+ *
+ * iOS only. On Android expo-notifications badges through ShortcutBadger,
+ * which only a few launchers honour (Android 8+ launchers derive their badge
+ * from the notifications on display instead), and it implements a count of 0
+ * as `NotificationManager.cancelAll()`: clearing the badge would also dismiss
+ * every notification the app shows, including other accounts' new mail and
+ * calendar reminders.
+ */
+export function canBadgeAppIcon(): boolean {
+  return Platform.OS === 'ios';
+}
+
+/**
+ * Show `count` on the app icon (0 clears it). A silent no-op where the
+ * platform can't badge or the user denied badge permission.
+ */
+export async function setAppBadge(count: number): Promise<void> {
+  if (!canBadgeAppIcon()) return;
+  try {
+    await Notifications.setBadgeCountAsync(Math.max(0, Math.floor(count)));
+  } catch {
+    // Badging is cosmetic; never let it surface as an error.
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/stores/settings-store.ts b/src/stores/settings-store.ts
index ea464bb8..ce9bd25e 100644
--- a/src/stores/settings-store.ts
+++ b/src/stores/settings-store.ts
@@ -255,6 +255,9 @@ interface PersistedSettings {
   emailNotificationsEnabled: boolean;
   calendarNotificationsEnabled: boolean;
   calendarInvitationParsingEnabled: boolean;
+  // Inbox unread count on the app icon (iOS, see lib/app-badge). Same
+  // preference as the webmail's `faviconUnreadBadge` (tab and app icon).
+  appIconUnreadBadge: boolean;
 
   // Sidebar apps
   sidebarApps: SidebarApp[];
@@ -403,6 +406,7 @@ const DEFAULT_PERSISTED: PersistedSettings = {
   emailNotificationsEnabled: true,
   calendarNotificationsEnabled: true,
   calendarInvitationParsingEnabled: true,
+  appIconUnreadBadge: true,
 
   sidebarApps: [],
   keepAppsLoaded: false,
@@ -610,6 +614,7 @@ export const SETTINGS_KEY_MAP: Partial<Record<keyof PersistedSettings, string>>
   exportLowercase: 'filenameLowercase',
   exportStripDiacritics: 'filenameStripDiacritics',
   filtersExpandedView: 'expandedFilterView',
+  appIconUnreadBadge: 'faviconUnreadBadge',
 };
 
 // Keys that describe this device rather than the user's preferences.