diff --git a/apps/src/tests/single-feature-tests/tabs/index.ts b/apps/src/tests/single-feature-tests/tabs/index.ts
index 223193ef06..3c53025edf 100644
--- a/apps/src/tests/single-feature-tests/tabs/index.ts
+++ b/apps/src/tests/single-feature-tests/tabs/index.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import TestTabsSpecialEffectsScrollToTop from './test-tabs-special-effects-scrol
 import TestTabsTabBarExperimentalUserInterfaceStyle from './test-tabs-tab-bar-experimental-user-interface-style-ios';
 import TestTabsLifecycleEvents from './test-tabs-lifecycle-events';
 import TestTabsItemTitle from './test-tabs-item-title';
+import TestTabsItemBadge from './test-tabs-item-badge';
 
 const scenarios = {
   TestTabBottomAccessory,
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ const scenarios = {
   TestTabsTabBarExperimentalUserInterfaceStyle,
   TestTabsLifecycleEvents,
   TestTabsItemTitle,
+  TestTabsItemBadge,
 };
 
 const TabsScenarioGroup: ScenarioGroup<keyof typeof scenarios> = {
diff --git a/apps/src/tests/single-feature-tests/tabs/test-tabs-item-badge/index.tsx b/apps/src/tests/single-feature-tests/tabs/test-tabs-item-badge/index.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d7f56567a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/src/tests/single-feature-tests/tabs/test-tabs-item-badge/index.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,259 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import { Platform, PlatformColor, ScrollView, StyleSheet, Text, View } from 'react-native';
+import { scenarioDescription } from './scenario-description';
+import { createScenario } from '@apps/tests/shared/helpers';
+import {
+  TabsContainerWithHostConfigContext,
+  type TabRouteConfig,
+  DEFAULT_TAB_ROUTE_OPTIONS,
+} from '@apps/shared/gamma/containers/tabs';
+import { Colors } from '@apps/shared/styling';
+
+function Tab1Screen() {
+  return (
+    <View style={styles.screen}>
+      <Text style={styles.label}>Default badge appearance</Text>
+      {Platform.OS === 'ios' ? (
+        <Text style={styles.hint}>
+          `badgeValue`: "1"{'\n'}{'\n'}
+          `standardAppearance` and `scrollEdgeAppearance` are not defined.{'\n'}{'\n'}
+          Badges render with the default iOS appearance:
+          `tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor`{' '}
+          <Text style={{ color: PlatformColor('systemRed'), fontWeight: 'bold' }}>RED</Text> with white text.
+        </Text>
+      ) : (
+        <Text style={styles.hint}>
+          `badgeValue`: ""{'\n'}
+          An empty string badge value renders as a "small dot" using the color defined in `tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor`, or the system default if not set.{'\n'}{'\n'}
+          Badge appearance is not defined.{'\n'}{'\n'}
+          Badges render with the default system appearance:
+          background{' '}
+          <Text style={{ color: Colors.RedDark120, fontWeight: 'bold' }}>DARK RED</Text> with white text.
+        </Text>
+      )}
+    </View>
+  );
+}
+
+function Tab2Screen() {
+  return (
+    <ScrollView>
+      <View style={styles.screen}>
+        <Text style={styles.label}>Long Badge Value</Text>
+        {Platform.OS === 'ios' ? (
+          <>
+            <Text style={styles.hint}>
+              `badgeValue`: "1234567890"{'\n'}{'\n'}
+              `standardAppearance`{'\n'}
+              `tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor`:{' '}
+              <Text style={{ color: Colors.BlueDark100, fontWeight: 'bold' }}>BLUE</Text>
+              {'\n'}{'\n'}
+              `scrollEdgeAppearance`{'\n'}
+              `tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor`:{' '}
+              <Text style={{ color: Colors.YellowDark100, fontWeight: 'bold' }}>YELLOW</Text>
+              {'\n'}{'\n'}
+            </Text>
+            <View style={styles.spacer} />
+            <Text style={styles.hint}>
+              Scroll all the way down so the list edge meets the tab bar to apply
+              `scrollEdgeAppearance`. Scroll back up to restore `standardAppearance`.
+            </Text>
+            <View style={styles.spacer} />
+          </>
+        ) : (
+          <Text style={styles.hint}>
+            `badgeValue`: "1234567890" displayed as "999+"{'\n'}{'\n'}
+            `tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor`:{' '}
+            <Text style={{ color: Colors.BlueDark100, fontWeight: 'bold' }}>BLUE</Text>
+            {'\n'}
+            `tabBarItemBadgeTextColor`:{' '}
+            <Text style={{ color: Colors.YellowDark100, fontWeight: 'bold' }}>YELLOW</Text>
+          </Text>
+        )}
+      </View>
+    </ScrollView>
+  );
+}
+
+function Tab3Screen() {
+  return (
+    <View style={styles.screen}>
+      <Text style={styles.label}>String Badge Value</Text>
+      {Platform.OS === 'ios' ? (
+        <Text style={styles.hint}>
+          `badgeValue`: "NEW!"{'\n'}{'\n'}
+          selected: `tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor`:{' '}
+          <Text style={{ color: Colors.BlueDark100, fontWeight: 'bold' }}>BLUE</Text>
+          {'\n'}{'\n'}
+          normal: `tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor`:{' '}
+          <Text style={{ color: Colors.PurpleDark100, fontWeight: 'bold' }}>PURPLE</Text>
+          {'\n'}{'\n'}
+        </Text>
+      ) : (
+        <Text style={styles.hint}>
+          `badgeValue`: "NEW!"{'\n'}{'\n'}
+          `tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor`:{' '}
+          <Text style={{ color: Colors.PurpleDark100, fontWeight: 'bold' }}>PURPLE</Text>
+          {'\n'}
+          `tabBarItemBadgeTextColor`:{' '}
+          <Text style={{ color: Colors.NavyLight100, fontWeight: 'bold' }}>NAVY</Text>
+        </Text>
+      )}
+    </View>
+  );
+}
+
+function Tab4Screen() {
+  return (
+    <View style={styles.screen}>
+      <Text style={styles.label}>Transparent badge background</Text>
+      {Platform.OS === 'ios' ? (
+        <Text style={styles.hint}>
+          `badgeValue`: "⚠️"{'\n'}{'\n'}
+          Badge appearance is defined only for selected tab: setting background to `transparent` value.{'\n'}{'\n'}
+          Unselected badges render with the default system appearance:
+          badge background{' '}
+          <Text style={{ color: PlatformColor('systemRed'), fontWeight: 'bold' }}>RED</Text> with white text.
+        </Text>
+      ) : (
+        <Text style={styles.hint}>
+          `badgeValue`: "⚠️"{'\n'}{'\n'}
+          `tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor`: `transparent`
+          {'\n'}
+          `tabBarItemBadgeTextColor`:{' '}
+          <Text style={{ color: Colors.RedLight100, fontWeight: 'bold' }}>RED</Text>
+        </Text>
+      )}
+    </View>
+  );
+}
+
+const ROUTE_CONFIGS: TabRouteConfig[] = [
+  {
+    name: 'Tab1',
+    Component: Tab1Screen,
+    options: {
+      title: 'Tab1',
+      badgeValue: Platform.OS === 'ios' ? '1' : '',
+      ios: {
+        ...DEFAULT_TAB_ROUTE_OPTIONS.ios,
+      },
+      android: {
+        ...DEFAULT_TAB_ROUTE_OPTIONS.android,
+        standardAppearance: {
+          tabBarItemLabelVisibilityMode: 'labeled',
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  },
+  {
+    name: 'Tab2',
+    Component: Tab2Screen,
+    options: {
+      title: 'Tab2',
+      badgeValue: '1234567890',
+      ios: {
+        ...DEFAULT_TAB_ROUTE_OPTIONS.ios,
+        standardAppearance: {
+          stacked: {
+            normal: { tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor: Colors.BlueDark100 },
+          },
+        },
+        scrollEdgeAppearance: {
+          stacked: {
+            normal: { tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor: Colors.YellowDark100 },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+      android: {
+        ...DEFAULT_TAB_ROUTE_OPTIONS.android,
+        standardAppearance: {
+          tabBarItemLabelVisibilityMode: 'labeled',
+          tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor: Colors.BlueDark100,
+          tabBarItemBadgeTextColor: Colors.YellowDark100,
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  },
+  {
+    name: 'Tab3',
+    Component: Tab3Screen,
+    options: {
+      title: 'Tab3',
+      badgeValue: 'NEW!',
+      ios: {
+        ...DEFAULT_TAB_ROUTE_OPTIONS.ios,
+        standardAppearance: {
+          stacked: {
+            normal: { tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor: Colors.PurpleDark100 },
+            selected: { tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor: Colors.BlueDark100 },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+      android: {
+        ...DEFAULT_TAB_ROUTE_OPTIONS.android,
+        standardAppearance: {
+          tabBarItemLabelVisibilityMode: 'labeled',
+          tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor: Colors.PurpleDark100,
+          tabBarItemBadgeTextColor: Colors.NavyLight100,
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  },
+  {
+    name: 'Tab4',
+    Component: Tab4Screen,
+    options: {
+      title: 'Tab4',
+      badgeValue: '⚠️',
+      ios: {
+        ...DEFAULT_TAB_ROUTE_OPTIONS.ios,
+        standardAppearance: {
+          stacked: {
+            selected: { tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor: 'transparent' },
+          }
+        },
+      },
+      android: {
+        ...DEFAULT_TAB_ROUTE_OPTIONS.android,
+        standardAppearance: {
+          tabBarItemLabelVisibilityMode: 'labeled',
+          tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor: 'transparent',
+          tabBarItemBadgeTextColor: Colors.RedLight100,
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  },
+];
+
+export function App() {
+  return <TabsContainerWithHostConfigContext routeConfigs={ROUTE_CONFIGS} />;
+}
+
+const styles = StyleSheet.create({
+  screen: {
+    flex: 1,
+    margin: 24,
+    padding: 24,
+    gap: 12,
+
+  },
+  spacer: {
+    height: 220,
+  },
+  label: {
+    fontSize: 17,
+    fontWeight: '600',
+    marginBottom: 12,
+    marginTop: 24,
+    alignSelf: 'center',
+  },
+  hint: {
+    fontSize: 13,
+    color: Colors.LightOffNavy,
+    lineHeight: 20,
+    textAlign: 'center',
+  },
+});
+
+export default createScenario(App, scenarioDescription);
diff --git a/apps/src/tests/single-feature-tests/tabs/test-tabs-item-badge/scenario-description.ts b/apps/src/tests/single-feature-tests/tabs/test-tabs-item-badge/scenario-description.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4709bf84bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/src/tests/single-feature-tests/tabs/test-tabs-item-badge/scenario-description.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+import type { ScenarioDescription } from '@apps/tests/shared/helpers';
+
+export const scenarioDescription: ScenarioDescription = {
+  name: 'Tab Bar Item Badge',
+  key: 'test-tabs-item-badge',
+  details:
+    'Exercises tab bar item badge props: badgeValue, tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor, and tabBarItemBadgeTextColor (Android only).',
+  platforms: ['ios', 'android'],
+  e2eCoverage: 'incomplete',
+  smokeTest: false,
+};
diff --git a/apps/src/tests/single-feature-tests/tabs/test-tabs-item-badge/scenario.md b/apps/src/tests/single-feature-tests/tabs/test-tabs-item-badge/scenario.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..560dfd2c7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/src/tests/single-feature-tests/tabs/test-tabs-item-badge/scenario.md
@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+# Test Scenario: Tab Bar Item Badge
+
+## Details
+
+**Description:** Validates the `badgeValue` prop on `TabsScreen` and the
+badge appearance props (`tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor` and Android only: `tabBarItemBadgeTextColor`). The scenario covers
+four badge cases: a badge with default system appearance, a
+long numeric string that overflows the max display width, a custom string
+badge, and an emoji badge. For iOS, it also exercises
+`scrollEdgeAppearance` badge color. On Android, all badge color
+customisation is driven by `standardAppearance`.
+
+**OS test creation version:** iOS: 18.6 and iOS 26.5, Android: API Level 36.
+
+## E2E test
+
+Incomplete: Not automated. All observable
+outcomes are purely visual (badge color, text color, displayed string).
+Detox does not expose color or text-content attributes of native tab bar
+badge items, so automated assertion requires a screenshot-diff approach
+not yet in place.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- iOS device or simulator.
+- Android emulator.
+
+## Note
+
+`badgeValue`:
+
+- On Android the maximum badge string length rendered verbatim is 4
+  characters; longer numeric strings are capped and shown as `999+`.
+  When `badgeValue` is set to an empty string it renders as "small dot" badge if
+  `tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor` is not `transparent`.
+- On iOS 18: badges render the full `badgeValue` string without truncation;
+because the badge text color is white, any characters overflowing the badge's colored
+background will blend into a white screen background and become invisible.
+- On iOS 26: long badges render the `badgeValue` string with truncation, ending with "...".
+
+`tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor`:
+
+- Setting a transparent `tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor` removes the badge's pill
+background. On iOS, only the selected tab's badgeValue floats without a colored
+background, while the background color of unselected badges remains visible.
+On Android, this property makes the background fully transparent for all tabs,
+effectively making Tab1 appear badgeless.
+- On iOS 26 ([KI 1072](https://github.com/software-mansion/react-native-screens-labs/issues/1072))
+When `tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor` is defined with different colors for the
+normal and selected states, the badge color of the selected tab breaks and
+partially uses the normal state's background color. Additionally, if a tab on
+the left side has a long badge value, it can be affected as well, causing its
+color to partially break and incorrectly inherit the selected state's background color.
+
+---
+
+## Steps (iOS)
+
+### Baseline
+
+1. Launch the app and navigate to the **Tab Bar Item Badge** screen.
+
+- [ ] Four tabs are visible - **Tab1**, **Tab2**, **Tab3**, **Tab4**.
+- [ ] Tab1 is active. Each tab shows a badge in the tab bar.
+- [ ] Tab1: badge reads **1**.
+- [ ] Tab2: on iOS 26 badge reads **12345...**; on iOS 18 **23456789** is visible.
+- [ ] Tab3's badge reads **NEW!**.
+- [ ] Tab4's badge reads **⚠️**.
+
+---
+
+### Tab1 - default badge appearance
+
+2. Confirm Tab1 is active. Observe the Tab1 badge in the tab bar.
+
+- [ ] Badge shows **1**.
+- [ ] The badge renders with the iOS system default: red background with white text.
+
+---
+
+### Tab2 - long badge value and scrollEdgeAppearance
+
+3. Tap **Tab2** in the tab bar.
+
+- [ ] Tab2 is selected. The badge in the tab bar reads:
+  - on iOS 26 badge reads **12345...**;
+  - on iOS 18 **23456789** is visible.
+- [ ] The badge pill is blue.
+
+4. iOS 26 only: Scroll the Tab2 content all the way to the bottom until the scroll
+   edge meets the tab bar.
+
+- [ ] The badge pill color transitions from blue to yellow for all tabs.
+
+5. iOS 26 only: Scroll back up so the content edge no longer touches the tab bar.
+
+- [ ] The badge pill returns to blue.
+
+---
+
+### Tab3 - string badge value and normal/selected state colors
+
+6. Tap **Tab3** in the tab bar.
+
+- [ ] Tab3 is selected. The badge in the tab bar reads **NEW!**.
+- [ ] The selected tab badge pill is blue, other tabs badges pills are purple.
+- [ ] On iOS 26 selected badge pill color is divided into selected (blue) and
+normal (purple), also Tab2 badge is affected and its badge color is partially blue
+(see KI from Note section)
+
+---
+
+### Tab4 - emoji badge and transparent selected state
+
+7. Tap **Tab4** in the tab bar.
+
+- [ ] Tab4 is selected. The badge in the tab bar shows **⚠️**.
+- [ ] The selected state has `tabBarItemBadgeBackgroundColor: transparent`,
+  so the badge background is invisible - the emoji floats without a
+  colored pill.
+- [ ] The badge background for unselected tabs is default red.
+
+---
+
+### Stability check
+
+8. Cycle through all four tabs in order (Tab1 → Tab2 → Tab3 → Tab4),
+    then in reverse (Tab4 → Tab3 → Tab2 → Tab1).
+
+- [ ] Each badge updates correctly for the selected vs. unselected state on every tab switch.
+
+---
+
+## Steps (Android)
+
+### Baseline
+
+1. Launch the app and navigate to the **Tab Bar Item Badge** screen.
+
+- [ ] Four tabs are visible - **Tab1**, **Tab2**, **Tab3**, **Tab4**.
+- [ ] Tab1 is active. Each tab shows a badge in the tab bar.
+- [ ] Tab1: small dot is visible as badge value is set to an empty string.
+- [ ] Tab2's badge is capped at **999+** (the string "1234567890" exceeds the
+maximum and is truncated by the system).
+- [ ] Tab3's badge reads **NEW!**.
+- [ ] Tab4's badge reads **⚠️**.
+
+---
+
+### Tab1 - default badge appearance
+
+2. Confirm Tab1 is active. Observe the Tab1 badge in the tab bar.
+
+- [ ] Badge shows as a small dot.
+- [ ] The badge renders with the Android system default: red background with white text.
+
+---
+
+### Tab2 - long badge value and custom colors
+
+3. Tap **Tab2** in the tab bar.
+
+- [ ] Tab2 is selected. The badge in the tab bar is shown
+  as **999+**.
+- [ ] The badge background is blue and the badge text is
+  yellow for all tabs.
+
+---
+
+### Tab3 - string badge value and custom colors
+
+4. Tap **Tab3** in the tab bar.
+
+- [ ] Tab3 is selected. The badge in the tab bar reads **NEW!**.
+- [ ] The badge background is purple and the badge text is navy for all tabs.
+
+---
+
+### Tab4 - emoji badge and transparent background
+
+5. Tap **Tab4** in the tab bar.
+
+- [ ] Tab4 is selected. The badge in the tab bar shows emoji **⚠️**.
+- [ ] The badge background is transparent for all tabs, so the emoji and text
+floats without a colored pill.
+- [ ] The badge text color is red.
+
+---
+
+### Stability check
+
+6. Cycle through all four tabs in order (Tab1 → Tab2 → Tab3 → Tab4),
+   then in reverse (Tab4 → Tab3 → Tab2 → Tab1).
+
+- [ ]Each badge is displayed correctly on every tab switch. The colors, text
+values, and transparent states remain stable.