What Apple Contacts does well, and where it stops
Contacts is the right place for how to reach someone. But the details that make a relationship work don’t fit in a phone-number app: the name of their kid, the job they were interviewing for, the book you said you’d send. Those end up scattered across the notes field, your Notes app and your memory, and nothing reminds you to follow up.
Contacts vs. BlackBook
| You want to… | Apple Contacts | BlackBook |
|---|---|---|
| Store phone numbers and emails | Yes | Use Contacts for this |
| Keep notes about a person | One notes field | Notes and conversation history for each person |
| Get reminded to follow up | No | Follow-up reminders per person |
| Know who to reach out to this week | No | Pulse suggests your next step from your notes, history and reminders |
| Remember birthdays with context | Birthday field | Birthday reminders alongside the personal details you saved |
| Keep it private | Your Apple account | No account; on your iPhone and private iCloud; no ad SDKs, never sold |
Getting started in 10 minutes
- Pick the 25 people who matter most: close friends, family, key clients, and anyone you keep meaning to call.
- Add one note each: what’s going on in their life right now.
- Set a follow-up reminder for the people you’ve gone quiet with.
- Each week, open Pulse and reach out to who it suggests.
More on this: how to keep in touch with people and the birthday reminder guide.
BlackBook facts
- Platform: iPhone, iOS 17.6 or later
- Price: free download; optional BlackBook Pro subscription (prices shown in the app)
- Free plan: 25 people, 2 notes per person, 30 days of interaction history
- Pro: unlimited people and full history, VIP reminders and insights, relationship notes with tags, duplicate detection, BlackBook AI
- AI: on-device via Apple Intelligence (Pro, iOS 26, compatible iPhone)
- Privacy: data on your device and private iCloud, no account, no ad SDKs, data never sold
- Developer: Preston Earnest / Earnestly Studios LLC
Frequently asked questions
Does BlackBook replace the Contacts app?
No. Keep Apple Contacts for phone numbers and addresses. BlackBook is for the relationship side: notes and history for each person, follow-up reminders, birthday reminders, and Pulse suggestions for who to reach out to next.
Why not just use the notes field in Contacts?
The notes field is one block of text per contact. It doesn’t remind you to follow up, keep a dated history of your conversations, or suggest who you haven’t talked to in a while. BlackBook does those things.
Do I need an account?
No. BlackBook needs no account, sign-up or login. Your people and notes stay on your iPhone and in your private iCloud.
Is it free?
BlackBook is free to download with a free plan of 25 people, two notes per person and 30 days of interaction history. BlackBook Pro is an optional subscription for unlimited people and full history: in the US it’s $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, and the annual plan includes a 1-week free trial. Prices are shown in the app.
Is my data private?
BlackBook includes no advertising SDKs and never sells your data. There’s no BlackBook account, so your notes aren’t stored on a BlackBook server.
What iPhones does it run on?
BlackBook requires iOS 17.6 or later. On iOS 26 with a compatible iPhone, BlackBook Pro adds on-device Apple Intelligence features.
Remember the person, not just the number.
BlackBook is free to download for iPhone (iOS 17.6+). Start with 25 people, no account needed.
Get BlackBook – Personal CRM