Who to keep track of
- Regular clients. What you talked about last time, what’s going on in their lives, and how they like their appointment to go.
- Clients who refer friends. Who they sent your way, so you can say thank you.
- Your salon or shop owner. Conversations about your chair, hours or plans.
- Fellow stylists and barbers. Who covers for you, who you refer clients to, and who refers clients to you.
- Educators and product reps. Classes you took, what you learned, and who to call about products.
What to write down
- One personal detail from the conversation
- Anything coming up for them, like a wedding, a trip or a new job
- Anything you promised, with a reminder to follow up
Keep appointments, payments and anything your salon requires in your booking software. BlackBook is for the personal notes that help you pick up where you left off.
Phone contacts vs personal CRM
| Phone contacts | BlackBook | |
|---|---|---|
| What you talked about last time | A notes field, if you remember to use it | Notes on each person’s own page |
| History | None | Interaction history on each person’s page |
| Follow-up reminders | Separate app | Reminders per person, with notifications |
| Who to check in with next | Up to you to notice | Pulse suggests who to reach out to next from your notes, history and reminders |
| Account | Your phone’s contacts account | No BlackBook account; data on your iPhone and in your own private iCloud |
A simple routine
Right after a client leaves, take thirty seconds to add a note while the conversation is fresh, and set a reminder if something is coming up for them. Before a regular’s next visit, read your last note so you can ask how the trip or the interview went. Once a week, open Pulse and reach out to one or two people you haven’t heard from in a while.
The free plan covers 25 people, which is enough to start with your most loyal regulars.
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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: optional subscription with 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 lives on your iPhone and in your private iCloud, no account, no ad SDKs, data never sold
- Developer: Preston Earnest / Earnestly Studios LLC
Frequently asked questions
Is BlackBook a booking app?
No. BlackBook doesn’t book appointments or take payments. Keep your schedule in your booking app and use BlackBook for the relationship side: notes, history and follow-up reminders.
Who should I keep track of?
Your regular clients, clients who send you referrals, the salon or shop owner, fellow stylists and barbers you swap clients with, educators you’ve learned from, and the product reps you work with.
What should I write down after an appointment?
One or two lines: what you talked about, anything coming up for them (a wedding, a trip, a new job), and anything you said you’d do, like send a product name or check in before an event.
Is my data private?
BlackBook needs no account. Your people and notes live on your iPhone and in your own private iCloud, not on a BlackBook server. There are no ad SDKs, and your data is never sold.
Is BlackBook 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: 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.
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 your regulars. Start with 25 people.
BlackBook is free to download for iPhone (iOS 17.6+). Start with 25 people, no account needed.
Get BlackBook – Personal CRM