The basic idea
You add the people you want to stay in touch with. You set how often you'd like to check in with each person — weekly, monthly, every few months. The app tracks when you last had contact, and reminds you when it's been too long.
That's the core of it. The rest is just making that core feel good to use.
What you add
For each person, you can store basic information, notes about what's going on in their life, and a contact frequency preference. The notes are the part that makes the biggest difference — when you go to reach out, you have context. You know what they were dealing with, what you talked about last time, what to ask about.
This turns a generic check-in into a specific one. Instead of "hey, how are you," you can ask about the thing that actually matters to them right now.
How the reminders work
Phonebook AI tracks your last contact with each person and surfaces a list of people you're overdue to reach out to, based on your set frequency for each. It's not pushy — it's more like a gentle prompt that shows up when it's been a while.
You don't have to do anything in the app except look at the list and decide who to text. The actual texting happens wherever you normally text from. The app doesn't send messages on your behalf or have access to your conversations.
What it doesn't do
It doesn't read your messages. It doesn't post to social media. It doesn't have access to your contacts unless you give it permission. It's a private, local tool that helps you stay intentional about who you reach out to and when.
It's not trying to optimize your relationships or turn them into a system. It's just solving the specific problem of forgetting to reach out to people you actually care about.
Who it works well for
It works best for people who are already good at caring about their relationships but struggle with the operational side of maintaining them. If you find yourself saying "I've been meaning to reach out to [person] for weeks" on a regular basis, this is the gap it's designed to fill.
It's less useful if your main problem is not knowing what to say — for that, the guides on this site are more relevant. Though often, having the reminder is enough to make reaching out feel manageable even when the words don't come easily.
Available on iOS
Download Phonebook AI →