BookingKoala Product Updates

We’ve made a broad set of improvements across BookingKoala focused on reliability, operational control, financial accuracy, integrations, and the provider experience.

1. More Reliable Time Tracking & Provider Operations

More Reliable Automatic Time Tracking — Mobile Provider App

We’ve improved Clock In/Clock Out functionality to make time tracking more accurate and prevent incorrect clock-ins and automatic clock-outs.

Preventing incorrect automatic clock-outs
Previously, when automatic clock-in/out was enabled, changes in a provider’s location could cause them to be automatically clocked out unexpectedly. Location detection has been improved to make automatic clock-outs more reliable.

Preventing early clock-ins
Providers must now be within the vicinity of the booking address before they can Clock In, helping prevent incorrect start times while they are still traveling to the booking.

Required permissions

To ensure the improved functionality works correctly, providers should:

1. Update the BookingKoala for Providers app to the latest version.

2. Allow full Location permissions for the app.

3. Allow the required activity/motion permission:

   • Android: Physical Activity

   • iPhone/IOS: Motion & Fitness

Provider Payment Visibility for Unassigned Bookings

Providers can now see their expected payment amount before deciding whether to grab an unassigned booking.

Previously, the accurate payment amount was only displayed after the booking was accepted or grabbed. Providers can now review the expected payment upfront and make a more informed decision before committing to the job.

Provider Availability Improvements

Customizable Schedule Colors
Businesses can now assign primary and secondary colors to provider schedules, making it easier to distinguish providers and manage busy calendars.

Enhanced Calendar Visibility Filters
Provider calendars can now be filtered to show or hide:

• Schedules

• Days Off

• Industries

• Notes

This gives businesses greater control over the information displayed on their scheduling calendar.

Booking Time Logs

Faster Time Log Loading
Time logs now load faster across booking details, calendars, and exports, particularly benefiting businesses managing large numbers of bookings.

More Predictable Booking Updates
Booking totals and durations no longer change automatically after a time log is approved. Approved changes are applied only when the user chooses to update the booking.

More Time Log Approval Options
A new approval option allows users to approve time as “time reported with travel time and without lunch break.”

2. Independent Management for Multiple Industries

Per-Industry Configuration — Premium Plan

Businesses offering multiple services or operating across multiple industries can now manage each industry independently while continuing to manage everything from a single BookingKoala account.

Industry-Specific Notifications

Businesses can now configure notifications independently for each industry, including notification content, timing, and delivery.

For example, Home Cleaning reminders can be scheduled 24 hours before a booking, while Carpet Cleaning reminders can be sent 1 hour before.

Master Templates provide a centralized foundation for common notifications while allowing individual industries to customize their communication where needed.

Independent Booking Spots, Capacity & Holidays

Businesses can now configure booking spots, capacity limits, and holiday schedules independently for each industry.

For example, one industry can allow up to 10 bookings per spot while another allows only 5. A specific industry can also be closed for a holiday while other industries remain open.

Per-Industry Provider Schedules

Providers can now have different working schedules depending on the industry or service they work in.

For example, a provider can be scheduled to work weekdays for one service and weekends for another within the same BookingKoala account.

Together, industry-specific notifications, capacity, holidays, and provider schedules allow businesses to operate multiple industries independently while maintaining centralized management.

3. Booking & Scheduling Improvements

Create Bookings Up to 24 Months Ahead

Customers can now schedule appointments up to 24 months (2 years) in advance.

Previously, customers were limited to a maximum of 12 bookings within a 12-month period and could select appointment dates only up to 6 months in advance.

This provides greater flexibility for businesses and customers that need to plan recurring or long-term appointments well in advance.

Missing Recurring Bookings

Fixed an issue where individual bookings within a recurring series could unexpectedly disappear from the system.

Booking ID Preservation

Booking IDs now remain unchanged when supported form parameters are modified.

Previously, certain form parameter changes could generate a new Booking ID, which could cause issues for businesses using integrations such as Zapier, Make, and other connected systems.

This improvement helps businesses:

• Reduce the risk of duplicate records in connected systems.

• Maintain consistent booking references.

• Track bookings throughout their lifecycle.

• Keep internal and external records synchronized more reliably.

Duplicate Bookings Saved as Drafts

Duplicated bookings are now automatically saved as drafts.

Previously, a duplicated booking had to be finalized immediately or it could be removed. Businesses can now duplicate a booking, make changes, review the details, and finalize it when ready.

Simplified Active Booking Updates

Changes to supported Form Settings and Quick Settings, including Customer Locations, Zipcodes, and Exclude Parameters, now automatically update active bookings based on the merchant's Store Settings.

The previous confirmation popup has been removed to simplify the workflow.

Manage Spot Availability Based on Limits

Improved the existing Scheduling → Spot Availability setting to provide better control over whether spot availability is managed according to defined limits.

4. Payments, Charges & Financial Accuracy

Provider Payment Report Improvements

The Provider Payments report now separates Pending and Paid amounts according to the dates relevant to each payment state.

• Paid Payments: Shows how much was actually paid to providers during the selected period, based on the provider payment date.

• Pending Payments: Shows how much is still owed for work performed during the selected period, based on the booking service date or invoice due date.

Adjusted payments are now handled separately in report totals. Because adjustments are not tied to a specific booking, invoice, or separate payment, they are included only in the overall total and are displayed when no location, industry, or category filters are applied.

Charges Preserved After Booking Changes

Charges associated with deleted or postponed bookings are now retained and remain visible in charge logs.

Previously, removing a booking could also make its associated charge records unavailable in the charge list, making it harder to reconcile revenue and understand the financial impact of removed bookings.

Card Holds Only for Future Bookings

Card authorization holds are now applied only to future bookings.

Previously, if a booking was added or moved to a past date or time, the system could still attempt to place a card authorization hold. Past bookings can now proceed without an unnecessary authorization, while future bookings continue to follow the appropriate authorization process.

Switch Payment Processors Without Losing Refund Access

Changing the payment processor no longer prevents refunds for previous bookings.

Previous payment credentials are securely retained so businesses can continue processing refunds for older bookings after switching payment processors.

Separate Refund Records in All Charges

Refunds are now displayed as individual entries in All Charges, making the complete refund history easier to review.

Refund Source Visibility

Refund records now indicate whether the refund was created manually or automatically following a booking amount adjustment.

Accurate Pending Charge Preview

When the time of an hourly booking is updated before charging, the pending charge preview now reflects the correct updated total.

Archived Provider Payment Records

If a provider is removed from a booking after payment has already been made, the payment is archived from the booking while remaining available in payment history.

This keeps current booking information accurate without removing historical payment records.

Referral Rewards After Successful Payment

Referral rewards are now issued only after the referred booking has been successfully charged, ensuring rewards are granted only for completed and successfully charged bookings.

5. Campaigns & Communication

Improved Campaign Deliverability

Campaign email delivery has been improved through better delivery optimization designed to increase inbox placement, reduce bounce rates, and minimize spam complaints.

Improved Schedule Notifications

New and updated notification shortcodes provide more accurate schedule information.

Admin Schedule Updated notification

• {{.IndustryNames}} — Displays the industry names.

• {{.ScheduleUpdateLogURL}} — Provides the schedule update log.

• {{.ScheduleDateRange}} — Displays the updated schedule date range and replaces {{.ScheduleRequestDateRange}}.

Provider Schedule Modification Request Response

• {{.ScheduleRequestStatus}} — Displays the schedule request status.

• {{.IndustryNames}} — Displays the industry names.

• {{.ScheduleRequested}} — Displays the requested schedule details and replaces {{.RequestedShifts}}.

6. Integrations & Data Export

Google Sheets Improvements

Custom fields can now be mapped independently to specific Google Sheets columns. During synchronization, each custom field is processed and synced to its configured column.

The Google Sheets event allowance has also been increased beyond the standard limit to support higher usage.

Additional booking fields available for Google Sheets:

• Items, Packages & Add-ons JSON

• Extras JSON

• Company Name

• Exclude Customer Notification

Expanded Booking CSV Export

The Booking CSV export now includes:

• Discounted Total

• Booking Start/End Date Time

• Location Details

• Provider Details JSON

• Special Notes

• Form

• Card Last 4 Digits

• City

• Occurrence

7. Mobile Provider App Improvements

Dark Mode

Added an Appearance section in Settings, allowing providers to switch between light and dark themes.

Map Preference — iOS

iOS providers can now choose their preferred navigation app between Apple Maps and Google Maps.

Booking List Filters

Providers can now filter their calendar by Upcoming or Completed bookings.

Zip Code in Profile

Providers can now add or update their ZIP/postal code directly from the Edit Profile screen.

Location Permission Guidance

Added guidance to help providers enable Always Allow location access for accurate location tracking.

Faster Booking Navigation

The booking list now supports pagination for easier navigation.

Quick Calendar Navigation

Providers can now jump directly to an available month or year from the calendar.

Updated Ratings Display

Ratings now use a simplified single-star format alongside the total number of reviews.

Request Mode Labels

When Request Mode is enabled, relevant action buttons now clearly display a Request label.

Simplified Payment Details

Removed unnecessary information from payment list items to make payment details easier to review.

Switch Business

Renamed Switch Company to Switch Business for clearer terminology.

Faster Media Downloads — Android

Added a download progress indicator when downloading files from My Drive on Android.

Improved Job Media

Improved the Job Media section for a smoother and more efficient provider experience.

Help Center Relocated

The Help Center and Privacy Policy have been moved from Settings to the Sidebar for quicker access.

Performance Optimizations

Implemented performance improvements across the app to improve responsiveness and loading times.

Provider App Plan Availability

The Provider App is now available exclusively to businesses on the Premium and Growing plans.

8. Store & Provider Settings

Custom Cash Label

Businesses can now rename the Cash payment method to a label that better matches their workflow.

Examples include:

• Pay at Location

• Venmo

• Zelle

• In-Person Payment

Location: Settings → General → Store Options → Payment Method

Priceable Custom Fields

Added Priceable Custom Fields under Provider Settings, allowing businesses to control whether priceable custom fields are included in provider payments.

9. Booking Decline Notifications

Admin Notification — Booking Declined

Admins are now immediately notified when a provider declines a booking invitation.

This allows admins to take action sooner, such as assigning another provider or adjusting the booking, reducing the risk of delays or missed appointments.

10. Security & Account Improvements

Masked Payment Gateway Keys

Payment gateway credentials now display only the last four characters, helping protect sensitive information while still allowing users to identify the correct account.

11. Bug Fixes & Reliability Improvements

Reschedule Fee Protection

If a reschedule fee payment fails, the booking remains unchanged until the reschedule charge is successfully completed.

Accurate Refund Totals

Fixed an issue where multiple refunds could result in an incorrect refunded amount. Refund totals are now calculated correctly across all refunds.

Default Payment Gateway Sync

Fixed an issue where changes to default payment gateway settings were not automatically reflected across all locations using the default configuration.

Accurate Referral Credit Processing

Fixed an issue where referral credits could be missed when multiple referred bookings were automatically charged at the same time. Eligible rewards are now applied correctly for every booking.

Double Tip

Fixed an issue where tips could be charged twice for a booking.

Zapier — Reminder Date

Fixed an issue causing incorrect reminder dates to be sent to Zapier based on the merchant's store timezone.

Zapier — Booking Source

Fixed an issue where the Booking Source field could send an incorrect value to Zapier.

Change Password

Added a password visibility option to the Change Password popup for easier password entry.

Daylight Saving Time

Fixed DST-related time discrepancies in the Admin Form.

Safari Scrolling

Fixed a scrolling issue affecting the Customer Side when accessed through Safari.

Booking Time Log Safety

Improved the booking time log safety feature to ensure it operates correctly.

Booking Form Visibility

Booking forms are now visible in the Campaigns form listing even when the form is disabled in the Theme Builder.

Booking Amount Adjustment

Fixed an issue where adjusting a booking amount to zero from the Booking Form did not update the adjusted amount on the booking.

Booking Calendar Drag & Drop

Fixed an issue affecting drag-and-drop functionality in the Booking Calendar.

Customer Translation

Fixed an issue where translations were not displaying correctly for customers.

Lead Tracking Timer

Fixed an issue that could create multiple leads during a single session.

Search Filters

Fixed an issue where special characters in search strings could cause errors and affect search results.

Booking Form Loading

Fixed an issue where the Booking Form could fail to load after a customer field type was changed from Text to Checkbox.

Contract Hiring Form

Fixed an issue with the signature popup in the Contract Hiring Form.

Xero Integration

Fixed an issue where the BookingKoala integration could fail when a new Xero app was connected for a merchant.

Provider Stripe Connect

Fixed an issue connecting a provider's Stripe account through a bank account or debit card.

Post-Booking Completion Tip Notification

Fixed an issue where admins received tip notifications only for Cash/Check payments. Tip notifications now work across all payment methods.

That's everything for this release. We hope you enjoy the new updates — email support@bookingkoala.com with any questions, or submit a feature request to let us know what to build next.

Thank you for building with BookingKoala.