Great Clips Online Check-in

A new version of the Great Clips app appeared on July 22, 2026, and the update text points to two notable changes for anyone who regularly uses the chain's check-in system.

The first change is described as the ability to "stay at the head of the class with smarter check-ins." That's vague enough to make me wonder what exactly got smarter. The phrasing could mean better queue positioning, more accurate wait time estimates, or a reworked check-in flow. Without more detail from Great Clips, I'd treat this as a promise worth testing rather than a guaranteed improvement.

The second change is more concrete. The update text mentions turning on check-in notifications to get "Live Updates on your lock screen." This sounds like the app is adding or improving lock screen widgets or notification displays that show your place in line without needing to open the app. For anyone who has stood outside a Great Clips watching the door like a hawk, this could be genuinely useful.

I should note that the public source candidates provided with this update are mostly unrelated—they cover Windows update notifications, eBay Live settings, QR code alerts, and a WRAL News app update. None of them are directly about Great Clips. The feature descriptions I'm working from come solely from the app's version field text, which is a limited source.

What I find interesting is the timing. July is prime back-to-school season, and "head of the class" is a deliberate word choice. Great Clips likely wants parents and students thinking about haircuts before school starts. The lock screen notifications fit that use case too—busy families checking in while running errands.

My take: the smarter check-ins claim needs proof, but the lock screen notifications are a straightforward quality-of-life addition. If you use Great Clips regularly, update the app and toggle on those notifications. You might save yourself a few minutes of staring at your phone outside the salon.