# Hide & Seek: Better privacy for your web searches

> Anonymous web searching while logged into other services via cookie blocking. (iPhone/iPad app by Roopesh Chander Sivaraman.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hide-and-seek-better-privacy-for-your-web-searches/id1039871117 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Roopesh Chander Sivaraman](https://appshunter.io/developer/936461209)
- Category: Utilities, Productivity
- Price: Free
- Rating: 3.80/5 from 4 App Store ratings · 4 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 10.0 · 7 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2015-11-07
- Data updated: 2026-06-11
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hide-and-seek-better-privacy-for-your-web-searches/id1039871117/reviews.md

## What is Hide & Seek?

Hide & Seek lets you search in Google and Bing as an anonymous user, and simultaneously use their other services, like Gmail and Outlook as a logged in user. Hide & Seek does this by blocking cookies with a Safari content blocker extension.

‘Hide & Seek has nothing to do with “blocking ads”. It is simply about maintaining your privacy and anonymity while using Google and Bing for web search. In my testing, it works like a charm.’
  - John Gruber, Daring Fireball

With both Google and Microsoft, if you’re logged into one service, you’re logged into all of them. For example, if you use Gmail on the browser, you become automatically logged in when you use Google search. This means that Google can (and does) associate your search query with your Google account. To counter this, you can use Hide & Seek to hide your identity in Google search, while still staying logged into Gmail.

Hide & Seek supports hiding your identity in:
  • Google Web Search
  • Google Images search
  • Google Videos search
  • Bing web search
  • Bing images search
  • Bing videos search
  • Bing news

Before using Hide & Seek, you’ll have to decide which Google and Bing services you’d like to use logged out. Then, configure Hide & Seek to hide your identity in those services. After that, you can search as usual and your searches will be performed as a logged out user. You can simultaneously use other Google or Microsoft services (like Gmail or Outlook) in other tabs as a logged in user.

Some caveats:

  • When using Google Images search on the iPad, when Hide & Seek is hiding your identity for that search, to visit the origin website of the image, you might have to use the ‘Open in New Tab’ option rather than tapping on a result directly.

  • When you’d like to follow a Bing search result on an iPhone, when Hide & Seek is hiding your identity for that search, you might have to use the ‘Open in New Tab’ option rather than tapping on a result directly.

## Key features

- Anonymous Google and Bing searches
- Simultaneous logged-in service use
- Safari content blocker extension
- Supports Google/Bing web, images, videos, news
- Configurable privacy settings

## Recent user reviews (4 of 4)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hide-and-seek-better-privacy-for-your-web-searches/id1039871117/reviews.md

### 1/5 — No longer works

*2018-01-09, version 1.1*

Hide & Seek stopped working a couple weeks ago. Hopefully it’ll see an update sometime soon, but I’m not holding my breath; last update was nearly a year ago.

### 5/5 — Simple things to do to keep privacy intact

*2017-04-18*

Does as advertised, great work Roopesh. Keeping your privacy intact one step at a time.

### 4/5 — Amazing app, functional design

*2016-04-20, version 1.0*

The app is great, and the design is pleasantly simplistic.

I took off a star because:

1) In Google (and Bing) search results, you must "open in new tab" -- otherwise, you will be tracked. I don't see any reason why the anti-tracking stuff shouldn't be able to work on the same tab.

2) The app is very limited, only working for Google and Bing, and even then not blocking cookies like most conventional ad-blockers do.

### 5/5 — Great

*2015-11-07*

Working to block

## Frequently asked questions about Hide & Seek

### Does Hide & Seek have ads?

No, Hide & Seek is ad-free. The app is designed to enhance privacy without displaying advertisements to the user.

### What is the rating for Hide & Seek?

Hide & Seek has a rating of 3.8 stars based on 4 user ratings.

### What devices does Hide & Seek support?

Hide & Seek is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices.

### What is the age rating for Hide & Seek?

Hide & Seek has an age rating of 17+.

### When was Hide & Seek last updated?

The latest version of Hide & Seek was released on March 18, 2017, with version number 1.1.

### How does Hide & Seek protect my privacy?

Hide & Seek blocks cookies using a Safari content blocker extension to prevent search engines from associating your search queries with your logged-in accounts.

### Can I still use services like Gmail while using Hide & Seek?

Yes, Hide & Seek allows you to remain logged into services like Gmail or Outlook in other tabs while performing anonymous searches.

### Are there any known issues with Hide & Seek?

On iPad, when searching Google Images anonymously, you may need to use 'Open in New Tab' to visit image origin websites. Similarly, on iPhone, when following Bing search results, 'Open in New Tab' might be necessary.

## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.1 — 2017-03-18

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

What's new in v1.1:

Previously, when you follow a Google search result by tapping on it directly (rather than using 'Open in New Tab'), that action was communicated to Google. This is now fixed and the action is no longer communicated to Google.

### 1.0 — 2015-11-07

No release notes.

## Apps similar to Hide & Seek

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| --- | --- | --- | --- |
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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-11.*