Free
In-App PurchasesWith Ads
Rating summary
About
The impossible search becomes a game: every new haystack hides exactly one needle among five million individually addressable straws.
Circle the whole pile, zoom down to individual fibres and pull straws directly from the material. The haystack visibly reacts to every removal. No artificial hint automatically reveals the needle.
The complete manual search is free and always solvable. Optional Haystack Credits (in-app purchase) unlock the Poke and timed power-ups. The app shows ads; you decide at first launch and any time in Settings whether they may be personalised. No subscriptions.
Included:
- a deterministically generated 3D haystack with exactly 5,000,000 straw IDs
- direct searching on iPhone and iPad
- a companion Apple Watch experience
- VoiceOver, large text, Reduce Motion, and separate audio and haptic controls
- local saves and optional private iCloud backup
- no mandatory account; Sign in with Apple only for the optional credit purchase
Patience game, technical simulation and performance art meet in one improbably large task.
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What's New in The Needle in the Haystack
1.12.1
October 31, 2026
Version 1.12.1: Dragging with your finger and camera moves are no longer cut short when the world updates in the background. Plus small fixes and improvements.
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Subscriptions & In-App Purchases
$8.99
1,000 Credits
1,000 non-expiring Haystack Credits.




