# The Needle in the Haystack — 5 Million Straws. 1 Needle.

> 5 Million Straws. 1 Needle. (iPhone/iPad app by Alessandro Brning.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-needle-in-the-haystack/id6806463803 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Alessandro Brning](https://appshunter.io/developer/6787298701)
- Category: Games, Puzzle
- Price: Free
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 22 MB
- Languages: British English, Arabic, Bangla, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French (France) and 34 more
- Released: 2026-09-03
- Data updated: 2026-09-27
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-needle-in-the-haystack/id6806463803/reviews.md

## What is The Needle in the Haystack?

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 the whole game: no purchases, no subscriptions, no ads and no account.

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 ads, tracking, account or third-party analytics

Patience game, technical simulation and performance art meet in one improbably large task.


## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.7 — 2026-09-25

Version 1.7: The barn is warmly furnished, and the haystack now lies naturally heaped instead of forming an even dome. Every tap takes exactly one straw; a power-up adds its bonus on top. The counter keeps up even when you tap fast.

### 1.6 — 2026-09-23

Version 1.6. The counter shows the pile in layers. A poke checks one surface point and is charged only after you confirm.

### 1.4 — 2026-09-21

Version 1.3 turns the barn into a place:

• The included tools now act visibly inside the 3D pile: the magnetic rake and the industrial detector project their effect straight into the straws, with their own light effect and fine haptics.
• Every personal world shows sixteen scenario props and furniture along the barn wall. The barn is a closed, warm wooden room, and the pile sits on the floor.
• Real 3D only: the old 2.5D renderer has been removed entirely. A session can no longer fall unnoticed into a flat rendering.
• Performance: less texture memory, cached language bundles, no unnecessary gesture rebuilds. The straw geometry got lighter without a single straw missing.
• Still: no purchases, no ads, no account.

### 1.2 — 2026-09-03

No release notes.

## More apps by Alessandro Brning

- [Capybara Dash: River Dive](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/capybara-dash-river-dive/id6787298699)
- [BudBase – Grow Journal](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budbase-grow-journal/id6788149229)
- [GrowRoadmap](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/growroadmap/id6788354957)
- [Baustellen-Sprüche](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/baustellen-spruche/id6803637655)
- [GangGefährte – Dog Gait](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ganggefahrte-dog-gait/id6804653822)
- [AyahFlow – Quran & Salah](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ayahflow-quran-and-salah/id6806277465)

All apps by Alessandro Brning: https://appshunter.io/developer/6787298701

## Related topics

[aiguille](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/aiguille) · [beedle](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/beedle) · [needle](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/needle)

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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 2026-09-27.*