Gift Shuffle

Draw Secret Santa without a single email

No hat, no sign-ups, no collecting addresses. Draw names on your phone and let everyone find out their own, at the table or by private message.

Draw names with Gift Shuffle

Android app. No accounts: your groups and names stay on your phone.

Gift Shuffle screen with an open envelope reading: You are giving to Dad

Two ways to reveal who got who

Pick by whether you're in the same room. Either way, the organizer gets to play too.

Pass the phone

Everyone's together. Each person taps their name, holds the envelope until it opens and sees who they're giving to. It hides itself a few seconds later and their name is marked as seen.

You only need one phone with the app, and it works offline.

Send a secret link

Everyone's somewhere else. Send each person their own link in whatever chat you use. They open it in a browser and see their match, plus the wishlist, budget and date.

Nobody else installs anything, iPhone or Android. The result is hidden inside the link, so you can send it without seeing it.

Everything that usually ruins the draw

  1. Someone draws their own name

    With slips of paper, you redraw and half the room already knows something. Here it can't happen.

  2. Couples get each other

    Add exclusions, one way or both. If you add so many that no draw is possible, the app tells you exactly who ran out of options.

  3. The same match as last year

    The "Next year" button reuses the group and avoids the last two years' pairs when the group is big enough. If it can't, it tells you.

  4. Nobody knows what to buy

    Everyone can have a wishlist, and there are gift ideas by budget for those who never write one. They are also here: Secret Santa gift ideas by budget.

  5. The date sneaks up on you

    Each group keeps a budget, date and note with your rules, plus a countdown and reminders a week and a day before.

  6. Arguing over the rules

    The classic rules are in the app. Here are the Secret Santa rules explained, including what to do when someone drops out.

Gift Shuffle home screen with a Family group and quick start templates for family, office and friends

Set up before the coffee gets cold

  1. Create a group, or start from the family, office or friends template.
  2. Add names, three or more, and a budget and date if you want them.
  3. Mark who shouldn't give to whom.
  4. Draw, then pick: pass the phone or send the links.

Spread across the country? Here's how to run a virtual Secret Santa.

Common questions

Does everyone need to install the app?

No, only the organizer. With secret links, everyone else opens their result in a phone browser, including on iPhone.

Can the organizer play too?

Yes. Passing the phone, they find out their own like everyone else. With links, they send each result without seeing it. Only the "share the full list" option shows every pair, and it warns you first.

How many people do I need?

At least three. You can keep as many groups as you like: family, office, friends.

Do I need an account or everyone's email?

No. There are no accounts and no emails or phone numbers to collect. Groups, names and wishlists are stored only on your phone.

Does it work offline?

Drawing and passing the phone do. Opening a secret link needs a connection.

Can I do Secret Santa over text or WhatsApp?

Yes. Draw in the app, then send each person their secret link by text, WhatsApp or whatever chat you use. Each one sees only their own match, and you send it without seeing it.

Does it work with an odd number of people?

Yes. Secret Santa isn't done in pairs: everyone gives to one person and receives from another, so three, seven or twenty all work.

Is there an iPhone app?

Not for now: the app is Android only. People on iPhone can still take part through their secret link.

Does it have ads?

Yes, the app shows ads. Gift Shuffle Plus removes them with a single payment, not a subscription.

This year, the only mystery is the gift

You organize, you install it. Everyone else just opens their envelope.

Draw names with Gift Shuffle