UtilavaApps

Secret Santa draw on one phone

Type everyone's names, shuffle, and pass the phone around. Each person sees only their own pick. No email, no sign-ups.

Draw names

Who's in?

The names stay in this browser tab and are never sent to Utilava; Clear the names or closing the tab removes them. Like every page here, the visit itself is logged: see the privacy policy.

How it works

  1. Type the names. One per line, or paste a list with commas. Three to thirty people.
  2. Shuffle. Everyone gets someone, and nobody gets themselves.
  3. Pass the phone. Each person taps their name, checks that nobody is looking, and opens their pick. Once it's hidden, it stays hidden.

Questions

Is it free?

Yes. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to install; it works in any browser.

Do people need email or the app?

No. The draw happens on the phone you pass around the room, so nobody needs an email address, an account or an app.

Can I keep couples apart?

Not in the free draw: it only makes sure nobody draws themselves. Pick Reveal, our app on its way to the App Store, keeps any two people apart in one step, or see our guide to keeping couples apart for a fair way to do it by hand.

What if someone forgets who they got?

The free draw can't show a pick twice, so nobody can peek at someone else's. Start a new draw if you have to, or use Pick Reveal (our app, on its way to the App Store), where the organizer can look up a forgotten pick behind a PIN.

Are the names saved anywhere?

Only in this browser tab, so a reload keeps your draw. Start a new draw and the picks are gone, though the names stay in the box for a redraw; Clear the names empties the box, and closing the tab removes everything. The names are never sent to us.

Can I do this when we're not together?

This draw is for one phone in one room. If someone is away, see our guide to Secret Santa without email for what to do.

Secret Santa guides