About “Hide Before Sending”
“Hide Before Sending” is an iPhone app that uses built-in AI to automatically detect and obscure potentially sensitive information in photos and screenshots before they are shared. This includes faces, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, URLs, QR codes, barcodes, and long numerical sequences. Users can review and edit these hidden areas before posting to social media, sharing with family or friends, or sending work-related screens.
The app detects candidates for hiding automatically without sending images to external servers. Users can customize the types of information to be hidden and choose between blacking out or mosaicing. For example, faces can be mosaiced, while text and numbers can be blacked out. After automatic hiding, users can remove or add more hidden areas manually. When saving, the app creates a hidden copy without overwriting the original photo and supports metadata deletion for shared images.
An example of an image containing sensitive information and its hidden preview:
While the app aims to detect personal information, it does not guarantee complete detection. It encourages users to review images by zooming in before sending. The app’s goal is to simplify the pre-sharing check, reducing anxiety about personal information appearing in photos.
For a demonstration, a video is available:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hxRpTmCFLHc
About “Search by Photoing Phone Number”
“Search by Photoing Phone Number” is an iPhone and iPad compatible app that allows users to photograph phone numbers from physical sources like paper, flyers, landline call history screens, or smartphone screenshots. The built-in AI reads the number, presents candidates for confirmation, and enables direct searching.
This app streamlines the process of verifying unknown or suspicious numbers by eliminating the need for manual input, which can be cumbersome and prone to errors. It supports searching via external browsers like Google and Yahoo!, and detected numbers can be copied for other uses. The app does not save read numbers internally or transmit them to external servers; numbers are only sent to the selected search engine during a search.
This app is a one-time purchase, free of ads and subscriptions. It functions as an auxiliary tool to simplify the initial step of self-verification, rather than definitively judging the safety of a number or blocking calls.
Background: Rising Risks of Scams and Information Leakage
In Japan, the risks of fraud initiated by phone or social media, and personal information leakage from photos and screenshots, are significant concerns. According to the National Police Agency’s provisional figures for special fraud as of March 2026, the number of recognized cases reached 11,093, with damages totaling 93.79 billion yen. Both figures show a substantial increase compared to the previous year.
In this environment, verifying unknown phone numbers before returning a call is becoming a common practice for many smartphone users. Similarly, the increasing frequency of sharing photos and screenshots—for family, social media, work, or online marketplaces—introduces risks. A single image may inadvertently contain names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, school or company names, order numbers, notification content, or background documents. There have been reports of issues arising from photos and videos shared from workplaces, schools, stores, and public places revealing sensitive information like work screens, name tags, whiteboards, documents, or location data. Even casual elements in indoor photos, window views, receipts, or delivery slips can lead to inferences about an individual’s living area or personal details.
The Personal Information Protection Commission advises caution regarding GPS information and the presence of others in SNS posts. “Hide Before Sending” addresses these contemporary anxieties by simplifying the verification process before sharing images. These apps aim to provide easy-to-use tools for “checking before calling back,” “checking before believing,” and “checking before sending.”
Common Goal of the Two Apps
While “Search by Photoing Phone Number” and “Hide Before Sending” appear distinct, they share a common objective: simplifying the “extra step of verification” in the smartphone era. Effective protection against suspicious calls and personal information leakage requires solutions that integrate seamlessly into daily routines.
HOBEEC, specializing in the planning, development, and operation of AI, AR, and camera apps, has developed these applications to utilize AI not just for convenience and entertainment, but also for reducing everyday anxieties. The company also offers other AI camera apps such as “Talking Camera,” which uses AI to recognize and describe scenes in 13 languages, and “PoemCam,” which generates poetry from photos.
App Overview
App Name: Search by Photoing Phone Number
-
Subtitle: Unknown numbers without manual input
-
Release Date: May 2026
-
Supported Devices: iPhone, iPad
-
Category: Utilities
-
Price: ¥200
-
Vendor: HOBEEC Corp.
-
App Store URL: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id6766172084
-
Key Features:
-
Built-in AI detects phone numbers in images (no external server transmission).
-
Confirm and search detected phone numbers.
-
Supports Google and Yahoo! search.
-
Supports number copying.
-
Compatible with landline call history screens, smartphone screenshots, numbers written on paper, etc.
-
One-time purchase with no ads or subscriptions.
-
Does not save read numbers in the app or transmit to proprietary servers.
-
App Name: Hide Before Sending
-
Subtitle: Protect personal information in photos and screenshots
-
Release Date: May 2026
-
Supported Devices: iPhone
-
Category: Photo/Video
-
Price: ¥500
-
Vendor: HOBEEC Corp.
-
App Store URL: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id6766210460
-
Key Features:
-
Built-in AI detects sensitive information in photos and screenshots (no external server transmission).
-
Detects faces, phone numbers, email addresses, URLs, address-like text, QR codes/barcodes, long numbers, and all text.
-
Obscures information with blacking out or mosaicing.
-
Allows confirmation, removal, and addition of hidden candidates.
-
Saves a hidden copy without overwriting the original image.
-
Supports metadata deletion for shared images.
-
Aids in checking before SNS posting, photo sharing, or sending work screenshots.
-
Company Information
Company Name: HOBEEC Corp.
Location: Kita-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Sho Yarimizu, Representative Director
Business Activities: Planning, development, and operation of AI, AR, and camera apps.
Official Website: https://www.hobeec.com
HOBEEC has a track record of developing innovative AI camera apps, including “Talking Camera” (https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id1284477042) and “PoemCam” (https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id6754170237), which gained international attention, achieving Day Rank #5 on Product Hunt (https://www.producthunt.com/products/poemcam-turn-moments-into-poetry?embed=true&utm_source=badge-top-post-badge&utm_medium=badge&utm_source=badge-poemcam). The newly released apps, “Search by Photoing Phone Number” and “Hide Before Sending,” continue this tradition of using AI camera technology to provide practical solutions for daily life.
Contact: Please use the HOBEEC inquiry form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwRJDdSWw0zN7Vb-7bU92m3y95gtOhH9KIKh9vRxIDCmiyvQ/viewform
References
-
National Police Agency, SOS47: “Status of Recognition and Arrests for Special Fraud as of the End of March 2026 (Provisional Figures)” https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/safetylife/sos47/new-topics/260501/01.html
-
Personal Information Protection Commission: “Be Careful Here! Personal Information ‘SNS Posts'” https://www.ppc.go.jp/news/anime_personalinfo_literacy02/
