Featured by Apple
iPad #3 Best New Apps (US)
iPad #3 Hot This Week (Canada)
iPhone peak #4 Best New Apps (US)
iPhone peak #4 Hot This Week (Canada)
April 2026
Setto: Your Personal DJ
Swipe to Discover New Music
A swipe based music discovery app for iPhone and iPad. The DJ learns from every swipe.
Everything stays on your device.
No tracking. No ads. No accounts.
View on the App StoreThe story
I host radio shows. I’ve been on three stations across two countries and the thing I keep coming back to is the same feeling. You play a track, you read the room, you adjust. That’s what makes a good set. Not a playlist. Not an algorithm. A conversation.
Most streaming platforms don’t do that. They optimize for keeping you listening, not for what actually resonates with you right now. I have two YouTube accounts because I don’t want my music taste bleeding into my main feed. I visit Spotify’s Discover Weekly on a free account and then go to Apple Music for the quality. It feels like being at the mercy of a moody algorithm.
So I built Setto. Pick a few artists. Start swiping. The DJ learns in real time. Like something and it dives deeper. Skip and it tries something else. Everything stays on your phone. No accounts, no cloud, no tracking. I shipped it to r/AppleMusic on a Saturday morning and rebuilt the entire DJ system in five days based on what people told me was broken.
A month after launch we got featured on the US & Canada App Stores.
It gives some agency back into recommendation algorithms.
danedwardstogor/AppleMusic
Already discovered five or six new artists.
strange-east-4001r/AppleMusic
Reception
Featured by Apple
#3 Best New Apps
iPad (US)
Featured by Apple
#3 Hot This Week
iPad (Canada)
Featured by Apple
#4 Best New Apps
iPhone Peak (US)
Featured by Apple
#4 Hot This Week
iPhone Peak (Canada)
Featured by Apple
Top 200 Music Apps
iPad (UK, US, Canada)
Featured by Apple
Top 200 Music Apps
iPhone
“Love this app! Recommendations are great”
Inner-Gold-5196r/AppleMusic
“Very smooth and the UX is awesome”
LostInAwe55r/AppleMusic
“Really nicely designed! Promising”
Lambor14r/AppleMusic
Organic traction from r/AppleMusic. Featured by Apple in the US and Canada, April 2026.
Screenshots
Curated framed marketing screenshots for iPhone.
What's newv1.4Previews
Setto Previews is live.
30 second highlights from songs.
A new way to teach the DJ what you love.
Fast, fun and tuned to your taste.
No Subscription? No Problem.
Highlights
- Free for everyone. No Apple Music subscription needed.
- Brand new algorithm.
- Apple Music subscribers get deep integration with their library.
Quick answers
Is it free?
Yes. Previews is free for everyone. No ads. No purchases. No signup.
Does it require Apple Music?
Previews doesn't. Full-track playback, library scanning, and Auto Sets do. Those run through Apple's MusicKit and need an active subscription.
What are DJ Sets?
Five separate sets, each with its own taste profile. Sets don't share data, so the focus set and the gym set learn independently.
What are Auto Sets?
Setto scans your Apple Music library and generates four sets. Crossover finds genre intersections. Right Now is time-of-day. Back To surfaces artists you haven't played in a while. Lately reflects recent listening. Tap Analyze to refresh them.
Does it work on iPad?
Yes. iPhone and iPad with iOS 17.0 or later.
Does it track my data?
No. Everything runs on-device. No accounts. No cloud. No analytics. No data collection. Your taste data never leaves your phone.
Does it support lossless audio?
Yes. Setto inherits your Apple Music audio quality settings.
Does it support Dolby Atmos?
Setto displays audio quality labels including Dolby Atmos when a track supports it. Playback follows your system audio settings.
Do reviewers need a promo code?
No. The app is free on the App Store. No code needed.
Brand assets
Ink
#2C2C2A
Canvas
#F4F3EE
Copper
#C4620A
Typography
Headlines: Fraunces (Black, Italic)
Labels & body: IBM Plex Mono (Regular, Medium)
App icon
Download app icon (PNG)
About the developer
Carlos Mbendera
Tonal Architect
Former Apple Vision Pro intern. Two summers on the Spatial Audio team. WWDC23 Swift Student Challenge winner.
Radio host on three stations across two countries. Occasional conference speaker in the US, Japan, and Korea.
Tests the recommendation engine with Japanese Jazz Fusion, Future Funk, City Pop, and whatever's playing on Grand Line Radio that week.
Graduated University of Kansas, May 2026.
Press contact
Available for interviews, demos, podcasts, and commentary on music discovery, recommendation systems, and indie iOS development.