Setto: AI DJ
Music worth swiping for.
An on-device AI DJ for Apple Music. Swipe to teach it your taste, build DJ Sets, or let Auto Sets read your library.
Get 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 felt 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 branches out. Everything stays on your phone. No accounts, no cloud, no tracking. I shipped it to r/AppleMusic on a Saturday morning, got a thousand downloads in a week, and rebuilt the entire DJ system in five days based on what people told me was broken.
“It gives some agency back into recommendation algorithms”
— danedwardstogo, r/AppleMusic
“Already discovered five or six new artists”
— Strange-East-4001, r/AppleMusic
Reception
v1.0 — r/AppleMusic
42K views · 77 upvotes
v1.0.1 — r/AppleMusic
27K views · 126 upvotes
“Very smooth and the UX is awesome”
— LostInAwe55
“Really nicely designed! Promising”
— Lambor14
“Love this app! Recommendations are great”
— Inner-Gold-5196
“I really enjoyed this”
— octo-88088
“It gives some agency back into recommendation algorithms”
— danedwardstogo
“Already discovered five or six new artists”
— Strange-East-4001
All traction is organic, driven by the r/AppleMusic community.
Screenshots
Screenshots — Raw
Raw UI captures without device frames or marketing text. For editorial use.
How it works
For everyone
Pick a few artists you like. Setto starts playing music similar to them. Swipe right on songs you enjoy, left on ones you don't. The DJ adapts in real time.
Everything happens on your device. No accounts, no cloud, no data collection. Just you and your music.
v1.2 adds DJ Sets — separate sets, each with their own artists and learned taste. One for late nights, another for the gym. Auto Sets scan your library and build four sets you didn't know you needed: Crossover, Right Now, Back To, and Lately. Hit Analyze whenever you want fresh ones.
For developers
Built in Swift and SwiftUI. The DJ runs a multi-armed bandit for explore/exploit, clusters artist identities so side projects don't confuse it, and reranks candidates to keep the mix fresh. Everything runs on-device.
v1.2 adds isolated preference graphs per set and a library analysis pipeline that clusters the user's listening history into coherent taste profiles.
Entirely on-device. No servers. No data leaves the phone.
Quick answers
Is it free?
Yes. No ads, no in-app purchases, no subscription. Completely free.
Does it require Apple Music?
Yes. Setto uses Apple’s MusicKit to stream from the Apple Music catalog. An active Apple Music subscription is required.
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. If you have lossless or hi-res lossless enabled in Settings > Music, Setto streams at that quality.
Does it support Dolby Atmos?
Setto displays audio quality labels including Dolby Atmos when a track supports it. Playback follows your system audio settings.
What are DJ Sets?
Separate sets with their own artists and learned taste. Each set is its own DJ — switching between them keeps preferences isolated.
What are Auto Sets?
Auto Sets scan your Apple Music library and generate four categories: Crossover (genre intersections), Right Now (time-of-day), Back To (forgotten artists), and Lately (recent listening patterns). Tap Analyze to generate or refresh them.
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 (2 summers, 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, and other fun genres. Graduating University of Kansas, May 2026.
Press contact
Available for interviews, demos, podcasts, and commentary on music discovery, recommendation systems, and indie iOS development.