Cassette C90

Cassette player for iPhone
Download on theApp StoreComing soon

Cassette C90 is a cassette player app for iPhone with its own music. A cassette deck with seven tapes of its own. Press PLAY and the capstan comes up to speed, the reels turn and the music comes out of the speaker.

Cassette C90 comes with seven tapes of original music: LO-FI, SYNTHWAVE, TECHNO, CHILLHOP, CITY POP, RELAX and УКРАЇНА. About four hours of it, all on your iPhone, with no internet.

PLAY, REW, FF and STOP work as they do on a real deck. Press EJECT and the cassette jumps out of its latch; tap it to lift it out and pick another tape from the shelf.

Put on a tape while you work, study, drive or fall asleep: lo-fi and chillhop for focus, synthwave and techno for the road, relax for the evening.

Cassette C90, cassette player for iphone, seen from the front at an angle
Cassette C90 from the back
A real cassette

A real cassette

Modelled from a Compact Cassette, layer by layer: the label, the window, the hubs, the screws. The tape winds from one reel to the other as it plays.
Seven tapes on the shelf

Seven tapes on the shelf

Every tape has its own shell, its own label and its own music, all instrumental except the Ukrainian songs. Tap one and watch it drop into the deck and click home.
Play it with your fingers

Play it with your fingers

Touch the cassette while it runs: hold a reel to drag the tape, press the window for a warped warble, rub the shell for a fine flutter, pinch the edge to stop it dead. Shake the phone and the tape wobbles.

Specifications

Tapes
Seven, about four hours in all
Playback
In the background, with the cassette as the artwork on the Lock Screen
Speed
0.5× to 2×, the pitch following
Widgets
Home Screen with working keys, and the Lock Screen
Privacy
No account, no tracking, nothing leaves the phone
Requires
iPhone with iOS 18 or later

Questions

Where does the music come from?

Every cassette was recorded for the deck: seven tapes, LO-FI, SYNTHWAVE, TECHNO, CHILLHOP, CITY POP, RELAX and УКРАЇНА, about four hours in all. No streaming, no account, and it needs no internet.

Can I play my own music?

No. Cassette C90 is a player with music in the box, not a library app.

Can I touch the tape while it plays?

Yes, and that is half the point. Hold a reel to drag the tape, press the window for a warped warble, rub the shell for a fine flutter, pinch the edge to stop it dead. Shaking the phone wobbles it too.

Does it play in the background?

Yes. Lock the phone and the tape keeps running, with the cassette as the artwork on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. It stops when your headphones come out.

Does a tape remember where it stopped?

Yes. Every cassette picks up where you left it, so you can switch tapes and come back to the same place.

Which iPhone do I need?

Any iPhone running iOS 18 or later.

Does Cassette C90 exist as a physical device?

Not yet. Cassette C90 is a concept made as a digital object: designed and engineered like a real cassette player, but it exists only on your iPhone. If you make hardware and would like to produce it in commercial quantities, we are open to collaboration: hello@objectism.app.

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