Setup guide & FAQ
For Sotto: Interview Copilot on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Getting started
- Install Sotto from the App Store. It runs on iPhone and iPad (iOS 26.4 or later) and on Mac (macOS 14.6 or later).
- Add your OpenAI API key. Sotto generates answers using your own key — see API key below. You'll be asked to agree to what gets sent before the first request.
- Fill in your profile. Your name, role, and a few lines about your real experience. Sotto answers as you, so the more concrete this is, the better the suggestions.
- Start a session. Paste the job description for the role, press Start, and talk. When the interviewer pauses, a suggested answer appears in the response pane. You can also type a question and tap Generate.
Your OpenAI API key
Sotto has no servers and no account system. It talks directly to OpenAI using a key that belongs to you, so your usage is billed by OpenAI at their API rates (typically pennies per interview) and never through Sotto.
How do I get an API key?
- Sign in at platform.openai.com/api-keys (create an OpenAI account if you don't have one — this is separate from ChatGPT Plus).
- Add a small amount of prepaid credit under Billing if the account has none.
- Click Create new secret key, give it a name like "Sotto", and copy the key. It starts with
sk-. - In Sotto, open API Key, paste it, tick the consent box, and save.
Where is my key stored?
In your device's Keychain, encrypted by the operating system. It is sent only to OpenAI's API as part of your own requests. Vone LLC never sees it.
Sotto says my key is invalid or requests fail
- Check the key was pasted completely, with no spaces.
- Make sure your OpenAI account has billing set up and available credit — a brand-new account with no credit returns errors.
- If the key was revoked or rotated on OpenAI's dashboard, create a new one and paste it again.
Sessions & Sotto Pro
What does the free tier include?
Three full interview sessions with live transcription and suggested answers. No account, no card. After the third session, Sotto asks you to subscribe to Sotto Pro to keep going.
What does Sotto Pro cost?
$7.99 per month or $49.99 per year (USD; local pricing may vary), for unlimited sessions. It is an auto-renewing subscription billed through your Apple Account. Your OpenAI usage is separate.
How do I cancel or manage my subscription?
Subscriptions are managed by Apple, not by Sotto. On iPhone or iPad: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → Sotto. On Mac: App Store → your name → Account Settings → Manage subscriptions. Cancelling stops the next renewal; you keep Pro until the current period ends.
I subscribed on one device but another says I'm on the free tier
Open the Sotto Pro screen on that device and tap Restore Purchases. Both devices must be signed in with the same Apple Account. Sotto is a single app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, so one subscription covers all three.
Can I get a refund?
Purchases are processed by Apple, so refunds go through Apple: visit reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in, and choose the Sotto purchase.
Using Sotto on Mac
On Mac, Sotto lives in the menu bar — there is no Dock icon. After launching it, click the waveform icon in the menu bar to show or hide the floating panel. The panel stays on top of your video-call window without stealing keyboard focus.
In-Person vs. Call mode
In-Person listens through the microphone — use it for a face-to-face interview or a call played through speakers. Call mode captures the call's audio directly from Zoom, Teams, Meet, or any other app, so Sotto hears the interviewer even when you're wearing headphones.
Why does Call mode ask for Screen Recording permission?
macOS gates system-audio capture behind the Screen Recording permission. Sotto uses it only to read the audio stream — it never captures, stores, or transmits anything shown on your screen. Grant it under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording, then restart Sotto. In-Person mode works without it.
Privacy in one paragraph
Speech is transcribed on-device with Apple's Speech framework; your audio never leaves the device. When you generate an answer, only text — the transcript so far, your profile, and the job description — is sent to OpenAI, and only after you've agreed to that once. Sotto has no servers of its own and keeps your transcript in memory for the current session only. Full details in the Privacy Policy.
Troubleshooting
Nothing appears in the transcript when I speak
- Check that Sotto has Microphone and Speech Recognition permission (Settings → Privacy & Security on iOS; System Settings → Privacy & Security on Mac).
- Make sure you pressed Start — the status in the top corner reads "Listening" while a session is active.
- On Mac in Call mode, confirm the call app is actually producing sound and Screen Recording permission is granted.
Transcription is inaccurate
Sotto uses on-device recognition for privacy, which depends on your device's speech model. Speaking clearly and reducing background noise helps; a quieter room matters more than a better microphone. If your device supports downloading enhanced dictation languages in Settings, that improves accuracy too.
No suggested answer appears after a pause
- Confirm an API key is saved and you accepted the data-sharing consent.
- Tap Generate to request an answer manually.
- Check you still have free sessions remaining, or that Sotto Pro is active.
How do I clear my data?
Clear wipes the current transcript. You can delete your API key, profile, and job description from within the app at any time, and uninstalling Sotto removes everything it stored on the device.
Still stuck?
Email sang@vonellc.com with your device, OS version, and what you expected to happen. You'll hear back from the person who built Sotto.