The Mac Observer's Mac Geek Gab

Dave’s back from his first international travel in two years and has some travel tips to share regarding mobile data service, AirTags, portable speakers, portable shoes, decking out your hotel room, tech-style, and much more! On top of that there are a bunch of Quick Tips from y’all which needed sharing and some questions which needed answering. Thankfully John stayed back, manned the office, and kept the mailbags from overflowing! Listen as your two favorite geeks tear through all this and more in the effort to ensure we all learn at least five new things together!

The Cool Stuff Found corner of the mailroom was starting to overflow, and the staff was getting restless, so Dave and John dig in. Learn how to find public Wi-Fi passwords, which Mac or iPhone to buy next, how to tweak your Mac’s shutdown menu options, new webcams from Anker, and more. Plus, a discussion about snapshot reversion vs. restoration help shed some light on what we can do with APFS…and why we can’t do more! Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things with your two favorite geeks!

This week, it seems it was impossible for Dave, John, and Pilot Pete to stop giving Quick Tips. Even the topics which your three favorite geeks thought were questions turned out to include a copious amount of Quick Tips. Hey, worse things could happen, right? iOS tips, macOS tips, Shazam tips (and a story about Shazam’s origin!), iPadOS tips, APFS snapshots tips, internet recovery on M1 tips, and tips about pinning Safari Tabs and Contacts are maybe half of what you’ll get in this episode. Press play and enjoy… and you might have to listen twice just to absorb everything!

We know…Cool Stuff Found sometimes gets expensive, but new geeky gear is so much fun! Thankfully, this episode has tons of free advice from your three favorite geeks, too, including a better way to provide tapback reactions in Messages, a way to see the email addresses in Mail, limiting people’s ability to track your Mac (and you!), and keeping a wired backup for your Bluetooth keyboard. And that’s just the first 15 minutes of the show. Press play and listen as Dave, John, and Pilot Pete walk you through all of this and more. Don’t Get Caught!

Everything seems fine, but is it? How do you know if something has failed if you don’t get a notification? Listen to your three favorite geeks talk through how this manifests in several areas of life, including Time Machine, Streaming TV, Cell Service…and propane! That’s not all, though: John F. Braun, Dave Hamilton, and Pilot Pete walk you through a series of Quick Tips and Cool Stuff Found which ensure you learn at least five new things! Press play and enjoy.

Everything’s distracting, especially to many of us geeks. That’s ok, though. Listen as John and Dave plow through their distractions to ensure everyone learns at least five new things. Your two favorite geeks troubleshoot AirPods, AirTags, Multitouch, and slow SSDs. They also share Cool Stuff Found from CES and beyond with products from JBL, Shokz, Pozio, Plugable, and more! Press play and enjoy.

Did you know you could create a reminder from macOS Mail? How would you like to learn about three new ways to toggle Do Not Disturb? Or a solution for dictating emojis? All this and more in just the first Quick Tips segment of the show. Then John and Dave are on to answering your questions about managing media, tweaking your AirPods, managing your Mac’s thermal limits, and wrapping up with some Cool Stuff Found. Press play and enjoy learning five new things with your two favorite geeks!

Did you know Siri can record your voice and send that to someone? Did you know you could stream directly from Plex to Sonos? How about running your vacuum when you’re not home? These are the Quick Tips John and Dave share in the very first segment of the show… and then it grows from there! Your two favorite geeks help a few listeners solve their mesh Wi-Fi problems, the M1’s mouse-related memory leak gets a little clearer, and Mac mini wake-from-sleep issues are resolved…some of them, at least! Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things!

Apple recently announced-and-released the beta of their new MDM solution, Apple Business Essentials. Today we have Jeremy Butcher, Enterprise and Education Product Marketing Manager at Apple here to help us answer our questions about exactly what Apple Business Essentials can do for us and how it all works in a real-world setting. Press play and enjoy learning five new things about Apple Business Essentials!

A big part of keeping your computer running is troubleshooting the *right* things, and that’s not always easy to discern. It often requires opening all the wrong doors before you find the right one to pass through en route to your solution. Listen today as Dave and John share some troubleshooting tips about Dolby Atmos, AirPods, Notifications, Backing up iCloud Drive, the Terminal, and more. Of course, your two favorite geeks also share your (and their!) Quick Tips, Cool Stuff Found, and more. Press play and enjoy learning five new things together!

Oftentimes we find ourselves relying upon technology to help maintain family harmony. Listen as John and Dave share a few of your (and their!) examples of just how this can work, and they solve a few problems along the way. If you’re a long-time MGG listener, though, you know that’s not all you get in this episode! Quick Tips and Cool Stuff found are peppered in, as well as a few extra hints and tips from your two favorite geeks. Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things!

What’s more delicious than the sound of your fingers typing on a chunky mechanical keyboard? Hi-res audio coming out of your AirPods, of course! Good news: in today’s episode your two favorite geeks give you both! That’s not all, though. John and Dave talk through more Quick Tips and Cool Stuff Found than you can shake a stick at, and even answer your questions, too. Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things!

Join John, Dave, and Pilot Pete as they celebrate the 900th episode of Mac Geek Gab. What will they do? They’ll answer your questions, share your tips, and ensure you (and they!) learn at least five new things, of course. That’s how it has worked for 899 episodes, so there’s no reason to think this one will be any different! Press play and enjoy hanging out with your three favorite geeks!

MacMost’s Gary Rosenzweig joins John and Dave today to share Quick Tips, Cool Stuff Found and, yes, to help answer all of your Apple-related tech questions. Topics include dealing with Monterey’s “Load Content Directly” issues in Mail, Network Utility Replacements, Monterey image tricks, portable Apple Watch chargers, and much more! Press play and learn at least five new things with your three favorite geeks!

It’s been a busy week in the Apple world: the new M1 Pro/Max-based MacBook Pros began arriving, Monterey dropped for most, AirPods Gen 3 arrived, you had questions, and your two favorite geeks have answers! Listen as John and Dave help try to sort through all of this, deciding what’s important, what’s not, and which macOS Monterey Quick Tips you might’ve missed in the mayhem. Press play and learn at least five new things together with the MGG family!

Technology works in different ways for each of us, and it’s often interesting to hear from folks who have different needs about why a certain bit of tech is “perfect” for them (or they “perfect” for it!). In this episode, John and Dave share thoughts from many of you about why tech does (or doesn’t!) fit your needs…and they learn (at least!) five new things along the way. Press play and lets learn together!

Settings get more granular in iOS 15, and your tips help us find a few new places to use that! Other tips include storing your music online for free, sorting out what your car is trying to tell you, and making sense of iCloud+. That’s not all, though, your two favorite geeks answer your questions about taming Reminders, sharing Contacts, and making Numbers and Excel tell time. Press play and join John and Dave in learning at least five new things!

Your macOS Monterey questions are starting to trickle in, and your two favorite geeks have your answers. That’s not all, though! This episode’s got Quick Tips about webpage screenshots, Safari 15 tabs, Internet Recovery, and making your music sound better for YOUR ears. Plus, John and Dave answer your questions about all kinds of things…and they share your recommendations for new keyboards, too! Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things.

You folks filled the mailbag this week with some of the best Quick Tips and Cool Stuff Found your two favorite geeks have seen in a while. Listen as John and Dave share your tips (and theirs) about iOS 15 Focus, Safari 15 Tab Groups, Refunds on AppleCare+, Follow-up Siri Commands, document scanning, iPhone cases, portable speakers, and running your own DVR the easy way. And they even have some time left to answer your questions, too! You’ll have no trouble learning five new things this week. Press play and enjoy.

Safari 15, iOS 15, your 15th birthday, all of these are things we must embrace, right? Listen as your two favorite geeks walk you through their thoughts on it all (the first two, anyway!). That’s not all, though, as this episode has some of the best Quick Tips we’ve ever shared, plus some new chargers to look out for with your new iPhones and iPads. Press play and join John and Dave in learning at least five new things this week!

Ever have a scenario where everything seems right but nothing IS right? That’s what’s happening with several different MGG listeners this week, each for several different reasons. Listen as John and Dave dig into these questions — and more! — as they diligently work to ensure everyone learns at least five new things. Quick Tips, Cool Stuff Found, and more round out the episode to be sure of that!

Sometimes the easy way isn’t the fun way, and this week we’ve got lots of do-it-yourself solutions to share from all of you. Listen as John and Dave share your ideas about automation, launch agents, CarPlay, drive arrays and much more. Of course, it wouldn’t be MGG without your two favorite geeks sharing Quick Tips, Cool Stuff Found, and their answers to all your other questions, would it? Listen, learn five new things, and don’t get caught!

It’s a hot one, folks, and we’re not talking about the weather! This episode is chock full of great Cool Stuff Found, answers to your questions, and more. Topics include free tools to keep your Mac running smoothly, a way to get free data on your phone, invoicing solutions for consultants, a quick way to activate your flashlight, free VPNs to use, and much, much more! Press play and enjoy learning five new things with John and Dave, your two favorite geeks!

If you’re a computer consultant, how do you manage your billing? Like many of you listening, Dave and John both spent time as consultants, too. Listen as they talk about some of the practices — and problems — they experienced! Synology’s DSM 7.0 is out, too, and you’re going to want to listen before you install. That, plus some Quick Tips, Photos, and even a few Cool Stuff Found items from the most recent Pepcom round out the episode. Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things!

Listen as John and Dave share your Quick Tips about Safari Picture-in-Picture, the caveats of Finder’s Drag and Drop, Apple Remotes, and more. Lots of suggestions and ideas about note-taking and idea capturing on-the-go in the episode, many of them from y’all! Then your two favorite geeks even have time to answer a few questions, including a clever workaround for blocking SMS spam. Plus… HaaS folks! It’s gonna be big! Or at least amusing. Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things!

What’s the best way to remove all those iPhone apps you downloaded once and never use anymore? Listen as John and Dave answer this and many other helpful questions to make your electronic lives easier! Extending an iMac’s life, calibrating your TV, fiber internet, and more are the subjects your two favorite geeks dig through. Add in some Cool Stuff Found and you’re guaranteed to learn at least five new things just from pressing play!

Sometimes your iPhone’s silent, and sometime it’s not. But what about when it decides what to do, not you? That’s when you call John and Dave! Or you can email them. Or you can text them. Or you can post in the forums. Either way, they’ll answer your questions and try to help solve your problems. Listen to all your questions answered, Cool Stuff Found and Quick Tips shared, and you’re guaranteed to learn at least five new things hanging out with your two favorite geeks!

M1 Macs have only been available for a few months, but y’all are buying them up like crazy. Of course, troubleshooting them is a bit different than familiar Intel models, and Dave and John talk through some of that while answering your questions. Quick Tips help to make this episode accessible for all, in addition to some non-platform-specific questions about troubleshooting in general. Listen in as your two favorite geeks help share the knowledge, and perhaps you’ll learn five new things, too!

What better way to celebrate World Backup Day than to have your two favorite geeks pick apart their personal backup strategies? We can’t think of one, so that means you get to listen as John and Dave spend a little time sharing and analyzing their backup strategies, and sharing some of yours, as well. Of course, it’s Mac Geek Gab, so that means there will be some tips, Cool Stuff Found, and your questions answered! Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things.

You know the drill: Don’t Get Caught! That means you want to understand your technology as best you can. Good news: Your two favorite geeks are here to help! Listen as John and Dave share your tips and answer your questions. Topics include Apple’s Privacy tool, Apple TV Control Center, APFS, Time Machine, Messages, and the downfalls of pop-up blockers. Press play and enjoy learning (at least) five new things!

Sometimes you’ve gotta go… and sometimes — make that ALL the times — you need Wi-Fi. Never fear, John and Dave are here to help answer the tough (and fun) questions. Listen as your two favorite geeks pour through the mailbag, trying to answer as many of your questions as possible in the time we all have together each week. Don’t forget to send in your questions: feedback@macgeekgab.com and they’ll answer yours, too!

We promised Wi-Fi and we delivered Wi-Fi. That’s how it works here at Mac Geek Gab: your two favorite geeks answer your questions and help solve your problems. But it’s not only Wi-Fi, of course. Lots of you asked other questions, and we’ve got that covered, too, including helping to tame that ducking autocorrect feature. Press play and listen as John and Dave help you learn at least five new things!

Apple’s Time Machine lets you backup to a network drive… but which network drive should you use now that Apple no longer sells a Time Capsule? John and Dave are here to answer this question and many, many more! Listen as your two favorite geeks answer all the questions YOU sent in this week, plus sharing Quick Tips and Cool Stuff Found to give you lots to think about… and to get! Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things about your Mac, iPhone, and other tech.

It seems to be the season… Migration Season, that is! So many new Macs, so many migrations, so much data, and so many questions! Thankfully your two favorite geeks have answers, as does the MGG Family. Press play and listen as John and Dave take you through all these and more. Of course, there’s more: Quick Tips are aplenty and there might even be some Cool Stuff Found! Whatever it is, you’ll enjoy learning at least five new things this episode!

There’s been a lot of confusion this week, beginning with what “Thunderbolt 4” really means for us Mac users. Thankfully OWC’s Larry O’Connor was able to join John and Dave this week to explain. That’s not all you get, though. Your two favorite geeks carry on with advice about Big Sur, more M1 thoughts, and simply answers to all your questions about everything Mac, Apple, and technological. Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things!

How much money do you have in your digital couch cushions? John and Dave walk through a few places you can check ahead of the holiday buying frenzy! Of course, most of the show is dedicated to answering your tech questions, solving your problems, sharing quick tips and, yes, a few minutes is even carved out to review eero’s new Wi-Fi 6 systems! Press play and join your two favorite geeks in learning at least five new things!

Sometimes you feel like … a malware. Sometimes you don’t. That’s not how it goes, but that’s exactly how it felt for a lot of you this week! John and Dave talk through this and get to the bottom of it all. That’s hardly half of it, though. You know how Mac Geek Gab goes… your questions answered, your tips share, all with the goal of learning at least five new things along with your two favorite geeks!

These days most of us are using external drives at some level. Even if we’re not, our internal drives are always in need of some attention, pruning, or some other operation. Listen as your two favorite geeks answer all your drive-related questions. That’s not all, of course, we’ve got more Big Sur tips, ideas for mitigating ransomware, Cool Stuff Found, and much more! Press play and enjoy an hour-or-so with John and Dave!

The fall is a crazy ride for Apple users. New hardware, new software, lots of changes, and more. John and Dave are right there with you to answer your questions, share tips, and dissect the new technology to help us all understand everything better. Listen this week as your two favorite geeks answer some Wi-Fi questions, share Cool Stuff Found, and revisit Big Sur as it surely gets closer to release time. Press play and enjoy learning five new things!

We’ve got first-run Quick Tips for iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14 for you right here. You know those things that surprise and delight your friends when they see you do them? That’s what Quick Tips are! Come and learn at least five new things as John and Dave talk through Quick Tips plus answer your questions about everything Mac, Apple, iPhone, and more. Press play and enjoy hanging out with your two favorite geeks!

Having a solid connection to your network is only part of it. The other part? Speed! Dissecting the differences between these two — and teaching you how to do the same — are your two favorite geeks: John F. Braun and Dave Hamilton. Of course, that’s just one of the many things covered in this week’s episode. Lots more tips, questions answered, and Cool Stuff Found shared. Press play and learn those five new things, alright?

What’s in your Geeky Go Bag? Whether you’re heading to work remotely, or take a plane trip, or head to the hospital, or just work outside at a coffee shop, what do you bring with you? John and Dave talk through their thought-processes here as they assemble their own Go Bags, helping you to make sure you have yours together. That’s not nearly the tip of the iceberg, though. This episode is chock full of your questions answered, tips shared, and Cool Stuff Found. Press play and learn at least five new things together with the rest of the Mac Geek Gab family!

It’s time to get your geek on, and John and Dave are right there with you. Today your two favorite geeks dig into some networking issues, aiming to solve your problems, and help make sense of them so you understand even if you’re not a networking geek!

Of course, there’s plenty of time left for your Apple/Mac/iPhone questions, too. Press play and enjoy! And send your questions in to feedback@macgeekgab.com .

What happens to Mail attachments in your archive? Have you ever done a three finger drag? How do you manage your trash can? We mean *really* manage it? All these questions — and a lot more — are answered for you this week as Dave and John pour through the mailbag and help you learn at least five new things. Press play and enjoy listening as your two favorite geeks help make it all happen!

The summer heat hasn’t stopped your two favorite geeks — or you, with your questions — and this week’s episode shows all of that and more. You’ve had a ton of questions about audio devices and podcast management lately, so John and Dave dig into that first to re-open the doors on that conversation. Then it’s on to tips and Cool Stuff Found, with a couple of return entries in the latter, including the very, very first Cool Stuff Found to ever have been mentioned! Press play, and enjoy watching (or listening) as you learn five new things.

John and Dave take a few deeper dives today to solve your peskier problems… Geek Challenges, we like to call them (though sometimes we call them “Stump the Geeks!”). Listen as your two favorite nerds talk through creatively increasing your broadband speeds, diagnosing those CPU spikes, managing battery life, Wi-Fi issues, and more. Of course, your favorite Quick Tips are here, and maybe even a few more surprises. Press play and watch while you learn five new things!

We all love the convenience of a quick upgrade and Migration Assistant, but those bring along many needles inside the haystack that can linger and leave you with fun things to troubleshoot in the future. The reality is that sometimes the Nuke and Pave is worth it, and John and Dave talk this through. That’s not the only segment, though, FAR FROM IT! Cool Stuff Found, Quick Tips, and more and more of your questions are addressed, dissected, and yes, even answered! Press play to learn at least five new things.

Should you update? That’s always the question, isn’t it, regardless of whether it’s hardware or software or both. This week John and Dave answer your questions about both, specifically when it comes to Apple’s offerings. That’s not all, of course. Your two favorite geeks roar through a tour of your questions, tips, and Cool Stuff Found, including segments on repairing iCloud syncing, backing up your music the right way, diagnosing CPU spikes, and more. Press play, and enjoy learning at least five new things, all while remaining perfectly socially-distanced!

When iCloud works, it’s great. And, for the most part, that’s how it is. But sometimes…it just gets plain wonky. Several of you had several questions about that this week, and Dave and John dig in to get you sorted! That’s not all, though. Cool Stuff Found, routers, and even some future stuff is all up for discussion when your two favorite geeks get together this week. Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things!

It’s hours before WWDC begins, and there’s just enough time to get Mac Geek Gab into your hands ahead of the new stuff we’re all about to learn. And, with that, we can still learn at least five new things, including how to Zoom (and unzoom) the web, how to encrypt your files, why you might want to change your cable modem password, and what those three Ms mean. Buckle up, press play, and enjoy the ride with John and Dave!

Have you ever noticed your Mac tells you Catalina uses up 5 volumes? How about encrypting specific files and folders? And what about that cable modem password…should you change it? These are just a few of the questions answered.

This episode is chock full of everything you love: Quick Tips, Cool Stuff Found, and yes, answers to your questions! Send yours in to feedback@macgeekgab.com, and now press play to listen and learn at least five new things.

Do you backup or clone? Which is more important? What do you do first? Ok, let’s battle. Well, not really.

Lots of Cool Stuff Found in this episode, including a way to turn your iPhone into a webcam for your Mac. Internet upgrade options are popular among the questions that came in this week, so your two favorite geeks have answers.

Listen along with John and Dave as they share, answer, postulate, and everyone learns (at least!) five new things.

Who knew one key could do THAT? Plus, you can take iPhone pics right from your Mac desktop. Lots of quick tips.

And then a quick discussion about tech support in the time of social distancing. We’ve heard from a few consultants who help John and Dave suss that out.

Wi-Fi is always popular, and this week marks a return to some in-depth discussions about various configurations, including expanding your Wi-Fi… and that of your friends and family members. Plus we’ve got Cool Stuff Found and more. Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things with your two favorite geeks!

Did you know you could move your screenshot selection window around after you create it? How about rearranging columns in the Finder and having it remember? What about Profiles on your Mac, and how they can be used to hijack your browser?

If you listen to this week’s Mac Geek Gab with Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun, not only will you know how to do these three things, we guarantee you’ll learn at least two more (and probably a lot more than that!). Press play and enjoy learning all these things with your two favorite geeks.

Did your Mac stop showing all your spotlight results? Do you have an external rotational drive on your Mac? Do you want to Add the Dark Menubar to your Light-themed Mac?

These answers are addressed in the opening Quick Tips segment. Can you imagine what happens when John and Dave, your two favorite geeks, start answering your questions? Good news: you don’t have to imagine. Just press play and all will be revealed!

What’s bloating up your hard drive? Why is your Bluetooth mouse still draining? Which 13″ MacBook should you get? All these questions are answered, and more. John and Dave are here to ensure you get the answers you need, in the way you need them. And that’s not all, they talk through a few ways of managing multiple Apple IDs, 10G Ethernet, macOS 10.15.5, plus Quick Tips, Cool Stuff Found, and more. Press play to listen and learn at least five new things along with your two favorite geeks!

Did you know that with just your fingers on your iPhone screen you can slide to adjust the volume or pinch to delete messages? And with an option-click of your Mac’s mouse you can opt-in to distraction free bliss? You will after you listen to this episode, where John and Dave talk you through all of these things… and that’s just the first few minutes! There’s always more to come with Mac Geek Gab, because you’re guaranteed to learn at least five new things or your money back!