Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

Did you know that “Optimize Charging” actually charges your iPhone more slowly? How about the *best* place to put your AirTag when traveling? What about the Hamilton Maneuver? These, and more, are among the five new things you’re guaranteed to learn in this week’s episode. Join Dave, John, and Pilot Pete as they answer your questions, share your tips, and dig into Cool Stuf...

Did you know you can choose specific windows in your Mac’s Cmd-Tab app-switcher? How about an easy—and automatic—way of connecting to your home devices while traveling? Do you keep AirTags in your luggage? And…would you buy an iMac Studio? Listen as John F. Braun, Pilot Pete, and Dave Hamilton talk through all this and much, much more. Press play and join your three favorite geeks in l...

Did you ever want to pin a tab inside a Tab Group? How about using your Mac as a power bank? Want a refurb Mac Studio? Today’s your lucky day, and that’s just the start of the show! John and Dave share Quick Tips to get things rolling and then it’s on to answering your questions, Cool Stuff Found, and more. Press play and enjoy learning five new things with your two favorite geek...

Wanna sync multiple folders amongst all your Macs, rename your Bluetooth devices, keep your Mac awake? Dave, John, and Pilot Pete have you covered! Also: are your meetings “virtual” or “remote”? Your three favorite geeks help you figure that out, too. Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things…about technology and about life! Chapters/Timestamps/Stuff ment...

Did you know that macOS will tell you which Wi-Fi channel you should use on your router? How about that you can type in specific start and end times for iPhone calendar appointments? How about seeing the wireless charging draw of your iPhone? You will after you listen to just the first segment of this week’s episode! After that, John, Pete, and Dave answer your questions, share your Cool Stu...

What are your thoughts on backup internet connections, programming NFC tags, expiration dates on consumer products, DACs for your devices, and more? If you don’t have any of these yet, you will once you listen because these are just a few of the tangents John and Dave will walk you down this week! Never fret, though, everything still brings it back to all the Apple and technology devices you...

Happy Birthday to us all! It’s true… 17 years ago today (to the day!) John and Dave released the first Mac Geek Gab episode (called “TMO To Go”) and Pilot Pete joined not to long afterwards. It’s been 17 years of answering your questions, sharing Cool Stuff Found, learning Quick Tips, discussing Macs and iPhones and Routers and Mesh Wi-Fi and Synology DiskStations and...

Apple’s WWDC conference is this week, with a slew of new announcements for both Developers and end users alike. Listen as John, Dave, and Pilot Pete share their initial reactions to Apple’s latest news, digging in to provide some context as only your three favorite geeks can. Press play and enjoy…that way you won’t get caught! Chapters/Timestamps/Stuff mentioned: 00:00:00 M...

Dave’s been testing the new Synology RT6600ax router and has some “first look” thoughts to share. He, John, and Pete continue by answering your questions about mesh networks, VLANs, IoT devices, and more. Cool Stuff Found this week includes places to find discounted (or free!) apps, options for portable screens, wireless power banks, and more. And the whole episode starts with yo...

What are the differences between Qi and MagSafe? Listen as your three favorite geeks talk through all this and more. Split screen, searching in Messages, finding hidden drafts in Mail, and Google resuming free GSuite access are just a few of the topics that John, Dave, and Pilot Pete dig into for you all this week. Have a question of your own? Try the new feedback@mgg.fm address and let’s se...

Synology’s DiskStations are a popular item amongst all of us here in the MGG Family, listeners and hosts all included! Listen today as guest Jeff Gamet makes a hasty return to join John F. Braun, Dave Hamilton, and Pilot Pete to talk all things Synology and Network Attached Storage. Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things along with the rest of the MGG Family. Chapters/Timesta...

Quick Tips for keyboard shortcuts, viewing messages, and speed tests are just the first segment of this week’s episode. Listen as John, Dave, and Pilot Pete navigate you through understanding managing the Finder sidebar, tweaking your batteries, choosing storage, and ensuring your DNS will let you connect to hotel Wi-Fi. Then your three favorite geeks wrap up with some fantastic (and timely!...

Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus joins your two favorite geeks this week to talk Apple’s Self Service repairs, Keyboard Shortcuts, Screen Layout, and Twinkly lights! Of course, John and Dave make sure to keep things on the rails with your favorite Quick Tips and Cool Stuff Found, as well. Press play and enjoy learning three new things! Chapters/Timestamps/Stuff mentioned: 00:00:00 Mac Geek...

Jeff Gamet joins John and Dave today to share all kinds of Cool Stuff Found with you. Categories range from MagSafe car mounts to mechanical keyboards, to USB adapters and more. Listen to your three favorite geeks have their minds blown  by a listener submission about Remote Access, and then there are all the tangents, which you’re simply going to love. Press play and enjoy learning no-less-...

Google email is no longer free, Preview has Zoom, iPadOS has Low Power Mode, and you can use Spotlight and Screenshots for notes. Also learn the best ways to remote access into your Mac from your iPhone while you're on the road. Join Pilot Pete, John F. Braun, and Dave Hamilton to talk through all this and a LOT more. Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things! Chapters/Timestamps...

It's true, we "cloud" things now. It's a thing. On top of that, iCloud Private Relay is also a thing, and it's not necessarily a good one yet. But it's in beta, so give it time. Plex's new Discovery Watchlist is also in beta, with similar results. No worries, your three favorite geeks talk you through all of this and more. Listen as Pilot Pete, John F. Braun, and...

Allison Sheridan joins Dave and John this week to help you learn at least five new things! Quick Tips include seeing Mac App Store progress, uses for Tab Groups, configuring printer defaults, and more. Then it’s on to answering your questions about choosing the right Mac Studio, resolving “The file can’t be found” errors, configuring Universal Control, and much more. Press...

Quick Tips rule the day here, with Pete, John, and Dave sharing how to stop Facebook from disabling your audio, finding menu items in macOS, connecting two sets of AirPods to your Apple TV and much more. Your questions are answered, too, about blocking websites, parental controls, Disabling 5G and more. But it's the Rabbit Hole Tangents that your three favorite geeks dive down which make thin...

John, Dave, and Pilot Pete get together from not just three different time zones, but two different countries! They talk about macOS 12.3, the best upgrade migration path, SXSW 2022, and more. Quick Tips include a new Force Quit shortcut, putting iCloud Drive on your Desktop, and much more. Press play and enjoy learning five new things with your three favorite geeks! Chapters/Timestamps/Stuff ment...

Learn about a portable screen for your laptop, how to reset your Apple mouse, how to resolve Safari errors and more with Pilot Pete, John F. Braun and Dave Hamilton this week. Of course, there are lots of (fun?) tangents your three favorite geeks take you on, as well, PLUS the first "Strange Things Found" inclusion in seventeen years. All this and more, just press play and enjoy! Chapter...

Dave, John, and Pilot Pete come together hot on the heels of Apple's Peek Performance Event to share their hot-takes with you. Listen as your three favorite geeks' thoughts about the new hardware evolve before your very ears…what do they think about the new Mac Studio, Studio Display, M1 Ultra, and more? Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things! Chapters/Timestamps/St...

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 of...

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...

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...

Dave seems to think there’s an email conspiracy, and he explains how to avoid it to you and John. That’s not all, of course. Your Quick Tips help everyone use markup better, create a “Start the Day” shortcut, use Focus better, and more. Press play and listen as your two geeks share all of this and much, much more. Have fun…and don’t get caught!