Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

Wanna know how to force Safari to download a media file instead of playing it? Want to know how to use the same drive on USB-C and USB-A Macs? Want to know how to secure erase your NAS drive? John and Dave have your answers! There is also a lot of concern about the future of eero, so your two geeks discuss that, too. All this and more, just press play and enjoy learning at least five new things!

Do you need an elbow connector? You might after listening to this episode! That, after all, is what Cool Stuff Found segments are all about: discovering stuff you didn’t know existed, and now you need! In addition to that, of course, your tips are shared and questions are answered, including some about iCloud Archives, CarPlay, and Watch Notifications. Hosts Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun guide y...

How fast is your connection? How much of that speed matters? How fast is your Mac? Why isn’t it faster? What devices can you see on your network? Why can’t you connect to all of them? This is what Mac Geek Gab is about. Posing questions, getting answers, and learning at least 5 new things. Learn your 5 now by pressing play!

Wanna learn at least five new things about your Mac and iOS devices? This week’s Mac Geek Gab episode is sure to hit the mark. With topics ranging from Quick Look to Car Play to Robot Vacuums to APFS, there’s always something new to learn! Press play, download, and enjoy.

Mysteries are meant to be solved, and when it comes to the mystery that is your “System” disk usage as displayed by macOS, well, that mystery’s not even supposed to exist in the first place. Dave and John dig in to solve this plus a bunch of other questions sent in by you, dear listeners. Press play, listen, learn, and enjoy!

Back from CES 2019, Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun have a few thoughts to share. Then it’s on to answering your questions, this time with a focus on things that used to work… and stopped. Press play, listen, and learn!

In the calm before the CES storm, John F. Braun and Dave Hamilton come to you from Las Vegas to share their thoughts and answer your questions. Plus, John mentions Cosmic Bit Flips and everything goes sideways. Listen, enjoy, and learn. Just press play!

Properly sharing Contacts? Check. Managing Mobile Applications Folder? Check. Scanning Bluetooth Devices? Check. Securing Your Certificates? Check. Choosing the best router? Check. All of this and more in Mac Geek Gab 742. MGG Forever!

Do you notice your Mac slowing down a lot? How many Contacts do you have? More and more listeners have been writing in with Contacts-related problems and solutions… are you one of them? Listen to John and Dave discuss this and so many other things this Christmas Eve. Press play and enjoy!

Have you ever wanted to use Siri to control something that’s not HomeKit-compatible? You’re not alone. Also, you’re in luck! John and Dave have an answer for you. On top of that, quick tips, Cool Stuff Found, and your questions answered. Press play and let’s go!

iOS is wonderful… and mysterious, especially when it asks you to login, or shows you duplicates of your data. Listen to John F. Braun and Dave Hamilton solve these problems and more for you. Then, should you get a separate Mac as a server, or can you run in the background? And, of course, more Cool Stuff Found just for you. Press play, listen, learn, and enjoy!

Ever have a disk drive or Wi-Fi device that doesn’t get quite the advertised speeds? Yeah, so have we. In fact, it happens all the time. Listen this week as John and Dave discuss the differences between advertised maximums and real-world expectations… and how to translate between the two. Of course, that’s not all! More questions and Quick Tips than you can shake a stick at. Press play, download,...

The best part about geeky gifts is that sometimes the best person to get them for is yourself. Listen to John and Dave – your two favorite geeks – discuss some of their favorites at this point in the holiday buying season, and decide whether you buy one of these now for someone else… or wait until the gifting season wraps up to get one for you!

Before you gobble up all your turkey, gobble up some new tips and info and tricks and, yes, even some fun toys! ‘Tis (almost) the season, and you don’t want to miss out. Press play and enjoy!

Dave’s back from MacTech and boy is his brain tired from absorbing as much knowledge as he could. He and John talk through a bunch of that, including some important new APFS knowledge, Cool Stuff Found, and a plethora of Quick Tips. Plus, of course, your two favorite geeks answer your questions. All this and more… press play and enjoy!

New Macs are out! John and Dave answer your questions and talk through the various models, including a dissection of the 2018 Mac mini CPU options as well as the relative merit of the 2018 MacBook Air. Other topics include setting up “semi-Dark Mode” on Mojave, using a Fusion Drive as storage, migrating from iCloud Photos to other options, and more! Press play and enjoy!

The question of managing spoofed caller ID came up last week, and this week we’ve got answers. Also, how do you deal with applications that lose their icon? We’ll help! We’ve also got a lot more than that, too, including other questions, quick tips, Cool Stuff Found, and maybe even an iPhone XR discussion, too!

Do you get spam calls on your iPhone? Would you like to know how to stop that? How about power drain on your Mac and your iPhone? Plus, do you care whether you’re using the actual SIM or eSIM on your new iPhone? Press play, listen, and learn together!

APFS has been available on our Macs for a year now, and we’re beginning to see the issues with corruption that can’t be yet be solved by Apple or third party utilities. Wi-Fi is changing names… and getting faster! And folks, Backups are still important! All this and more in this week’s Mac Geek Gab. Press play and enjoy!

Sometimes things go wrong with your devices, and sometimes the path you think will solve it winds up running you in circles. The same things can happen to your two favorite geeks, and this week’s show talks about some of that while also answering your questions and solving your problems. Press play and enjoy!

Ever wanted to run Terminal from your iPhone? How about merge two Mac Photos Libraries the right way? And is Mojave the Key to Solving the iTunes Problem? All of these questions and lots, lots more are answered in this week’s Mac Geek Gab!

Don’t get caught, folks. That’s what we say, and that’s what we mean. This week that takes shape with advice about when to install macOS Mojave, finding the right place(s) to buy inexpensive tech, and extending your Wi-Fi network the right – and fun – ways. Oh, and there’s more, too. You’ll just have to listen, OK?

iOS 12 is out, folks, and John and Dave have some experience with it that they’re happy to share. Of course, they take your questions, too, including those about your upcoming Mojave migration. Don’t miss this one, folks!

It’s time to fully embrace the USB-C interface, folks, at least according to listener Zack. Todd helps us understand Cruft, Phil needs to know about storing IDs when traveling, Felix is curious about storing archives, and that’s just the half of it. You’ll have to listen to hear Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun talk all about this and more!

Going back to school often means needing to take things from the digital world and connect them to the analog. Need sound? Need printouts? John F. Braun and Dave Hamilton have some Cool Stuff Found for you! Then it’s on to troubleshooting external disks (including APFS), cable modem advice and what to do with an extra Mac mini. All this and more, just press play!