Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

Your questions answered, as always, including several unresponsive Macs and how to fix them, Life after CrashPlan, Problematic iCloud syncing, and moving your media libraries. Cool Stuff Found kicks things off, though, with lots of great stuff that you’ll love. Plus, a healthy competition about internet speeds between your two favorite geeks is in there, too! Press play and enjoy!

Moving your Photos to a new drive, managing your Finder’s smart searches, reasons for a VPN, and remote access to your own Macs are just the first few topics that Dave and John discuss this week. Then it’s on to managing your document syncing, finding an old version of Mac OS X for an older Mac, some cool scripts that other listeners developed for monitoring your network, and more! Press play and...

No reason NOT to start the episode with Cool Stuff Found, so that’s just what your two favorite geeks do. Then it’s off to answering some questions about printer sharing, bluetooth headsets, USB-C connections, and, of course, CrashPlan! Download and enjoy!

It’s time to dig back into NAS drives by answering Steve’s question: Which Synology DiskStation is right for me? There are a few more things to explore on that topic, too, and your two favorite geeks do it justice. Separate from that are a few questions about a variety of topics, some of which are Geek Challenges where you get to provide some answers! A hardware-focused Cool Stuff Found rounds out...

Cool Stuff Found starts the episode, then it’s on to a few things related to backups, including how High Sierra’s APFS will affect you. Listener tips and some other, unrelated questions are answered, and then there’s a nice, juicy segment on meshifying your home without buying mesh for all of you, too. Press play and enjoy!

Do you have an app that crashes on save? Do you fully understand how to control the macOS firewall? Your two favorite geeks will help you with this and a lot more. Press play for this info-and-action-packed episode!

Ever wonder how to test an external battery? Ever want to enforce parental controls from afar? Ever wonder just how different Time Machine and iCloud are from normal backups? Well, your two favorite geeks discuss all this and a LOT more in today’s episode. Press play and enjoy!

You ask, we answer! Tech support every week for over 12 years! First up this episode: Passwords, and lots of ’em. Then it’s on to managing Photos and app files on your iPhone. We revisit the topic of waking a sleeping laptop, and then discuss a few tips and tricks we’ll keep up our sleeves just for you. Download, press play, and enjoy!

For episode 666 your two favorite geeks are joined (raided!) by Guy Serle and the episode becomes a mix of Mac Geek Gab and the MyMac podcast. Recorded live at Macstock 2017, Guy, Dave, and John talk through all sorts of things, including some stellar quick tips just for you. Download, press play, and enjoy!

Lots of summer-related Cool Stuff Found here, including stuff for hearing your music while you’re out enjoying the outdoors. Don’t worry, southern-hemisphere friends, we’ve got plenty of stuff for you, too, including a new mesh wireless system to discuss. The Q&A portion of the show covers migrating mail, operating with the monitor off (desirably and not-so-much). All this and more. Press play and...

Keyboard shortcuts, system-wide tools, reversing panorama mode, and putting the finishing touches on your system updates are the things you’ll learn about in just the first few minutes of this episode. From there it goes even deeper, including a great segment about managing your email on macOS and iOS. You won’t want to miss this one. Press play… and enjoy!

Proper use of a catchall address, external MacBook and MacBook Pro batteries, granular controls on the volume slider, GPS in Airplane mode, and making an old trackball with with Sierra are just the way this show begins. Listen in for much, much more… and feel free to send your questions in, too!

Alternative AirPlay Receivers, iMac Upgrades, Troubleshooting in Console, and AirPods controls are just the first four things your two favorite geeks discuss today. Then it’s on to solving the issue of stale Contacts on your iPhone, MailDrop woes, and the Preppers approach to backups. All this and more in this week’s Mac Geek Gab podcast. You’re guaranteed to learn at least four new things.

Quick Tips to start (no hints!), and then it’s time for some new Mac advice, which is a fitting question to get on the heels of Apple’s WWDC 2017 announcements. Then it’s time to discuss backups, and how much you should worry (hint: a LOT… that’s the point of backing up!). Add in some Wi-Fi chaos and that’s the foundation of a good Mac Geek Gab episode.

Ever have problems with iCloud syncing? Haha, of course you have. Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun, your two favorite geeks, have, too, so they help a few of you with your iCloud syncing problems and, in the process, dig into all the things they’ve learned about solving this problem over the years. But you know the rule: one must always learn at least four new things each and every episode, so ther...

Thunderbolt 3 Docks, Quick PrefPane Access, the best iOS PDF viewer, splitting audio files, and finding your lyrics. THAT’s what your two favorite geeks start with this week… and then they go from there! Press play and enjoy.

Your geeks start with some tips: dealing with a bad key on your keyboard, restoring the proper album art after iCloud Music Library has done its part, and dealing with a damaged SD card. Then it’s on to some questions, like whether or not UPnP is dangerous for you or what to do when you hear your Mac’s fans running more frequently than you think is necessary. All this and more, just after you pres...

Ever wondered how to share iCloud contact groups amongst family and team members? Ever have to mix iOS, Android, and macOS? Ever wonder what AppTranslocation folders are? How about the best thing to put in your walls before you close them up? John F. Braun and Dave Hamilton have your answers to all of this and more.

Cool Stuff Found and Quick Tips in the same episode? You bet! John F. Braun and Dave Hamilton aim to deliver for you each and every week. And since the goal is to learn at least four new things each week, some options might include keeping your Mac awaken only when you like, managing Siri’s holidays when set for a foreign voice, yet another replacement for DeskConnect, and a segment one listener c...

Splitting the check, making your EarPods or AirPods fit better, and pen-based note-taking are just the Cool Stuff Found segment. Then your two favorite geeks talk you through fixing Wi-Fi connection issues on both your iPhone and your Mac, and also help you choose the right speed plan from your ISP. That’s not all, though, and you’ll hear much more when you press play (just do it!).

Quick Tips, Cool Stuff Found and LOTS of questions. Sleeping Mac? No problem. VIP Mail help? No problem. Building a home? No problem. Want to know about VPNs? Well, now… just kidding. No problem! Mac Geek Gab answers your questions and shares your tips so everyone can learn at least four new things each week!

Sometimes you have to get geeky. No worries, Dave and John will talk you through understanding what NAS and MDM mean and why you might want to use them. Don’t worry, fellow geeks, there’s stuff in here for you, too. After all, that’s how Mac Geek Gab rolls! Listen, enjoy, learn, and prosper at the same time!

SMC Resets, Migration Assistant tricks, Auto-Upgrade solutions and Renting vs. Owning your Cable Modem are just the beginning for your two favorite geeks today. S/MIME is taken to a whole other level with guest Jeff Butts who helps us all understand how to make this work on both macOS and iOS! Then it’s time to dive into your system certificates – and which ones you can touch vs. those that you ca...

Quick Tips about VPN, Sierra’s storage, Universal Clipboard, and Wi-Fi priority are just the start to the show. From there we talk about using Flash on your iPhone or iPad (it’s true!), portable VPN options, accessing a file server with iOS and much more. Download or just press play right here and enjoy. You’ll learn at least four new things, we guarantee it!

Security is on the brain this week! Learn how to secure your iCloud account and also learn how to secure your entire home network from your ISP’s prying eyes! Dave and John also help you determine what devices and processes are using your network, and what the difference is between WPA2 Personal and Enterprise. All of this and more in this week’s Mac Geek Gab. Press play and enjoy!