Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

This week on Mac Geek Gab, you’re stacking up power moves from the jump. You’ll learn how to clean up messy lists in your favorite text editor, discover that any USB-C port on your MacBook can charge it, and find out why you should be charging your power bank from random ports instead of your iPhone or Mac. iPhones can now serve as Tailscale exit nodes — and that leads down a tangent where the guys dig deep into subnet routing so you understand exactly what that unlocks.

You’ll also pick up how to save PDFs on iPhone when all you see is a print icon, how to use Apple Intelligence in Pages to reformat text as recipes, and how to clean up MacWhisper transcripts before anyone sees the raw chaos. Don’t Get Caught running Plex in Low Power Mode, either — there’s a fix for that. Dave also stumbled into a wild Fable moment when the AI found onto an unpublished API and decided to throttle itself back to Opus.

Then the crew pivots to WWDC 2026 reactions, and there’s a lot to unpack. One big theme is refinement and stability: the new Liquid Glass slider is a visual treat, and Dave’s already running the beta without disaster. Apple Intelligence is getting a serious upgrade, with Siri becoming more contextually aware of what’s on your device, though the guys push back on where it still falls short compared to tools like Claude Cowork. Parental controls got a surprisingly large share of the spotlight for a developer conference, signaling Apple wants to own the conversation around kids and screen time — this leads to the interesting question of whether spouses can choose to hold each other accountable. Apple Vision Pro gets a Siri Orb and custom panoramas, and iOS 27 dev beta now includes a Recovery mode. Adam’s live from Nerdtacular 2026, and if you’re heading to Macstock, the discount code MACGEEKGAB saves you fifty bucks!

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1146 for Monday, June 15th, 2026

00:03:35 June 15th: Take Your Cat to Work Day

Pete lost his cat and she found her way home!

MGG Monthly Giveaway – Win a license to SaneBox

Quick Tips

00:00:01 Heidi-QT-Clean up messy lists with your favorite text editor

00:07:13 Dan DXZDB-QT-You can use your MacBook’s USB-C Ports to Charge it, too!

AlDente

00:09:23 Chris-QT-1143-Charge your Power bank from random charging ports, not your iPhone or Mac

00:12:34 Dave (accidentally) ran into a Fable overstep!

It had to throttle down to Opus after it found a company’s unpublished API

00:15:03 Adam is at Nerdtacular 2026

Use the Mac Geek Gab app for the calendar

Macstock MGG Discount Coupon: MACGEEKGAB

00:18:43 Phil-QT-Saving Documents as PDFs on iPhone When You Only See a Print Icon

00:20:42 Donald-QT-1145-iPhones can be used as Tailscale exit nodes

00:26:56 Tailscale Subnet Routing

00:29:19 Dom Bettinelli-QT-Clean Up your MacWhisper transcripts

00:30:44 Clif-QT-Use Apple Intelligence in Pages to Reformat as Recipes

00:31:50 QT-Low Power Mode vs. Plex on macOS

Sponsors

00:36:38 SPONSOR: Decagon. Ready to transform your customer support? Decagon helps companies create personalized, concierge-style customer experiences with AI agents across chat, email, voice, and SMS. Go to https://decagon.ai/MGG to get a personalized demo and see what Decagon can do for your team.

00:38:16 SPONSOR: Shopify. In 2026, stop waiting and start selling with Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://Shopify.com/MGG

00:39:57 SPONSOR: CleanMyMac. Get Tidy Today! Try 7 days free and use our code MACGEEK for 20% off at https://clnmy.com/MACGEEK

WWDC Reactions

00:41:32 Operating Systems are focused on refinement

Liquid Glass slider

Dave’s running the beta…successfully!

00:48:29 Apple Intelligence and Siri AI and Gemini and all of that

“Profoundly more capable Assistant”

Siri is aware of what’s on my screen?

01:05:10 Where’s the Siri equivalent of Claude Cowork?

AI is Assistive Intelligence

01:13:11 WWDC Features

Apple Vision Pro Siri Orb and Custom Panoramas

01:13:32 Parental Controls got a LOT of time…for a developer conference

Apple wants to be a market leader here in solving this social problem

Dave’s question: Can my wife and I set up one another as accountability partners for screen time?

01:18:53 Richard-CSF-iOS27 Dev Beta has Recovery mode

01:21:00 MGG 1146 Outtro

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The Debut Film Podcast – Adam’s new podcast!

Dave’s Business Brain (for Entrepreneurs) and Gig Gab (for Working Musicians) Podcasts

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Your iPhone might be running hot and draining fast — and it’s not just you. Dave and Pilot Pete break down the battery chaos introduced by iOS 26.5, which brought overheating, accelerated drain, and even blocked wired charging on iPhone 17 and Air models. The fix that’s working for most people: disable iCloud Keychain first, run Reset All Settings, then carefully re-enable iCloud sync — otherwise you’ll nuke your Wi-Fi passwords across every device. iOS 26.5.1 is out and should help, but until you’ve updated, your electrons deserve better. You’ll also learn why Apple ID passkeys are locked to Apple’s own keychain with no known path to third-party managers like 1Password or Keeper, and why editing a contact on a modern Mac can somehow peg every CPU core — in 2026, no less.

From there, Dave and Pete tackle the full listener mailbag: how to rescue missing contact names from Messages, the right way to boot a MacBook with a broken display into clamshell mode so it actually uses the external monitor, and a deep dive on 5K vs. 4K displays where Dave argues your eyes may not care as much as the pixel-per-inch math suggests. You’ll get smart ideas for repurposing a 2015 iPad Pro that can’t run modern apps — including Dave’s Claude Code-built weather dashboard running off a headless iMac as a web interface. A crashing 2021 MacBook Pro turns out to have been felled by a single bad SD card, and the lesson is golden: feed your crash reports to an LLM and let it do the digging. And Don’t Get Caught with outdated OpenAI macOS apps — update ChatGPT, Codex, Atlas, and Codex CLI before June 12th to stay ahead of a code-signing rotation triggered by a compromised open-source library.

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1145 for Monday, June 8th, 2026

June 8th: National Best Friends Day

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Quick Tips

00:00:01 Dan-QT-Multi-select on iPhone with a quick drag

00:04:31 Tim-QT-Have iOS 26.5 Battery Drain? Reset All Settings, but be careful!

00:13:32 Kent-QT-1144-Collapse stacks by clicking the down-facing carat in the menu

00:14:15 Mark-QT-Match Frame Rate on your Apple TV for smoother experiences

00:17:58 What are the differences between refresh rates and frame rates and…why?

00:21:09 KiwiGraham-QT-Apple Account Passkeys vs. Third Party Password Apps

Sponsors

00:23:09 SPONSOR: Keeper. Right now, Keeper is offering our listeners 60% off personal and family plans at https://Keepersecurity.com/MGG. This offer is only for podcast listeners!

00:24:50 SPONSOR: Helix Sleep makes premium mattresses and bedding that are customized to fit your personal needs, and conveniently shipped to your door. Go to https://helixsleep.com/MGG for 20% Off Sitewide.

00:26:23 SPONSOR: NordLayer Browser. The business browser built for how modern work actually happens — giving IT the visibility and control to secure SaaS, stop phishing, and prevent data leaks right at the source.

Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!

00:28:09 VaShaun-How can I restore lost Contacts on my Mac?

00:37:36 Si-What to do with an 11-year-old iPad?

Claude Code

00:46:40 Michael-Why do we have to pull-to-refresh for updates?

00:50:04 Blake-1144-Damaged displays, external monitors, and MonitorControl

00:55:48 Joe & Michael-CSF-1144–RetinaDesk.com for reviews of 5K and 6K monitors

BenQ MA270UP 27” 4K Display

Reviews

01:02:50 Hog fan and Cowboy fan-MGG Review–Favorite Tech podcast

Don’t Get Caught

01:04:14 Father John-DGC-Investigate those crash reports before you replace your Mac

01:09:26 Update your ChatGPT Apps

ChatGPT Desktop

Codex App

Codex CLI

Atlas

01:11:06 Andy-DGC-When Troubleshooting, Don’t Get Caught asking the wrong questions or assuming the wrong facts

01:19:36 MGG 1145 Outtro

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Pilot Pete’s Aviation Podcast: So There I Was (for Aviation Enthusiasts)

The Debut Film Podcast – Adam’s new podcast!

Dave’s Business Brain (for Entrepreneurs) and Gig Gab (for Working Musicians) Podcasts

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This week you’ll learn to lean on Apple Intelligence to translate almost any text on the fly, lock down and hide sensitive apps on iOS, and finally tame your Desktop by remembering it’s just part of the Finder: flip on Stacks and/or let Hazel do the sorting for you. You’ll dig into why a 4K monitor looks different on your Mac than it does on Windows or Linux, hear how a BenQ display stacks up against a beloved LG, and grab Mirror Mode and BetterDisplay tricks for when you power down an external screen. Cracked your MacBook screen? Hook up an external display to rescue your data, or give that machine new life as a headless server. You’ll also get Siri reminding you the moment you arrive somewhere, and discover why your robot vacuum deserves an annual reset.

Then it’s your questions: whether you actually need a Plex Pass, and how to not get caught off guard when the lifetime price leaps to $749.99 on July 1st! Plus how to wrangle your @mac.com, @me.com, and @icloud.com addresses and confirm a cable is truly PD-qualified before you trust it.

Cool Stuff Found rounds things out with a color-screen USB cable tester, single-purpose apps that nail one job, agentic coding adventures, a Logitech Combo Touch case for your iPad Pro, and Mole’s brand-new macOS app. And when your Mac finally screams that it’s out of space? You’ll know exactly what to do. Don’t Get Caught missing it.

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1144 for Monday, June 1st, 2026

June 1st: Flip a Coin Day

MGG Monthly Giveaway – Win a license to SaneBox

Quick Tips

00:00:01 Clif-QT-Use Apple Intelligence to translate (almost) any text

00:03:33 Pilot Pete-QT-iOS Secure Apps & Hide Apps iOS

Mac Geek Gab YouTube Channel Shorts

00:05:41 Ben-QT-Reminder that the Desktop is part of the Finder

00:06:33 Using Stacks on the Desktop

Finder, move to Desktop, then View > Use Stacks

Use Hazel to keep your Desktop, Downloads, and more organized

00:12:39 Albert-QT-Why a 4K Monitor is Different on Mac vs. Windows/Linux

00:16:01 BenQ MA270UP 27” 4K Display looks (to Dave) as good as his former LG Display

00:20:04 Drewski-QT-Mirror Mode helps when powering off a connected external monitor

BetterDisplay

LG 27UP850K-W 27-inch Ultrafine 4K UHD that Adam uses

00:23:55 What to do when your MacBook screen is broken?

PrismCast

00:27:11 Pilot Pete-QT-Ask Siri to Remind you to do something when you arrive at a location

00:29:31 Dave-WWDC week vs. a Red Barchetta

Nerdtacular

00:32:34 Dave-QT-Reset all your robot vacuum once a year

Sponsors

00:35:02 SPONSOR: CarGurus. Buy or sell your next car today with CarGurus. Check it out at https://cargurus.com/

00:36:44 SPONSOR: NordLayer Browser. The business browser built for how modern work actually happens — giving IT the visibility and control to secure SaaS, stop phishing, and prevent data leaks right at the source.

00:38:06 MGG’s Longest Continually-Running Sponsor: Bare Bones released BBEdit 16!

MGG Reviews

00:39:11 Jeff Murphy-MGG Review-Favorite podcast for when I’m mowing the lawn

00:39:45 NYCSteph18-MGG Review-True! At least five new things learned every week

Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!

00:40:56 Brian-Do I need a Plex Pass?

00:42:34 Lifetime Plex Pass jumping to $749.99 on July 1st

00:46:19 Kirit-How best to manage @mac.com @me.com and @icloud.com addresses?

00:53:32 Brian-How can I tell if my cable is PD Qualified?

Search UL Database

Search USB.org certified database

Describe what you have and ask your favorite LLM to do the legwork

Cool Stuff Found

00:57:57 Tom-CSF-1143-Treedix USB Cable Tester with Color Screen – $49

01:00:27 Dave-CSF-MacPaw one-use-case apps

01:05:33 Agentic Coding with Claude Code and more

01:08:15 Pilot Pete-CSF-Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard Case for iPad Pro 13-inch (M4, M5)

01:11:49 Dave-CSF-Mole now has a macOS GUI App

01:13:34 I ran out of space on my Mac!

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Pilot Pete’s Aviation Podcast: So There I Was (for Aviation Enthusiasts)

The Debut Film Podcast – Adam’s new podcast!

Dave’s Business Brain (for Entrepreneurs) and Gig Gab (for Working Musicians) Podcasts

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Geek Pride Day kicks off an episode packed with the kind of tips you’ll actually use. You’ll learn why Shift+Tab is your fastest escape from a runaway numbered list, how holding the lower-left CarPlay button summons Siri, and why copy/paste (and drag-and-drop) between apps still beats exporting and re-importing every time. You’ll also get the real story on Comcast’s email migration (spoiler: it’s not mandatory), discover why the Screenshot app blows past Command-Shift-5 (and -4), and figure out how to shut down the fake browser notifications hijacking your Mac. Then it’s into the meaty stuff: whether those no-name fast chargers are quietly cooking your devices, and the brands the guys actually trust to plug in without worry.

Public charging stations look innocent until they aren’t, so the crew breaks down power-only cables, data blockers, and the chillingly clever O.MG Cable from Hak5: Don’t Get Caught handing a stranger the keys to your iPhone over a free USB port. You’ll get strategies for sharing organized photo libraries with the non-Mac humans in your life, dock recommendations for driving external monitors from your laptop, and a stacked Cool Stuff Found run featuring Gifski for gorgeous animated GIFs, WhatCable.uk for decoding that mystery USB-C cable in your drawer, Talk For Me v3 piping text-to-speech into FaceTime calls, and free GigSky eSIM data for Visa Signature cardholders heading abroad. Press play, take notes, and keep your gear (and your data) yours.

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1143 for Monday, May 25th, 2026

May 25th: Geek Pride Day

MGG Monthly Giveaway – Enter to win a Function101 Apple TV Button Remote

The MGG Merch Store is Live!

Quick Tips

00:00:01 Ben-QT-Use Shift+Tab to back out of a numbered list

00:03:31 Todd-QT-Hold Lower-Left CarPlay button to invoke Siri

00:04:39 QT-Remember you can copy/paste images between apps

Drag-and-Drop often works, too, even while switching apps

00:07:02 Eric-QT-1142-The Comcast Email switch isn’t mandatory

Upgrade your comcast.net email experience to Yahoo Mail

00:16:15 J-QT-Use the Screenshot app for more screenshot flexibility

Store your screenshots on a shared drive (iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Synology Drive, etc)

OnyX

Sponsors

00:20:05 SPONSOR: Even Realities G2. Use promo code MGG at evenrealities.com to get 10% off Even Ring 1 and/or Even Clip when you add them to your Even G2 order.

00:22:06 SPONSOR: BBEdit, the power tool for text from Bare Bones Software; now with integrated Notebooks and extended language support.

Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!

00:23:37 Rick-How do I stop fraudulent notifications on my Mac?

Check your browser’s notifications

Check your browser extension

00:30:54 Joe-Are No-Name-Brand Fast Chargers Safe?

An incomplete list of brands we trust

Anker Chargers

Baseus Chargers

Ugreen Chargers

Satechi Chargers

00:40:15 Adam Savage’s Tested Channel

Power Only Cables for “Public Charging Stations”

Hak5 – O.MG Cable

Data Blocker Pass Through Connectors

00:49:50 Kenneth-Sharing organized photos with all my family, including non-Mac-users

Flickr Pro

Or your cloud-based USB stick options:

Dropbox (for Photo Sharing)

Google Drive (for Photo Sharing) 

00:57:32 Brent-What docks do you recommend for my laptop with external monitors?

Cool Stuff Found

01:03:47 Ben-CSF-Gifski, a free, full-featured Movie-to-Animated GIF converter

01:08:12 Gary-CSF-WhatCable.uk to learn what your USB-C Cables can do

01:09:32 Darrin-CSM-Talk For Me v3.0 allows Text To Speech to be routed into FaceTime and voice calls

01:12:01 J-CSF-Free GigSky eSIM plans with Visa Signature Cards

US Mobile’s Unlimited plan comes with an included Apple Watch plan, too!

01:14:04 ATC-Darknet Diaries Podcast

EP 161: MG – With the developer of the O.MG Cable from Hak5

01:15:30 MGG 1143 Outtro

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Pilot Pete’s Aviation Podcast: So There I Was (for Aviation Enthusiasts)

The Debut Film Podcast – Adam’s new podcast!

Dave’s Business Brain (for Entrepreneurs) and Gig Gab (for Working Musicians) Podcasts

MGG Merch is Available!

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You’ll sharpen your daily tech game this week: add names directly to Mail recipient fields, kill those sneaky iOS nickname pop-ups before they embarrass you, and stay alert to Low Power Mode. Long-press your steering wheel button to summon Siri faster, welcome ChatGPT and Perplexity to CarPlay, untangle Apple’s App Entitlements, and stream HLS video right inside the updated MGG iOS app. Don’t Get Caught treating your LLM like a glorified search bar—re-task it as a brainstorming partner, let agents check each other’s work, troubleshoot stubborn email issues, and have it build its own skills using Claude Code and CoWork.

Your questions and tips drive the back half: disconnect AirPods from your Mac in one tap with ToothFairy or Control Center, dial in rock-solid remote screen sharing using Jump Desktop, Zoom, and Tailscale, stop your iPhone ringer from accidentally flipping, and plan your escape from Comcast email by grabbing a real domain through Cloudflare, Namecheap, or GoDaddy. Then it’s Cool Stuff Found season—Bartender 6 reclaims your menu bar, the Syntech case protects your Apple Vision Pro, and the Mila Air3 and Honeywell HEPA purifiers clean up your air. Plus a heap of love for Eufy lawnmowers, vacuums, and doorbells, all wired together with Homebridge and Home Assistant.

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1142 for Monday, May 18th, 2026

May 18th: Send an Electronic Greeting Card Day

MGG Monthly Giveaway – Enter to win a Function101 Apple TV Button Remote

The MGG Merch Store is Live!

Quick Tips

00:00:01 Ben-QT-Add a name to the Mail recipient field

00:03:43 Beware of Nicknames showing on iOS

You can disable this!

00:08:08 The lessons we learn about our tech when traveling

00:08:49 QT-Be aware of Low Power Mode. Also App Tamer

00:13:56 Larry-QT-Long Press Steering Wheel Voice Command to activate Siri

00:16:14 ChatGPT and Perplexity are allowed to use CarPlay now

00:18:00 Apple’s App Entitlements

00:19:26 Mac Geek Gab iOS App adds HLS video

00:22:35 David-QT-Use an LLM to troubleshoot your email

00:24:33 Re-assign your LLM, re-task it. Treat your LLM like a brainstorming assistant.

Claude CoWork (and Claude Code)

00:29:45 Let your agents check one another

00:33:16 Have your LLM create skills for you

Reviews

00:36:26 Jamcycler-MGG Review-My Favorite Podcast

Sponsors

00:38:02 SPONSOR: Keeper. Right now, Keeper is offering our listeners 60% off personal and family plans at https://Keepersecurity.com/MGG. This offer is only for podcast listeners!

00:39:41 SPONSOR: Shopify. In 2026, stop waiting and start selling with Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://Shopify.com/MGG

00:41:28 SPONSOR: Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll when you start at https://gusto.com/MGG

Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!

00:43:07 Gino CO-How can I easily disconnect my AirPods from my Mac?

ToothFairy

Or Control Center

Or Sound Menu

Opt-plus-Mute/Volume keys will bring you to System Settings Sound Pane

00:49:09 Paul-Best Method for Screen Sharing?

Jump Desktop

Tailscale

00:55:04 Barb-How can I stop from accidentally toggling my iPhone ringer on and off?

00:57:13 Roger-What to do about Comcast email going away?

Cloudflare Registrar

Namecheap

GoDaddy

Cool Stuff Found

01:02:21 DLH-CSF-Bartender 6 / Pro / Mega

01:04:53 ATC/PP-CSF-Syntech Apple Vision Pro Case

01:09:25 CSF-Mila Air3 Purifier

01:11:37 n-Greg-CSF-Honeywell Allergen Plus HEPA Large Room Air Purifier

01:12:41 Some love for Eufy

Eufy Lawnmower

Eufy Vacuums

Eufy Doorbells

Homebridge

Home Assistant

01:24:36 MGG 1142 Outtro

MGG Monthly Giveaway

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Pilot Pete’s Aviation Podcast: So There I Was (for Aviation Enthusiasts)

The Debut Film Podcast – Adam’s new podcast!

Dave’s Business Brain (for Entrepreneurs) and Gig Gab (for Working Musicians) Podcasts

MGG Merch is Available!

Mac Geek Gab iOS app

Mac Geek Gab YouTube Page

Mac Geek Gab Live Calendar

This Week’s MGG Premium Contributors

MGG Apple Podcasts Reviews

feedback@macgeekgab.com

224-888-GEEK

Active MGG Sponsors and Coupon Codes List

BackBeat Media Podcast Network