Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

You’re about to spend an hour geeking out about the moments when your tech life goes sideways and how to keep it all under control. You’ll hit World Backup Day prep, tame your email with smart rules and categories, turn your AirPods into stealth earplugs, and learn Mac power tricks like killing stubborn processes and using Reminders so your birthday rewards never slip by. Along the way, you’ll hear from listeners about pre-emptively swapping NAS drives, upsizing your Synology, and the best way to get your movie library playing cleanly on your iPad.

Then you’ll dive into the fun stuff that happens when the internet spits you out in the wrong place, from working around VPN restrictions to making sure you Don’t Get Caught when networks get weird. You’ll remember John Martellaro and his dents in the universe, plus load up on Cool Stuff Found like AirTag sleeves for your Apple TV remote, faster AirDrop-style sharing with Blip and LocalSend, and even AI that can drive your car with Comma 4.

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1135 for Monday, March 30th, 2026

March 30th: National Pencil Day

Pentel Twist Erase

MGG Monthly Giveaway – Enter to win a copy of SoundSource from Rogue Amoeba!

00:05:05 World Backup Day is tomorrow!

Fastmail backs up your email!

Quick Tips

00:00:01 Bill-QT-1134-Set macOS to always open new documents in tabs

00:09:09 P2-QT-use noise cancellation with AirPod in one ear

Using AirPods as earplugs

Comply Foam Tips for AirPods

00:14:00 SXSW: Shokz OpenDots One

Shokz OpenFit Pro

00:18:46 David-QT-Host your own cloud mail rules

Spark Mail

SaneBox

Claude CoWork and Dispatch

00:24:48 n-Ben-QT-1131–Train Apple’s Mail Categories for your own emails

00:26:17 John-QT-Use killall -9 if you really need to kill a process

killall -9 “[process name]”

killall -KILL “[process name]”

Check Activity Monitor’s View menu

00:37:17 Tim-QT-Use Reminders to remember your birthday rewards

Sponsors

00:38:30 SPONSOR: BBEdit, the power tool for text from Bare Bones Software; now with integrated Notebooks and extended language support.

00:39:41 SPONSOR: Stamps.com With Stamps.com you can send from your computer or phone 24/7. No long lines, no low supplies, open any time. Go to stamps.com and use code mgg to get sixty days risk-free!

Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!

00:41:01 JP-Should I Replace Drives Pre-emptively in my NAS?

Synology Monthly Disk Health Report

Synology Hot Spare

00:47:14 How about adding larger drives to your NAS?

00:51:06 Roger-What’s a better way to display and play movies on my iPad?

VLC

Infuse

Plex

00:55:42 Mark-How can I use a VPN and bypass VPN restrictions

01:00:02 CSF-GoodReader for playing movies

01:00:43 GW-Glowing MacBook Apple Logo

01:03:00 Remembering John Martellaro and the dents he put in the universe

Finding John Martellaro’s Space Shuttle Lander Simulator for Apple ][

Cool Stuff Found

01:08:04 James-CSF-Elago AirTag sleeve for AppleTV 4K remote

01:09:45 -n-Ahkeens-CSF-1132-Blip is reliable, AirDrop-style replacement

Allison-CSF-Blip to give a better AirDrop-like experience

LocalSend

01:11:53 Greg-CSF-Comma 4 uses AI to drive your car

01:18:05 MGG 1135 Outtro

MGG Monthly Giveaway

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MGG Merch is Available!

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This Week’s MGG Premium Contributors

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[email protected]

224-888-GEEK

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You’ll come away from this episode with a faster, smarter iPhone and Mac workflow dialed in. You learn how to boss Siri around for brightness, Dark Mode, CarPlay directions, and per‑source audio levels, so your phone actually behaves in the car and on the couch. You tap into power‑user gestures like two‑finger‑tap to open links in a new Safari tab, Quick Actions to spin anything into a PDF, and Option‑click display rotation on the Mac. You even get sneaky with ad‑supported games by flipping Airplane Mode, and peek at where on‑device AI is heading with tools like Locally AI from the SXSW “more personal computer” session.

Then you shift into solving real listener problems so your Apple gear finally stays in sync with you. You clean up contact groups, fix that iPad Mail inbox that doesn’t match your other devices, and fight back against toll‑free robocalls. You hear which iPhone cases and glass protectors the geeks actually trust, plus protection options like Verizon Home Protect and automation tools like Crank to trigger actions based on what you’re doing. The whole way through, you’re reminded of the Mac Geek Gab mantra: Don’t Get Caught missing the tweaks, tricks, and Cool Stuff Found that make your Apple life smoother.

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1134 for Monday, March 23rd, 2026

March 23rd: World Math Day

MGG Monthly Giveaway – Enter to win a copy of SoundSource from Rogue Amoeba!

Congrats to February’s winners!

The MGG Merch Store is Live!

Quick Tips

00:00:01 Ian-QT-Hey Siri, turn up the brightness

00:03:50 Scott-QT-1133-Tell Siri to toggle Dark Mode

00:10:08 Vira-CSF-Locally AI – run models on your iPhone locally

SXSW: A More Personal Computer: How AI is Transforming Desktops

00:11:58 Bill-QT-Spoken Directions in CarPlay

Adjusting the volume of the different sources on your iPhone (Siri, Music, Maps, more)

“Hey Siri, speak louder”

00:17:06 Henry-QT-Two-finger-tap to open links in a new Mobile Safari tab

00:18:03 ETC-QT-Use Quick Actions to create a PDF

00:22:44 Mickey-QT-Hold Option to get Display Rotation options in System Settings

00:23:40 Adam’s wife-Stop Ads with Airplane Mode in ad-supported games

Sponsors

00:28:37 SPONSOR: Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll when you start at gusto.com/MGG

00:29:53 SPONSOR: Pocket Hose. For a limited time, you can get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Just text MGG to 64000.

00:31:23 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 Shopify.com/MGG

00:32:49 SXSW: Phil Schiller & David Pogue Fireside Chat

David Pogue Apple: The First 50 Years

Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!

00:43:49 Joe-Question about Contact groups

00:48:32 Bill-How come my iPad shows different Mail than everything else?

00:54:45 Craig-Robo Calls showing up from Toll Free Numbers

00:59:52 Scott-What iPhone cases does everyone use?

OpenCase

Mujjo Leather Case

Tempered Glass Screen Protectors

Cool Stuff Found

01:14:02 Steve-CSF-Verizon Home Protect for $25/month is a great AppleCare+ alternative

01:16:35 Joe-CSF-1133-Crank can launch actions based upon user-configurable criteria

01:19:23 MGG 1134 Outtro

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[email protected]

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You get dropped right into geek therapy this week as you bounce from cult-favorite movies to Pixar shorts, then straight into practical Mac and iOS wins. You learn how to use the twenty-minute rule to bail on bad movies guilt-free, long-press your iPhone’s brightness to reveal Dark Mode and other hidden controls, and turn Live Listen into your stealth superpower for staying connected in noisy rooms. You also tighten up your iOS workflow by wrangling multiple photos, files, and links at once, and even rethink how often you actually need to say “Hey” to your devices. Don’t Get Caught missing the little system tweaks that make your Apple gear feel brand new again.

From there, you dig into real-world listener problems and come away with a cleaner network, a smarter Mac, and a more resilient data setup. You troubleshoot eerie eero behavior and learn how to coax stubborn 2.4 GHz-only devices onto your Wi-Fi, then set your Mac to auto-launch apps on wake with tools like Keyboard Maestro and Advanced SleepWatcher. You untangle VPN weirdness, then go full NAS-ty with guidance on migrating to a new Synology and choosing the right model using MGG’s comparison as your roadmap.

You wrap it all with Cool Stuff Found: Setapp’s new plans, rock-solid MailBackupX, US Mobile for nerdy cellular control, ForeverNotes for wrangling your brain, Titanium Software utilities, AppleCare+ plus Apple One savings, and TP-Link’s Wi-Fi Toolkit turning your iPhone or iPad into a pocket network analyzer.

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1133 for Monday, March 16th, 2026

March 16th: Robert Goddard Day

MGG Monthly Giveaway – Enter to win a copy of SoundSource from Rogue Amoeba!

Congrats to February’s winners!

The MGG Merch Store is Live!

00:03:39 Movie Reviews and Ratings

RocketMan with Harland Williams

Hoppers from Pixar

Twenty Minute Rule for Movies

Project Hail Mary Lego

Quick Tips

00:00:01 Si-QT-Long press brightness to toggle Dark Mode and more

00:09:17 Joel-QT-Use Live Listen to stay in touch

00:11:25 Pilot Pete-QT-Multiple Photos, Files, Links handling in iOS

00:15:55 Do you still say Hey?

Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!

00:19:30 Larry-Eerie things going on with the Eero

00:29:04 Setting up eero for 2.4GHz devices

00:31:32 Father John-How can I launch an app when my Mac wakes up?

Desktop Icon Manager

Advanced SleepWatcher for macOS

00:38:04 Michael-Why US VPN issues?

00:41:05 Revelations During Geek Therapy

Sponsors

00:47:38 SPONSOR: Pocket Hose. For a limited time, you can get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Just text MGG to 64000.

00:49:10 SPONSOR: Sundays for Dogs. Every bite of Sundays is clean and made from real meat, fruits, and veggies, with no kibble. Stanley loves it! Go right now to sundaysfordogs.com/MGG50 and get 50% off your first order. Or, you can use code MGG50 at checkout.

00:50:43 SPONSOR: Tempo. For a limited time, Tempo is offering my listeners SIXTY PERCENT OFF your first box! Go to TempoMeals.com/MGG.

Gettin’ NAS-ty

00:51:58 Patrick-How do I migrate my data to a new Synology?

01:00:47 Mike-Which Synology NAS should I buy?

Comparing MGG-focused Synology NAS

Cool Stuff Found

01:09:35 CSEvolved-Setapp adds new single-app purchase and subscription plans

01:12:07 Mark-CSF-MailBackupX to backup your Mail

01:13:01 Tony-CSF-US Mobile is built for nerds (Tony’s Referral Code: 6B9EAD23)

01:14:32 bbwerner on Threads-CSF-ForeverNotes for getting your notes in order

01:15:28 Niceville Steve-CSF-Titanium Software Utilities other than OnyX

01:16:41 Use AppleCare+ with Apple One to get bulk savings on AppleCare+

01:20:21 CSF-Wi-Fi Toolkit from TP-Link for iPhone and iPad

01:21:24 MGG 1133 Outtro

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You start this episode by supercharging your daily Apple workflow with rapid-fire Quick Tips: speaking the time from your wrist, taming screenshot previews, unzooming a stuck iPhone screen, batch‑moving iOS apps, and sharpening Live Text and document photos so you can capture, control, and share exactly what you want without friction. You also learn how to keep Chrome from quietly hijacking your mic levels before Zoom calls, plus clever ways to organize appliance manuals using NotebookLM and Apple’s Books app so that the answers you need are always a quick search away—Don’t Get Caught hunting for docs or fighting your own settings again.

From there, you dive into Mac Developer Gab with the MGG iOS app as a living example of how AI‑assisted coding becomes a collaborative partner instead of a replacement, including practical use of Claude Code’s Plan Mode to map changes before writing a line of code.

Then you pivot into Apple’s newly “affordable‑first” lineup—MacBook Neo, Air, and Pro, the new Studio Displays, iPhone 17e, and iPad Air M4—breaking down which model actually fits your real‑world use and budget, before wrapping with fixes for flaky AirDrop using the NFC “boop” trick and remote‑controlling Apple TV via hubs so your gear does what you want, when you want it.

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1132 for Monday, March 9th, 2026

March 2nd: National Banana Cream Pie Day

MGG Monthly Giveaway – Enter to win a copy of SoundSource from Rogue Amoeba!

Congrats to February’s winners!

The MGG Merch Store is Live!

Quick Tips

00:00:01 Dave C-QT-Hold two fingers on your watch screen to speak the time

00:07:16 Todd-QT-Turn Off Full Screen Preview ScreenShot change

00:09:18 Gary-QT-Three-finger triple-tap to unzoom your iPhone

00:15:10 Pilot Pete-QT-Move Multiple iOS Apps at Once!

Mac Developer Gab

00:16:57 Updating the Mac Geek Gab iOS app

Developing with AI Assisted Coding is a Collaborative Process

00:29:46 Using Claude Code’s Plan Mode

Back to Quick Tips

00:31:33 Gene-QT-Live Text Made Better

00:36:14 Pilot Pete-QT-Level Your Phone e.g. for Document Photos

00:37:59 Dave-QT-In Chrome, Disallow WebRTC to adjust the input volume to keep your mic set for Zoom calls

00:40:16 Joe-QTRevisited-1071-Use NotebookLM to store Appliance Manuals

00:43:00 Tony-QT-1131-Put User Manuals in the Books app

Sponsors

00:43:58 SPONSOR: Stamps.com With Stamps.com you can send from your computer or phone 24/7. No long lines, no low supplies, open any time. Go to stamps.com and use code mgg to get sixty days risk-free!

00:45:24 SPONSOR: CleanMyMac. Get Tidy Today! Try 7 days free and use our code MACGEEK for 20% off at clnmy.com/MACGEEK

00:46:56 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 Shopify.com/MGG

Reviews

00:48:29 Happy Camper-MGG Review-It’s what you learn after you know it all

00:49:17 digger4-MGG Review-Excellent show

00:49:29 StillRiverEditions-MGG Review-Makes the Apple universe fun, as it should be.

00:50:11 Neo-Wombat-MGG Review-Five Stars

00:51:25 New Macs and More!

Affordability seems to matter to Apple today!

Comparing the MacBook Neo, Air, and Pro

Where are the updates to the Mac mini and more desktops?

MacBook Neo – $599 – This is essentially macOS on an iPad

MacBook Air M5 – $1099

MacBook Pro M5 – $1699

27-inch Studio Display and Studio Display XDR – $1599

iPhone 17e – $599

iPad Air M4 – $599

Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!

01:07:35 Dan-How to Tame AirDrop Wonkyness

Use the iPhone NFC “Booping” Trick

01:15:21 Clif-Can I control my Apple TV remotely?

Jubilee Hub

Harmony Hub

01:21:45 MGG 1132 Outtro

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This Week’s MGG Premium Contributors

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[email protected]

224-888-GEEK

Active MGG Sponsors and Coupon Codes List

BackBeat Media Podcast Network

You drop into an iMessage quick tip and quickly branch into a whole toolkit for running your Apple life smarter. You learn faster ways to edit messages, how Slack’s up-arrow muscle memory carries over, and why platforms limit your edit window. From there, the show rolls into clever NFC and QR workflows for appliance manuals, Time Machine fixes over SMB on Synology, and a deep dive on spam and email hygiene: Fastmail’s undelete safety net, SaneBox’s smart filtering, Apple Mail’s categories, plus when to reach for SpamSieve or even your own chatbot to watch junk folders so you Don’t Get Caught losing important mail.

The crew also compares real‑world email providers, DNS setups (Cloudflare, Google, Quad9), and router‑level changes that stabilize your network. You get a reality check on legacy cruft—Trip Mode, MacFUSE, ancient launch agents—still loading after years of Migration Assistant, and how tools like Lingon and CleanMyMac help you audit what’s secretly running. On the fun-and-productivity side, you hear honest impressions of Apple Vision Pro: tabletop-style multiplayer games like Demeo, surprisingly usable virtual desktops, the importance of dual straps and decent cases, and when to skip hotel Wi‑Fi in favor of hotspots or a UniFi travel router so your Macs, iPads, and headsets all “think” they’re at home.

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1131 for Monday, March 2nd, 2026

March 2nd: National Banana Cream Pie Day

MGG Monthly Giveaway – Enter to win a copy of SoundSource from Rogue Amoeba!

Congrats to February’s winners!

The MGG Merch Store is Live!

Quick Tips

00:00:01 Fernando-QT-Command+E lets you edit your most recent iMessage on the Mac

00:07:39 Ian-QT-Put NFC Tags or QR Codes on your tools with links to user manuals

iFixIt Repair Guides and Manuals

00:11:03 That’s not Multitasking, That’s Cheating

00:13:16 Ben-QT-Select & Move Junk Mail Without Displaying its Content

Private Internet Access hides you from spammers

00:15:03 Ernesto-How do you deal with spam email?

SaneBox

00:25:20 Fastmail DOES offer a restore-from-backup option

00:27:13 Build domain-specific rules to filter spam

SpamSieve

00:31:34 David-Which email provider do you use?

Dave – Fastmail and Gmail

Adam – Gmail/Google and iCloud

Pete – Bluehost and iCloud

00:34:42 Migrating mail to a new provider

Sponsors

00:38:24 SPONSOR: Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll when you start at gusto.com/MGG

00:39:54 SPONSOR: BBEdit, the power tool for text from Bare Bones Software; now with integrated Notebooks and extended language support.

Audit your apps, Login Items, and Launch Agents

00:41:22 Pilot Pete-QT-MacOS 26 How I Fixed My Time Machine Backups on Synology after Tahoe

00:44:53 Tanel-DGC-Be aware of what you installed years ago

MacFUSE

CleanMyMac

Lingon

00:54:10 Will-QT-DNS Adjustment fixes Hinky Internet (That’s a Technical Term!)

Cloudflare DNS: 1.1.1.1

Google DNS: 8.8.8.8

Quad9: 9.9.9.9

OpenDNS

What do you use for Wi-Fi in Hotel Rooms?

01:00:13 UniFi Travel Router

01:02:15 Tethering to your iPhone

Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!

01:06:40 Rob-How do you like your Apple Vision Pro? How do you use it?

Demeo on Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest, and more

Syntech Apple Vision Pro Case

Belkin Case for Apple Vision Pro

01:22:06 MGG 1131 Outtro

MGG Monthly Giveaway

Bandwidth Provided by CacheFly

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

The Debut Film Podcast – Adam’s new podcast!

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MGG Merch is Available!

Mac Geek Gab YouTube Page

Mac Geek Gab Live Calendar

This Week’s MGG Premium Contributors

MGG Apple Podcasts Reviews

[email protected]

224-888-GEEK

Active MGG Sponsors and Coupon Codes List

BackBeat Media Podcast Network