Treat Your TV Like a Monitor

Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

You kick off this episode with a rapid-fire blast of Quick Tips that sharpen how you use your Mac, iPhone, and apps every day. You learn how to tame iOS typing quirks, get the most out of dictation in ChatGPT’s Mac app, clean up Safari’s sidebar, and jump straight into System Settings with an alphabetical view. Then you dive into the spam-text battlefield, where forwarding to 7726, filtering, and blocking help you stay ahead. And because it’s Mac Geek Gab, you’re reminded: Don’t Get Caught letting your smart TV monitor more than you expect.

From there, you get practical answers to real listener questions: backing up external Photos Libraries, deciding whether you trust Tailscale (and your relatives!), keeping network drives mounted in macOS 26, and dealing with the fact that Messages aren’t included in your Apple Data Archive. You round things out with a strong Cool Stuff Found segment covering tools to clean your menu bar, manage your watch history, secure your Mac, replace Bento, and more. It’s a full week of tips that tighten your workflow and expand what your Apple gear can do for you.

• 00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1118 for Monday, December 1st, 2025
  • December 1st: Eat a Red Apple Day
  • MGG Monthly Giveaway – Enter to win a copy of OpenIn!
  • The MGG Merch Store is Live!
  • MGG’s CES 2026 Sponsors:
    • BusyCal (with code MACGEEK10)!
    • Eero
    • Ecamm
    • MacPaw
    • CCC Backup
• Quick Tips
  • 00:00:01 Darrin-QT-Set Amazon Auto Buy
  • 00:04:47 Susan-QT-Maybe disable “slide to type” to tame iOS typing?
  • 00:07:09 QTR-Dictating to ChatGPT’s Mac App is really handy
  • 00:07:59 Bruce-QT-1116-Manage Safari’s Sidebar to your liking
  • 00:09:11 Gene-QT-System Settings Alphabetical List
  • 00:13:28 DGC-Dealing with those SPAM Text Messages
    • Forwarding to 7726 Reports SPAM to your carrier
    • Screen, filter, report, and block text messages on iPhone
• Don’t Get Caught
  • 00:18:09 Todd-DGC-Beware of your TV selling data about you
  • 00:22:45 ATC-DGC-Know about Mouse Keys
• Sponsors
  • 00:27:02 SPONSOR: Aura Frames. Relive your favorite holiday traditions—every day. Visit AuraFrames.com and get $45 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames – named #1 by Wirecutter – by using promo code MGG at checkout.
  • 00:28:39 SPONSOR: Shopify. For anyone to sell anywhere, sign up for a one-dollar-per month trial period at Shopify.com/MGG and upgrade your selling today!
• Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!
  • 00:29:48 Larry-How to back-up an external Photos Library?
    • Task Organization – Bombich Software
  • 00:33:25 Allison-How MUCH do you believe in Tailscale…and your relatives?
    • Splashtop
  • 00:37:23 DLH-1117-Messages are not a part of your Apple Data Archive
    • iMazing
  • 00:44:14 Uncle Jamie-Keep Network Drives Mounted on MacOS 26?
    • Automounter for macOS
    • MGG Discord
  • 00:46:45 SccrHallways-CSF-Google Antigravity agentic IDE for coding
• Sponsors
  • 00:54:32 SPONSOR: Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/mgg #rulapod
  • 00:56:14 SPONSOR: BBEdit, the power tool for text from Bare Bones Software; now with integrated Notebooks and extended language support.
• Cool Stuff Found
  • 00:57:36 Terry-CSF-Moonlock Security Suite by MacPaw (Setapp)
  • 01:00:43 Allison-CSF-Ice for managing your Mac’s menu bar
  • 01:02:00 n-Greg from LA-CSF-Vanilla to Manage your Mac’s Menubar
  • 01:04:44 TheDaveAbides-CSF-Plex Universal Watchlist and Channels Stream Links
    • Stream Link Manager for Channels
  • 01:06:53 Joe-QT-1115–Trakt only stores your passwords on your local device(s)
  • 01:12:08 Mark M-CSF-1112–Tap Forms Pro as a great Bento/Filemaker replacement
    • AirTable
    • Panorama X
• 01:14:16 MGG 1118 Outtro
  • MGG Monthly Giveaway
  • Bandwidth Provided by CacheFly
  • MGG’s CES 2026 Sponsors
  • 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 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