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Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

This week’s Mac Geek Gab with Pilot Pete, Adam Christianson, and Dave Hamilton packs in quick tips, clever hacks, and gear finds to level up your Apple life. You’ll learn how to instantly turn screenshots into PDFs, scan docs like a pro, and understand why most Macs can’t handle 20Gbps USB. Get smarter about CarPlay cables, unlock better wireless GPS performance, and discover menu bar magic with tools like uBar, Sketchybar, and Looking Glass. Don’t Get Caught missing the debates over Apple Music vs. Spotify—plus which one wins for playlists and which takes the crown for audio quality.

When it comes to troubleshooting, you’ll see how to fix blank Mail previews, keep your number abroad for iMessage, and squeeze the most out of budget carriers. Round it out with negotiation strategies to lower your mobile and ISP bills, plus Wi-Fi service order tweaks and DHCP reservation tips to keep your Mac running smooth.

• 00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1103 for Monday, August 18th, 2025
  • August 18th: National Fajita Day
  • The MGG Merch Store is Live!
  • MGG Monthly Giveaway – Default Folder
• Quick Tips
  • 00:00:01 Pogo Kelly-QT-Turn Screenshots into a PDF in the Finder
  • 00:02:50 Karl-QT-CHiPs taught us some police 11-codes!
  • 00:04:34 Kiwi Graham-QT-Apple devices use randomized serial numbers
  • 00:07:36 Mike-QT-Files.app document scanning maxes out at 24 pages
  • 00:10:59 CSF-Genius Scan (free version)
  • 00:12:10 Peg-QT-Scanning using Image Capture
  • 00:13:48 Craig-1101-QT-Most Macs can’t support USB 20Gbps
• Sponsor
  • 00:16:37 SPONSOR: Caldera Lab. Guys, don’t settle for drugstore junk or steal your partner’s products—elevate your routine with skincare made for you. Head to CalderaLab.com/MGG and use MGG at checkout for 20% off your first order.
  • 00:17:59 SPONSOR: K12 can help your child start reaching their full potential in life now – and give you the support you need to get them there! Go to K12.com/MGG today to find a tuition-free K12-powered school near you and enroll now
  • 00:19:29 SPONSOR: BBEdit, the power tool for text from Bare Bones Software; now with integrated Notebooks and extended language support.
• Don’t Get Caught
  • 00:20:50 RandyWalker-DGC-Change Out Your CarPlay Cable
    • Coiled cable for CarPlay
  • 00:24:09 Wireless CarPlay and GPS Passthrough
    • CarLinkIt 5.0 Wireless CarPlay Adapter
• Cool Stuff Found
  • 00:30:16 PorthosJon-CSF-uBar, a Dock Enhancer
  • 00:32:16 Ben-CSF-Sketchybar to customize your menubar (video instructions!)
  • 00:34:30 Andrew-CSF-Looking Glass for Apple Music (or Spotify) to control Apple Music from your Mac’s Menu Bar
  • Some Cage Matches
    • A discussion of playlists, Apple Music vs. Spotify… Spotify wins
    • A discussion of audio quality… Apple Music wins
  • 00:42:44 Bob-CSF-Zip-Tie Cable Labels
    • Sivet Coffee
  • 00:46:35 Ben-CSF-Access: Passwords Companion
  • 00:47:44 CSF-Kris Black-Sidebar is a Setapp alternative to Ubar
• Sponsor
  • 00:49:05 SPONSOR: Wix puts incredible website creation at your fingertips with their AI site builder. It’s fun and it’s drag-and-drop easy. Go to Wix.com to start building your website today. Click this link https://bit.ly/43XQ3JB to start your free trial with Wix
  • 00:50:14 SPONSOR: Webroot. Get 50% off Webroot Total Protection or Webroot Essentials when you go Webroot.com/MGG. Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!
• 00:51:40 Mark-Mail Preview isn’t showing text
  • Rebuild Mail Indexes with Mailbox > Rebuild
  • Rebuild Mail’s Envelope Index
  • Or use OnyX
• 00:58:46 JKDawson-How to Maintain Tel. # while abroad for iMessage / AppleID?
  • Tello plans to maintain your phone number
• 01:06:09 Which budget carrier makes sense to use?
  • Mint Mobile
  • Verizon’s Visible (but you don’t get 5G)
• 01:10:55 Tips for renegotiating your mobile phone plan
  • …and your home ISP plan, too!
• 01:13:12 Grumpy Mike-1101-WiFi can be enabled but not associated
  • Setting service order for your Mac’s networks
  • Settings DHCP Reservations in your router
• 01:22:33 MGG 1103 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!
  • 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