Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

Mirrors are Wi-Fi's Mortal Enemy

Aug 11, 2025

Ever wondered if mirrors can mess with your Wi-Fi? You're not alone! Discover how reflective surfaces sabotage signals and strategies to counteract it. Learn clever tips for managing Apple Watch unlocks to avoid accidental calls and ways to clear your iPhone's keyboard dictionary easily. Need help with your Dock on multiple monitors? An AppleScript has got you covered! Plus, explore the world of data-blocking gadgets, enhanced password management, and how to troubleshoot pesky AirPlay issues—all while answering listener questions!

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ANECDOTE

Mirror Moved The Wi‑Fi Problem

Craig discovered his Wi‑Fi problems moved when his wife relocated a large floor mirror near a satellite.
The mirror's metallic construction blocked and moved the problematic connections between satellites.

ADVICE

Clear Keyboard Dictionary Only

Do not reset your whole device to remove learned keyboard words.
Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Keyboard Dictionary to clear only the keyboard dictionary.

ADVICE

Use Inspector For Sticky File Info

Use Finder's Inspector instead of Get Info for faster, sticky file details.
Press Option+Command+I to open Inspector and browse metadata as you move between files.

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Mirrors are Wi-Fi's Mortal Enemy – Mac Geek Gab 1102 episode image

Mirrors killing your Wi-Fi? You’re not imagining it. This week on Mac Geek Gab 1102, you’ll learn how metal surfaces sabotage your signal…and what to do about it. From smarter ways to manage your Apple Watch unlocks (hint: avoid accidental calls) to clearing your iPhone’s keyboard dictionary without going full nuclear, the Quick Tips are flying fast. Want your Dock to behave on multi-monitor setups? There’s an AppleScript for that.

Don’t Get Caught thinking “Until Tomorrow” actually means tomorrow…battery limits may surprise you. And if AirPlay is acting up, you might be powering off your speaker in the wrong order. Plus, you’ll discover data-blocking USB-C gadgets, secret vaults for your passwords, and whether SMB is a safe bet now that Time Machine is ditching AFP. All that, and more listener questions answered with your three favorite geeks leading the charge.

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1102 for Monday, August 11th, 2025
- August 11th: National Align Your Teeth Day
- MGG Monthly Giveaway
00:04:13 Your Opinions on MGG’s Titular Methodology?
- PowerPress from Bluberry
Quick Tips
- 00:00:01 Craig-QT-Mirrors are WiFi’s mortal enemy!
- 00:13:04 Andrew-QT-Clear iPhone keyboard dictionary without Nuke and Pave
- 00:13:49 Craig-QT-Inspector is better than Get Info
- 00:16:21 Bruce-QT-1101-Don’t Unlock with Apple Watch to Avoid Dialing!
- 00:18:58 Steve-QT-1101-Require FaceID for Phone app to avoid butt-dialing
Sponsors
- 00:20:45 SPONSOR: Webroot. Get 50% off Webroot Total Protection or Webroot Essentials when you go Webroot.com/MGG.
- 00:22:08 SPONSOR: Strawberry.me. Own Your Future. Discover what’s possible with a professional coach by your side. Visit Strawberry.me/MGG or use code MGG to claim your $50 credit today.
- 00:23:49 SPONSOR: DeskMat for Mac allows you to cover your Desktop with a single click, providing cleaner screen sharing, video conferencing, streaming, and distraction-free work.
MOAR Quick Tips
- 00:25:14 Joe-QT-1100-Use Pill Organizers for holding screws during a teardown
  - iFixit – FixMat
00:27:52 David-QT-1099-AppleScript to move the Dock back to primary monitor
- do shell script "defaults write com.apple.dock orientation -string left; killall Dock; sleep 1; defaults write com.apple.dock orientation -string bottom; killall Dock”
Don’t Get Caught
- 00:30:55 Antony-DGC-Battery Limit Changed “Until Tomorrow” doesn’t always mean “tomorrow”
- 00:33:04 DGC-Apple’s Calendar.app doesn’t always send invites through Google.
- 00:36:32 Scott-DGC-Turning Off a Speaker Before Disabling Airplay Can Prevent Normal Function of your Mac Audio
Cool Stuff Found
- 00:39:21 Seth-CSF-Access: Private Vault for Passwords
- 00:40:05 What Password Manager do you use?
- 00:45:52 Kevin-CSF-1101–USB-C (and USB-A) Data Blocker
Sponsors
00:51:53 SPONSOR: Coda, the one Doc to rule them all. Bring your text and tables together! Get six months of the team plan for startups for FREE at Coda.io/mgg.
00:53:21 SPONSOR: IDEO U. Practical, relevant courses designed to seamlessly transition you from theory to practice. Get 15% off at IDEOU.com/mgg.
Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!
- 00:54:48 Bjørn-Why won’t music play through my phone’s speaker?
- 01:01:19 Craig-Apple is dropping AFP support for Time Machine Backups. Is SMB OK to use?
  - “Future versions of macOS will no longer support AFP network disks to Time Machine backups”
- 01:04:44 David-Why Cardio Recovery Data Not syncing from Watch to Health App
01:17:04 MGG 1102 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
- feedback@macgeekgab.com
- 224-888-GEEK
- Active MGG Sponsors and Coupon Codes List
- BackBeat Media Podcast Network