CarPlay Widgets, eSIM Swaps, Photo Preservation & AI Assisted Living
Sep 22, 2025
Explore a treasure trove of Quick Tips for maximizing your Apple devices, including enabling CarPlay widgets and capturing full-res video screenshots. Discover innovative tools like StockTrackr for Apple Store inventory and GoodSync for effortless backups. Learn how eSIM swapping works and tackle e-waste concerns while delving into AI's future impacts on assisted living. Uncover effective strategies for preserving family photos with smart backups and planning for legacy access. Practical hacks to save you time, money, and sanity abound!
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Try Perplexity Pro Free For A Year
Get a free year of Perplexity Pro by signing up via PayPal and cancel before the trial ends if you don't want to continue.
Perplexity Pro gives access to multiple AI engines and higher limits for research and prompts.
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Enable Widgets In CarPlay
Enable CarPlay widgets in iOS 26 by opening the information screen and swiping to the widgets panel, then customize in Settings → General → CarPlay.
Your iPhone adapts widget size to your car and may show one or two stacks depending on the car's screen.
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Use ChatGPT To Search Podcast Content
Use ChatGPT to search the web and your show notes with simple prompts like "on the Mac Geek Gab podcast what dash cam does Pilot Pete like".
The model can point to the exact episode and timestamp when your content is indexed.
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You kick things off with a stack of Quick Tips that make your Apple gear feel smarter. From getting a free year of Perplexity Pro, to turning on CarPlay widgets in iOS 26, to using ChatGPT itself to search for Mac Geek Gab answers (like which dash cam Pilot Pete prefers), you’re reminded how powerful the tools you already have can be. You’ll also learn how Apple Maps saves your recent routes, how to grab a full-res screenshot from a video, and why buying an AirPrint-capable printer is always the move. The point: these bite-sized tweaks add up fast, and you don’t want to miss them. Don’t Get Caught overlooking the simple wins.
From there, you dive into Cool Stuff Found and listener Q&A that blend everyday utility with future-facing tech. MGG-listener vibe-coded StockTrackr helps you spot Apple Store inventory, GoodSync makes backups painless, and UGreen’s clever AirTag key accessories keep your essentials trackable. You also face the reality of e-waste, the looming Nest thermostat cutoff, and how AI is evolving from assisted coding to assisted living—crafting web pages, logic, and even graphics on command. Questions push you deeper: swapping eSIMs, nuking stubborn trash files, using Tailscale exit nodes for Netflix, and preserving family photos for generations. The thread through it all? Practical hacks that save your time, money, and sanity.
Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting 
