Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

All Rhyme, No Reason, Just Tabs

Jan 5, 2026

Kickstart your year with practical Apple tips! Learn to build year-based playlists for offline listening and save battery life with Airplane Mode. Rely on the Health app for medication reminders and master the Cmd-Shift-5 shortcut for quick screenshots. Discover how Google Sites can serve as an effective bookmark manager, and get insights on managing VPNs and Apple TV. Plus, explore strange Safari tab behavior and clever tools for managing backups and tracking Apple refurb inventory. It's an enlightening guide to level up your Apple game!

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ADVICE

Make Year-Based Music Playlists

Create year-based playlists (e.g., 1975–1985) to refresh your shuffle and break listening monotony.
Use these focused lists when offline to ensure varied, familiar music during travel.

ADVICE

Use Airplane Mode To Save Battery

Turn on Airplane Mode when you have no cell coverage to stop radios hunting for towers and save battery.
Consider automating this with shortcuts if you often travel to low-signal areas.

ADVICE

Use Health App For Medication Schedules

Use the Health app's Medications feature to schedule complex dose patterns and log when you take them.
Rely on its reminders and logs to provide accurate medication history to your doctor.

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All Rhyme, No Reason, Just Tabs — Mac Geek Gab 1123 episode image

You kick off the year by tightening your Apple habits, starting with smart Quick Tips that actually stick. You build year-based music playlists for offline listening, flip on Airplane Mode when you’re out of service to save serious battery, and let the Health app handle reminders for meds and eye drops so nothing slips. You’re reminded of power-user staples like Cmd-Shift-5 for screenshots, learn how Google Sites can double as a surprisingly effective bookmark manager, and get clarity on when and how to disable VPNs properly, including on Apple TV for region-locked content. Along the way, you discover tools that reliably track Apple refurb inventory and dig into the oddly fascinating logic behind Safari’s tab close order.

Then it’s time to not get caught. You hear why Time Machine now warns you when your backup drive is too small, why storing Notes “On My Device” can bite you later, and how increasing cloud storage often means increasing local storage, too. Listener questions keep things practical, from tracking a missing Apple TV remote to deciding when an iPad beats a laptop. A deep dive into strange Safari tab behavior brings it all home, followed by Cool Stuff Found that helps you update Macs more intelligently, evaluate startup risks, replicate Mac setups with Ansible, and even capture insights from podcasts using AI. It’s a fast, practical reset that helps you start the year sharper, safer, and a little more in control.

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1123 for Monday, January 5th, 2026
- January 5th: National Whipped Cream Day
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  - BusyCal (with code MACGEEK10)!
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  - MacPaw
  - CCC Backup
Quick Tips
- 00:00:01 Joe-QT-Make Year-based Music playlists for offline listening
- 00:04:44 John-QT-Use Airplane Mode to save your battery when you’re out of service
- 00:06:53 Steve-QT-Use the iPhone Health app to remind you about medications, eye drops, and more!
  - CES 2026 Sponsor: BusyCal (with code MACGEEK10)!
- 00:12:26 Avraham-QT-Remember to use Cmd-Shift-5 for Screenshots
- 00:17:36 Andrew-QT-1115-Use Google Sites as your Bookmarks manager
- 00:21:32 Jason-QT-1122-Shut off your VPN from within the app, not Settings
- 00:23:03 Joe-QT-Use AppleTV VPN for region-locked content
- 00:28:51 Ben-1121-Refurb Tracker reliably tracks Apple refurb inventory
- 00:30:22 Ben-QT-There’s Logic to Safari Tabs Close Order…right?
Don’t Get Caught
- 00:32:11 Doug-DGC-Time Machine now warns you if your drive is too small
  - CES 2026 Sponsor: CCC Backup
  - CES 2026 Sponsor: MacPaw
- 00:41:29 Jose-DGC-1104-Be aware if you’re storing Notes On My [Device]
- 00:43:50 Doug-DGC-Increasing cloud storage means increasing local storage
Reviews
- 00:46:37 Apv9-MGG Review-Absolutely Essential LIstening for Apple Users!
Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!
- 00:47:41 Skylar-Can I track my Apple TV remote?
- 00:50:17 Which remote control do you use?
- 00:53:27 Glenn-When do you reach for your iPad vs. your laptop?
  - OmniOutliner
- 01:02:54 Juergen-Why the crazy tab behavior?
- 01:09:20 CES 2026 Coverage Sponsors
- Eero
- Ecamm for Zoom integration
Cool Stuff Found
- 01:11:39 Steve-CSF-Latest for updating your Mac’s software
  - SwitchGlass
- 01:13:01 Arvydas-CSF-MacPersistenceChecker to risk-score all your startup items
- 01:14:17 Alan-CSF-1121-Use Ansible to replicate user preferences between Macs
- 01:15:16 Dan-CSF-SnipD AI-powered Podcast app for capturing and learning from episodes
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