Old Contact, Who Dis?

You’ll learn how to ask S-Lady to find a family member through Find My so you don’t have to call them, and why Command-Backtick (one key up from Tab) cycles windows inside a single app while Command-1, 2, 3 hops tabs in Safari, Chrome, Comet, and even Mail. You’ll follow Dave down the iPhone system data rabbit hole, where 59GB of mystery storage led to a full wipe, a genuinely useful “keep eSIMs and erase data” option, and then 52GB creeping right back three days later. You’ll turn an always-on Mac mini into an AirPlay music server you drive from the Remote app, so the party keeps playing after you make a beer run. You’ll discover that Terminal’s Secure Keyboard Entry checkbox is why your TextExpander and Rocket Typist snippets quit firing. And you’ll hear the cheapest Wi-Fi fix in history: delete the speed test app. Plus, AI as a genealogy research partner: the kind that surfaces buried leads you verify yourself.
Don’t Get Caught after a macOS update wondering why Hazel stopped filing your bank statements: the rules were fine, but Spotlight’s index was in a bad state, so rebuild it with OnyX or Terminal and reboot. You’ll get real numbers on the Apple Upgrade Program: zero percent APR, financed through Klarna, three mandatory choices at the end of your term, and a “good condition” clause nobody defines. You’ll learn the Apple Watch Ultra 4’s screen really is bigger than Series 12’s, and that a 99-cent app called O2 Buddy puts blood oxygen back on your wrist. Then you’ll rethink family contact cards using smart lists built on a keyword in the Notes field, and hear why Contacts is the one thing Dave has ever lost to sync. Watch where new contacts get saved, or you’ll be staring at a text thinking…old contact, who dis? Closing it out: why Siri still wants a data connection for requests that should never leave your phone.
00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1160 for Monday, September 21st, 2026
September 21st: Wife Appreciation Day
MGG Monthly Giveaway – Win a license to SuperDuper! 4
The MGG Merch Store is Live!
Quick Tips
00:00:01 Ask S-Lady to find a family member with Find My (Si)
00:03:05 Cmd-Backtick switches windows; Cmd-[number] switches tabs within an app (Dennis)
00:06:31 Fixing iPhone system data: keep your eSIMs and erase the data (Dave)
00:12:47 Use your Mac as an AirPlay music server (JW Blat)
00:15:43 Terminal’s Secure Keyboard Entry blocks your text expansion snippets (Pilot Pete)
TextExpander
Rocket Typist
00:18:15 Fix your Wi-Fi by deleting the speed test app
00:25:50 Use AI as a genealogy research assistant (Russ)
MGG Reviews at https://macgeekgab.com/reviews
00:32:33 “Best podcast out there” (VirtualStash)
Don’t Get Caught
00:33:45 After a macOS update, the Spotlight index was in a bad state (Pilot Pete)
OnyX
Or rebuild the Spotlight index from Terminal, then reboot:
sudo mdutil -a -i off
sudo rm -rf /System/Volumes/Data/.Spotlight-V100 /.Spotlight-V100
sudo mdutil -a -i on
Sponsors
00:36:49 SPONSOR: Shopify. If you’re ready to stop putting off your business and start selling, sign up for your free trial and start selling today at https://Shopify.com/MGG
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Apple Event Errata and Updates
00:39:16 How does Apple Upgrade Program pricing work? (Tom)
00:51:48 The Apple Watch Ultra 4 has a bigger screen than the Apple Watch Series 12 (Tim A)
00:54:24 O2 Buddy brings blood oxygen data to your Watch anyway (Bob)
00:56:26 What did your geeks order?
Your Questions Answered
01:00:16 What’s the best way to manage family contact cards in Contacts? (David)
01:08:40 Why does Siri need a data connection for offline requests? (DJ Val)
01:16:28 MGG 1160 Outro
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...