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Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

Dave Hamilton, Pilot Pete & Adam Christianson

WWDC 2026 Reactions, Tailscale Tricks, and Charging Hacks That Work

Jun 15, 20261h 23m
Summary

In this episode of Mac Geek Gab, the hosts dive into a variety of practical troubleshooting tips and tech strategies. The conversation begins with a listener tip regarding the use of rectangular selection in apps like TextEdit, BBEdit, or VS Code to easily clean up unwanted characters when copying checklists from task management applications. The discussion then moves to hardware and battery management. The hosts emphasize the importance of understanding that recent MacBook models can charge via their USB-C ports, not just through the MagSafe connector. They also revisit the utility of the battery management application Aldente for extending battery health, particularly for devices that remain plugged in frequently. Furthermore, a listener shares a clever security-conscious travel tip: using a power bank as a buffer between public USB charging ports and personal devices to prevent potential data risks. Finally, the hosts clarify the functionality of Tailscale, specifically explaining the roles of exit nodes and subnet routers. They confirm that an iPhone can indeed serve as an exit node, and they touch upon the growing integration of AI tools for tasks like reformatting text and managing digital file bloat.

Updated Jun 23, 2026

About This Episode

WWDC 2026 Reactions, Tailscale Tricks, and Charging Hacks That Work – Mac Geek Gab 1146 episode image

This week on Mac Geek Gab, you’re stacking up power moves from the jump. You’ll learn how to clean up messy lists in your favorite text editor, discover that any USB-C port on your MacBook can charge it, and find out why you should be charging your power bank from random ports instead of your iPhone or Mac. iPhones can now serve as Tailscale exit nodes — and that leads down a tangent where the guys dig deep into subnet routing so you understand exactly what that unlocks.

You’ll also pick up how to save PDFs on iPhone when all you see is a print icon, how to use Apple Intelligence in Pages to reformat text as recipes, and how to clean up MacWhisper transcripts before anyone sees the raw chaos. Don’t Get Caught running Plex in Low Power Mode, either — there’s a fix for that. Dave also stumbled into a wild Fable moment when the AI found onto an unpublished API and decided to throttle itself back to Opus.

Then the crew pivots to WWDC 2026 reactions, and there’s a lot to unpack. One big theme is refinement and stability: the new Liquid Glass slider is a visual treat, and Dave’s already running the beta without disaster. Apple Intelligence is getting a serious upgrade, with Siri becoming more contextually aware of what’s on your device, though the guys push back on where it still falls short compared to tools like Claude Cowork. Parental controls got a surprisingly large share of the spotlight for a developer conference, signaling Apple wants to own the conversation around kids and screen time — this leads to the interesting question of whether spouses can choose to hold each other accountable. Apple Vision Pro gets a Siri Orb and custom panoramas, and iOS 27 dev beta now includes a Recovery mode. Adam’s live from Nerdtacular 2026, and if you’re heading to Macstock, the discount code MACGEEKGAB saves you fifty bucks!

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