Hands-On Mac (Video)

Ever wondered how to level up your Mac gaming experience with built-in features most users don't know about? Mikah Sargent leads gamers into Mac's game mode and controller connectivity, revealing tricks for gamers and tech enthusiasts.

-Game Mode Overview
A special Mac feature exclusive to macOS Sonoma 14 and Apple Silicon devices that optimizes gaming performance. When a game is in full screen, the system prioritizes the game's CPU and GPU access while reducing background task resource consumption.

-Game Mode Activation and Controls
Automatically activates when a game is in full screen mode. Users can toggle game mode on/off through a small controller icon or by swiping with three fingers and accessing the main screen.

-Bluetooth Performance Boost
Game mode doubles the Bluetooth sampling rate, improving wireless device performance. This is particularly beneficial for gaming accessories like controllers and wireless headphones, ensuring smoother audio and input synchronization.

-Controller Connectivity
Modern Xbox and PlayStation controllers can easily connect to Macs via Bluetooth. The system provides detailed controller settings, including battery percentage, button mapping, and custom profiles.

-Advanced Controller Settings
Mac offers comprehensive controller customization options, including: Button remapping, Haptic feedback adjustment, Light bar color customization, and Game-specific control profiles.

-Buddy Controller Feature
A unique accessibility feature that allows two controllers to function as one, helping less experienced players (like children) participate in games more comfortably.

-Recording and Capture Options
Users can set up custom controller buttons to trigger screen recordings and game captures, enhancing the gaming experience and content creation potential.

Use Game Mode on Mac - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/en-us/105118

Connect a wireless game controller to your Apple device - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/en-us/111099

Connect a PlayStation wireless game controller to your Apple device - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/en-us/111100

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Mac at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac

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Save space harmlessly on macOS! Mikah Sargent explores Hyperspace, a clever Mac app that helps users reclaim disk space without deleting any files. Unlike traditional cleaning apps, Hyperspace leverages the APFS (Apple Protected File System) to optimize storage by identifying opportunities to create space-saving clones of duplicate data. Traditional systems create entirely new files for each version, while APFS cleverly maintains one copy of the base data with different metadata references, saving significant space.

Users who have had their Macs for a long time or work with mixed file systems are most likely to benefit from Hyperspace, as they may have files that aren't optimized for APFS. The Hyperspace app (from Hypercritical) is free to download and scan with, but reclaiming space requires either a one-time unlock or subscription payment.

Hyperspace: Reclaim Disk Space - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hyperspace-reclaim-disk-space/id6739505345?mt=12

Hypercritical: Hyperspace - https://hypercritical.co/hyperspace/

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Mac at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac

Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

In this episode of Hands-On Mac, Mikah Sargent explores the Print Center utility in macOS - an essential but often overlooked tool for managing printers and print jobs. Mikah gives a comprehensive walkthrough of the app's features, showing how it can help troubleshoot printer issues and manage your printing needs without requiring bloated third-party software.

Accessing Print Center - Mikah demonstrates multiple ways to open the utility, including using Spotlight (Command+Space), the menu bar search icon, or navigating through Finder to Applications > Utilities

Viewing connected printers - The sidebar displays all connected printers with status indicators

Adding new printers - Mikah shows how to add printers using the plus icon, explaining the three connection methods

Connection protocols - AirPrint is recommended when available as it makes the printer accessible across all Apple devices, not just Macs

Printer management options - The interface allows pausing print jobs, viewing detailed printer information, and checking supply levels for ink or toner

Scanner integration - For multifunction printers, Print Center provides access to the scanning functionality through the Image Capture app

Right-click menu options - Users can make a printer the default, add it to the Dock for quick access, or remove and re-add printers for troubleshooting

System Settings integration - The Printers & Scanners section in System Settings provides similar functionality but with additional options like printing test pages

Job history tracking - Print Center keeps records of completed print jobs, helpful for remembering which printer was used in multi-printer environments

Printer webpage access - Mikah highlights how Print Center provides direct links to printer web interfaces, avoiding the need to install bloated manufacturer software

Manage printers and print jobs - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/manage-printers-print-jobs-center-mac-mchl33bd189d/mac

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Mac at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac

Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Mikah Sargent shares essential tips for troubleshooting Bluetooth issues on your Mac in this episode of Hands-On Mac. Learn how to resolve connectivity problems and get your devices working smoothly again with these step-by-step instructions.

In this episode, Mikah covers:

• Restarting your Mac: The simplest and often most effective first step in resolving Bluetooth issues
• Toggling Bluetooth on and off: Quickly turning Bluetooth off and back on in the System Settings can help re-establish connections
• Unpairing and repairing devices: "Forgetting" a previously connected device and setting it up again as new can fix persistent problems
• Accessing advanced Bluetooth information: Holding the Option key while clicking the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar reveals device addresses and firmware versions for connected peripherals
• Force quitting Bluetooth processes: Using Activity Monitor to quit the "bluetoothuserd" background process can help reset the Bluetooth system when other methods fail
• Checking for device-specific issues: Ensuring your Bluetooth devices are fully charged and running the latest firmware can eliminate connectivity troubles
• Minimizing interference: Keeping potential sources of interference, like microwaves, away from your Bluetooth devices can improve stability

By following these troubleshooting steps, you'll be well-equipped to tackle most Bluetooth problems on your Mac and keep your wireless peripherals connected and working reliably.

Bluetooth settings on Mac - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/bluetooth-settings-on-mac-blth8111/mac

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Mac at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac

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This episode sees Mikah Sargent walking through the newly announced Apple Invites app. This event invitation tool allows one to invite friends and family to an occasion (like a BBQ) even if the recipients don't have an iPhone. Importantly, a user needs to have an iCloud+ subscription in order to create an event.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Mac at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac

Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

In this episode, Mikah Sargent walks through step-by-step instructions for turning off the new Apple Intelligence features that are enabled by default on iPhones, iPads, and Macs running the latest software. Disabling Apple Intelligence will turn off capabilities like enhanced writing tools, accessing ChatGPT via Siri, and more.

• Apple Intelligence is a set of AI features now enabled by default on iPhones, iPads and Macs running the latest software.
• Some users may want to disable Apple Intelligence and stick with standard device functionality
• On a Mac:
  • Go to System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri
  • Toggle off "Apple Intelligence"
  • This will disable Apple Intelligence features and revert Siri to basic functionality
• On an iPhone or iPad:
  • Go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri
  • Toggle off "Apple Intelligence"
  • This disables enhanced features and changes "Talk and Type to Siri" option to just "Talk to Siri"
  • Toggles off on-device AI models which frees up storage space
• Models can be re-downloaded by re-enabling Apple Intelligence in settings
• Typing to Siri can be enabled separately via accessibility settings when Apple Intelligence is off

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Mac at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac

Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

In this episode, Mikah Sargent explores Apple's new Clean Up feature, part of the Apple Intelligence suite, which aims to remove distractions from photos.

• Clean Up is a new feature in macOS Sequoia's Photos app that uses on-device machine learning to remove unwanted objects from images
• To use Clean Up, enter edit mode, select the Clean Up tab, and either click, brush, or circle the object to remove
• Mikah tests Clean Up on a photo of a puppy with a toy in the background; it successfully removes the toy but loses some pillow texture
• On a building photo, Clean Up struggles to properly remove a person, distorting the stairs
• Clean Up has difficulty fully removing an iPhone and keyboard from a spatial photo of Leo Laporte
• Apple's on-device approach to machine learning, driven by privacy, currently falls short of Google's server-side Magic Eraser feature
• Clean Up is available on all Apple devices that support Apple Intelligence features, including iOS and iPadOS

Host: Mikah Sargent

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Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Extensions in macOS Sequoia can take your system's functionality to the next level, and Mikah Sargent is here to show you how. Learn to set up, manage, and customize extensions for Finder, Photos, Spotlight, and more. Whether you're looking to boost productivity or streamline tasks, this episode covers everything you need to make the most of macOS extensions.

Change Login Items & Extensions settings on Mac - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-login-items-extensions-settings-mtusr003/15.0/mac/15.2

Host: Mikah Sargent

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Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

The macOS dock is more powerful than you think! Mikah Sargent demonstrates how to customize the dock's layout, use hidden shortcuts, and manage apps and folders like a pro. Whether you're a seasoned Mac user or new to macOS Sequoia, this episode will show you how to maximize efficiency and keep your desktop organized.

Use the Dock on Mac - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/open-apps-from-the-dock-mh35859/15.0/mac/15.2

Use folders in the Dock on Mac - Apple Support https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-folders-in-the-dock-mchl231f08fb/15.0/mac/15.0

Host: Mikah Sargent

Want access to the video version and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

macOS Sequoia brings powerful Siri updates to Apple Silicon Macs, and Mikah Sargent is here to guide you through them. Learn how to control your Mac with voice commands, integrate ChatGPT for advanced queries, and adjust Siri's settings to match your workflow. This episode will help you unlock Siri's full potential, making it more useful than ever on your Mac.

• How to use Siri on your Mac - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/how-to-use-siri-mchlb66b4ad6/15.0/mac/15.1.1
• Use Apple Intelligence with Siri on Mac - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-apple-intelligence-with-siri-mchl0f933212/15.0/mac/15.0#iph13e934e37
• Change Siri settings for accessibility on Mac - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-siri-settings-for-accessibility-mchl5715a9f2/15.0/mac/15.0

Host: Mikah Sargent

Want access to the video version and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

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