Kick off 2026 with smart security habits: back up every device, stay current on software updates, outsmart phishing attempts, avoid sketchy sites, and streamline your logins with a password manager.
Austin Mac Works Blog: Austin MacWorks
Create Reminders to Return Calls Directly in the Phone App
Missed a call? Keep follow‑ups from slipping through the cracks by setting a callback reminder right in the Phone app on iOS 26 and iPadOS 26.
Clean Up Your Mac’s Login Items for Better Performance
Speed up your Mac’s startup, reduce conflicts, and improve security by cleaning out old login items. It takes just a minute in System Settings.
Five Ways to Protect Against Forgetting Your Apple Account Password
Don’t let anyone you know get locked out of their Apple Account if they forget the password. Learn how to set up different recovery methods—then help your family and friends protect their accounts too.
Reminders (Finally) Adds Time Zone Support
Traveling across time zones? Reminders in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26 finally lets you set a time zone per reminder so alerts fire at the right local “wall clock” time.
Automate Your Mac with Folder Action Scripts
Automate Mac file chores like moving, renaming, or tagging files with folder action scripts that run whenever files change. You can even get an AI chatbot to write the script for you.
Spotlight Gets Brighter in macOS 26 Tahoe
Spotlight in macOS 26 Tahoe received a major upgrade, and you can now filter results, run app actions, search sites directly, and browse clipboard history—all starting from a quick press of Command‑Space.
Backups: Trust but Verify
Don’t just trust your backups—verify them. Each quarter, restore a few files from Time Machine, your clone, or your cloud backup, and make sure they open correctly. Silent failures happen; test restores prevent nasty surprises.
Don’t Miss Calls and Texts: How to Use New Phone and Messages Filtering
Buried by spam calls and texts—but worried about missing something important? Learn how Apple’s new Phone and Messages apps can screen and filter calls and texts without causing you to miss that doctor’s call or delivery text.
Be Alert for Deepfake Phishing Scams
Phishing has a new face—literally. Scammers can now use AI tools to fake voices and videos that look real. Before you act on an “urgent” request, look for audio or visual clues and verify through another channel.
Super insightful and fresh perspective.
Well explained and easy to follow.
So glad I stumbled upon this.
Looking forward to your next post!
Truly a masterpiece of content.