Apple’s Focus can silence distractions when you need quiet time, but its complexity can cause you to miss important notifications. Learn how to configure it safely—and avoid the pitfalls that lead to missed calls and messages.
Austin Mac Works Blog: Troubleshooting
Losing Messages or Calls? Look in the Unknown Senders/Callers Filter
Missing texts from unknown numbers? iOS 26 filters them into hidden lists. Here’s where to find them in the Messages app—and how to mark senders as known so you don’t miss important messages. PS: The same applies to calls in the Phone app.
How to Find and Silence the Browser Tab That’s Playing Audio
Drowning in open tabs and can’t find the one playing sound? Look for the speaker icon on the tab itself, or use Safari’s address bar icon or Chrome’s music note for quick control.
How to Look Up a Saved Wi-Fi Network Password
Apple makes it easy to share Wi-Fi passwords without requiring anyone to type them. We explain how you can do this nearly automatically, with a QR code, or by looking up the password and copying it so you can paste it into an email message or text.
Upgrade to macOS 26 Tahoe When You’re Ready
When should you upgrade to macOS 26 Tahoe? There’s no rush to install it today, but we believe it’s safe for those who want to take advantage of the new features. Here’s what to do before, during, and after the upgrade.
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.
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.
Charge Your MacBook with the Right Power Adapter
Lost your MacBook charger? Don’t grab just any USB power adapter—using one that’s too weak can result in no charging, glacial charging, or battery drain while you work. Here’s the minimum wattage you need for each MacBook model.
macOS 26 Tahoe Introduces New Recovery Assistant
macOS 26 Tahoe brings a new Recovery Assistant, which automatically detects and attempts to resolve Mac problems. Just remember: automated recovery can be helpful, but backups are still essential.
Follow This Advice Before Switching to a New iPhone 17
It’s exciting to get a new iPhone, but don’t dive in willy-nilly. Instead, take a few minutes to read our advice on what you should do before and after transferring your data from your old iPhone.
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Love how practical this post on Be Very Careful with AI Agents! is. It filled in a couple of gaps…