Reclaim Your Storage: iCloud, RAM & Space-Saving Secrets

This week on Mac Geek Gab 1150, Pilot Pete, Adam Christianson, and Dave Hamilton pack an Embrace Your Geekness Day episode with Quick Tips you’ll put to work immediately. You’ll learn how to schedule birthday messages so you never miss one, silence those pesky automatic Shortcuts notifications, and give Apple Intelligence the context it needs to actually help. From automating Theater Mode the moment CarPlay connects, to using your iPhone to check for ticks, to texting “Marco” so your lost iPhone sings until you find it, these are the tips that keep you sharp. You’ll also dig into searching Safari history to retrace your steps, building Smart Folders to hunt down space-hogging files, and using Photos’ Map utility to surface shots from wherever you are.

Then it’s your questions, answered. You’ll find out how to identify and clear runaway RAM, where Messages in the Cloud actually lives, and how to reclaim iCloud storage with tools like PowerPhotos and Gemini 2. You’ll get the real story on Time Machine drives and Spotlight, plus how to speed up sluggish Notes syncing. In Cool Stuff Found, the crew serves up Catchin’ Sync, the OBSBOT Tiny 3 webcam, Hyperspace for reclaiming space with file clones, and imessage-exporter to back up your texts. It’s an hour-plus of geek gold, and if you tune in every week, you Don’t Get Caught missing the fix you needed.

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1150 for Monday, July 13th, 2026

July 13th: Embrace Your Geekness Day

MGG Monthly Giveaway – Win a license to Mole

Quick Tips

00:00:01 Jim-QT-Schedule Sending of Birthday Messages

00:04:16 JT Ray-QT-Disable automatic Shortcuts notifications

00:06:33 QT-Apple Intelligence and its context

00:09:26 Todd-Automate Theater Mode when CarPlay is enabled

00:10:44 Troy-QT-Use your iPhone to check for ticks

00:12:49 Larry-QT-Text Marco to your lose iPhone and have it play a song until you find it