People who use their Macs to back up or sync their iPhones and iPads have discovered they must enter their device passcode for every connection. What’s up with that?!? Adam Engst explains: it’s Apple’s ham-handed response to a security vulnerability.

Mac users sometimes see the prompt “A software update is required to connect to your iPhone/iPad” when connecting one of those devices. What should you do if the installation fails?

It turns out that Contacts on the Mac stores extra invisible characters with every phone number, which can cause trouble when copying and pasting them into some online forms. Here’s what’s going on and how to work around the problem.

Apple has updated all of its operating systems, adding the Freeform digital whiteboard app, support for Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, Apple Music Sing, Stage Manager on external displays, and various smaller improvements. A fix for a serious security vulnerability encourages updating soon.

The October 2022 update to Microsoft’s Office apps was the last one for users running macOS 10.15 Catalina. Upgrade to at least macOS 11 Big Sur to continue receiving enhancements, bug fixes, and security updates to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote.

If you’re among those who dislike having notification badges permanently affixed to iOS apps, you may be frustrated by the badge on the Settings app that nags you to set up Apple Pay. Here’s how to get rid of it without enabling Apple Pay.

Annoyed by an “It’s time for Google Chat” dialog displayed by Brave on every launch, Adam Engst spent more time than he should have figuring out how to prevent the dialog from appearing.

Are you starting to have a little trouble with hearing loss? Don't put off seeing a healthcare professional, but it's worth seeing if the Live Listen feature of the AirPods Pro can help you hear better. One study suggests it might.

After hearing about Ventura upgrade problems from a reader, Adam Engst did some research to determine that you should try to have at least 37 GB free before upgrading to Ventura. And how you determine that 37 GB might matter.

Thanks to gallium nitride technology, OneAdaptr was able to create a svelte 65W USB-C charger that can plug into any international power outlet and lets you charge up to six devices at once.

For many people, Messages gains some of the most welcome new features of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS 13 Ventura. You can now mark messages as unread, edit messages, unsend messages, and more.

Google announced that it would require payment for legacy G Suite accounts earlier this year before relenting in May, albeit with a short deadline. One of consultant Ivan Drucker’s clients nearly lost her long-standing G Suite email address—and all stored email—due to not knowing who had set up the account many years ago. With the application of lots of electronic elbow grease and a dose of luck, he was able to recover her account.

Apple has confirmed that a bug in iOS 16.0 is causing problems during activation for new iPhone 14 buyers. Workarounds involve connecting to a Mac or PC during the process or upgrading to iOS 16.0.1, which also requires using a Mac or PC before activation.

Is your AirTag still not working after replacing the battery? The most common cause is that certain batteries from Duracell have a bitterant coating that renders them unpalatable to small children and AirTags.

Apple’s AirTag and other Find My trackers—along with Find My-tracked Apple devices—may be too aggressive about telling you where they are—or aren’t. They can be useful for tracking luggage and other valuables while traveling, particularly with others, but you will likely need to tune your settings to reduce notifications.