Guide

About OS X System Integrity Protection aka ‘Rootless’ and how to disable it

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 1, 2016

All Macs with OS X El Capitan installed on them have a new layer of security known as System Integrity Protection, which has been given the nickname 'Rootless' because it closes off a lot of system files to user access to prevent malicious programs and code from causing harmful changes to the core of OS X.

For some, the added security feels like a must for protection of your personal information, but for more advanced users who poke their noses into system files quite often, the feature can get in the way and prevent user modifications to the operating system. In this tutorial, we'll give you an overview of System Integrity Protection and show you a way to disable it.

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Everything you need to know about the location services built into your Mac

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated April 23, 2019

Not long ago, we took you through an overview of the location services settings that come with your iOS device and told you all about how you can increase your privacy by configuring your location services wisely.

It's worth noting, however, that even your Mac uses your location for certain things; and with that in mind, you may want to look at your location services settings on your Mac to make sure you're limiting what you need to limit and are only allowing location services for the things you actually use.

In this walk-through, we'll explain the location services settings that come with macOS and tell you all about what might be using your location in the background.

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Siri making random outbursts? Here’s the fix

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated May 29, 2019

It's happened many times to me before, and I can relate to those that it happens to – you're trying to be quiet in the middle of class or in the middle of a meeting for work, and all of a sudden you hear a random noise and then Siri starts blabbering.

Siri says "I didn't quite get that," or "Sorry, I missed that."

In this tutorial, we'll show you how to solve this problem once and for all.

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How to use Siri to toggle system settings

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Siri is the personal voice assistant pre-installed on your iOS device. Introduced in iOS 5, the voice assistant allows a wide variety of functions, conversions, information queries, and fun comments to be invoked with just your voice.

But did you know Siri can also be used to toggle certain system settings on or off too? In this tutorial, we'll show you how.

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How to bulk delete attachments from the Messages app on iOS

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated May 19, 2023
iPhone mockup showing how to delete many message attachments at once

Apple's Messages app for iOS is capable of not only sending and receiving texts in the form of iMessages or SMS, but it can also send and receive files, which are known as attachments. Over time, attachments add up. This takes up valuable storage space on your device and keeps a paper trail of everything you've sent and received to one another.

Here, we'll show you how you can easily bulk delete attachments from a conversation in the Messages app without deleting the entire conversation.

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Sound issues when connecting your Mac to a TV with HDMI? Try this

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 26, 2016

On the right side of all modern MacBook Pro models is an HDMI port used for digital video and sound. It's a great way to take in all of your favorite movies on the big screen.

On the other hand, if you wanted to use external speakers or headphones, it can cause issues if your sound settings aren't configured just right because HDMI itself is also an audio out port in addition to video out.

In this piece, we'll walk you through how to make sure your audio out is going to the right place.

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Need a coin toss or roll of the dice? Have Siri do it

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated August 20, 2018

When it comes right down to it, you may not always have a coin or a die in your pocket, but fortunately, you probably have your iPhone with you, and all recent iPhones can take advantage of the pocket voice assistant Siri.

Siri is a powerful tool, and you may not have known this, but if you forgot your coin and die at home, Siri has you covered for all of your chance-taking needs – she never forgets hers! In this tutorial, we'll show you how to have Siri flip a coin or roll a die for you.

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