680: Microsoft Retires SMS/Voice MFA, Salesforce SSO Headaches, and SOC 2 Realities

Sam and Joe discuss Microsoft’s plan to retire Microsoft-provided SMS and voice calls for MFA, with key dates of Sept 1, 2026 (users on SMS/voice are automatically enabled for passkeys and nudged to register) and Feb 1, 2027 (blocking enforcement for users whose only MFA is SMS/voice, no opt-out), noting paid/customer-managed telecom options and the need to warn clients, address legacy per-user MFA vs conditional access, and handle shared accounts via shared mailboxes or passkey-sharing tools. Sam recounts a prolonged Salesforce SSO/MFA issue worsened by poor vendor documentation and misleading AI guidance, ultimately tied to a Microsoft KB update. They then cover partnering with Fuji for client SOC 2 compliance support, emphasizing evidence, audits, costs, and ongoing maintenance, plus how cyber-insurance questionnaires drive security improvements. The episode also touches on residential support cases, Vision Pro support challenges with DRM blocking screen mirroring, and show wrap-up.

00:00 Show Kickoff

00:17 Microsoft MFA SMS Retirement

00:44 Key Dates and User Impact

03:28 Authenticator Backups and PSAs

04:40 Legacy MFA Cleanup Challenges

07:36 Conditional Access Licensing Risks

10:12 Shared Accounts and Passkeys

12:21 Salesforce MFA SSO Headaches

13:25 AI Missteps and Vendor Docs

17:50 SOC 2 Help from Fuji

21:23 SOC 2 Costs and Maintenance

22:49 Easy Buttons and Real Audits

26:27 Cyber Insurance Questionnaires

27:53 Partnering for Expertise

29:07 Cyber Insurance Foot in Door

30:31 Apple Store Referral Win

31:01 Lightroom Migration Pitfalls

34:31 Blocked Contacts Mystery

38:04 Email Search and User Training

40:02 Supporting Vision Pro Clients

47:28 Amazon Returns and Exceptions

50:24 Wrap Up and Callouts

674: Champing at the Bit for iOS 27 and Ghostly Hackers

The hosts discuss Jerry installing iOS 27 beta on an iPhone 15 Pro Max and watch, reporting strong stability, snappy performance, and minor reported edge-case crashes, while noting Siri AI requires newer hardware due to RAM constraints and that others find the new Siri improved. Joe shares a fresh issue deploying an MDM configuration profile to disable Siri: users still received “unable to use Siri” prompts because “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’” could remain enabled, requiring removing the profile, turning it off locally, and reapplying; Apple Intelligence also wasn’t fully disabled. Sam describes improving client offboarding by building a monday.com form that feeds Zendesk tickets, and the group compares running lean teams, using subcontractors and Foundation as pay-as-you-go helpdesk support (including an optional branded phone line). They also cover business uncertainty, tax-law changes affecting S-corps, and handling time-consuming “I’ve been hacked” client calls.

00:00 Show Kickoff Banter

00:35 iOS 27 Beta First Impressions

01:42 Installing Live and Siri AI Limits

04:40 MDM Glitch Disabling Siri

07:52 Advising Clients on Apple AI

10:16 Offboarding Workflow in Monday

12:25 Solo Juggling Without the Team

15:49 Jerry Business and Tax Updates

19:05 Hacked Device Panic Call

20:51 Explaining Normal iOS Mac Features

22:46 Clean Bill of Health Limits

24:07 Lean Teams and Overhead

28:51 Using Outsourced Helpdesk

29:58 Onboarding Big Client While Away

34:56 Pricing and Custom Phone Line

37:57 How to End Free Calls

41:56 Defining Success and Boundaries

45:23 Wrap Up and Outro

672: Apple TV Picks, Disclosure Theories, and Practical macOS Admin Tips

The hosts discuss Apple TV shows they were late to, including The Morning Show and For All Mankind, and talk about Hail Mary Project, comparing the film’s “E.T.-esque” choices to Andy Weir’s book. They segue into UFO/alien “disclosure” chatter, mentioning Spielberg’s upcoming Disclosure Day, the film Age of Disclosure, alleged legacy programs, and the idea that disclosure could distract from other news. The conversation returns to Apple and IT topics: an Apple fix for managed login window settings not resetting, a Family Sharing change allowing adult members to use their own payment methods, and why hidden Wi‑Fi networks trigger Apple security warnings. They share productivity tips, including a Shortcut to sort Contacts by creation date, NFC tag uses, remapping Safari’s Quit shortcut, menu bar icon spacing via defaults write, Finder column auto-sizing, and Boring Notch. Jerry describes building a client podcast studio around the RØDECaster Video S and Rode support, then they explain using Adigy DDM to automate macOS updates and upgrades with policies, scheduling, and monitoring alerts.

00:00 Show Kickoff Banter

00:18 Apple TV Catch Up

02:12 Hail Mary Debate

04:25 Disclosure Day Talk

07:32 Mac Login Banner Bug

09:47 Family Sharing Payments

10:50 Hidden WiFi Warning

13:25 Contacts Sort Shortcut

17:47 NFC Shortcut Ideas

20:38 Safari Quit Remap

24:00 Menu Bar Icon Tools

24:56 Menu Bar App Trust

26:16 Declutter Menu Bar

27:09 Shrink Icon Spacing

29:04 Finder Column Autosize

30:28 Boring Notch Tricks

32:10 Building Podcast Studio

33:17 RodeCaster Video S

39:27 Video Podcasts Debate

41:51 DDM Updates Workflow

49:20 DDM Policies and Alerts

55:32 Wrap Up and Patreon

670: Adam Engst (TidBITS) Apple at 50 — The Anniversary Nobody's Talking About: Community, HyperCard, and What We Lost

670: Adam Engst (TidBITS) Apple at 50 — The Anniversary Nobody's Talking About: Community, HyperCard, and What We Lost

Adam Angst of TidBITS reflects on Apple’s 50 years through the lens of early tech idealism, arguing that what mattered most wasn’t Apple itself but the community around it, which was weakened by shifts like the end of Macworld keynotes, Apple’s vertical integration, and the decline of user groups and independent resellers. He contrasts the Mac’s early “create” ethos (e.g., HyperCard) with later emphasis on communication and content consumption via iPod, iPhone, and social media, while noting growing societal harms from tech giants. Angst describes renewed excitement in creation via AI tools, citing apps he built for track training and race pacing. He recounts how his 1993 Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh bundled software (including MacTCP) and a flat-rate ISP account, prompting an Apple Legal scare resolved by the MacTCP product manager, and closes by urging people to ditch social media and “go outside.”

00:00 Part Two Kickoff

00:37 TidBITS Anniversary

00:52 Apple 50 Reflections

01:59 Pre Web News Era

04:33 Early Internet Optimism

05:20 Flame Wars Then

07:31 Apple Idealism Fades

10:20 Community Was The Magic

11:45 Macworld And User Groups

14:00 Vertical Integration Shift

17:25 Apple Turning Points

22:20 Creators To Consumers

25:43 From Consumption to Creation

26:01 Bicycle for the Mind

27:27 AI as Research Assistant

28:26 Building Runner Tools

29:40 Pacing Math Problem

33:25 AI MVP to Real Code

36:04 Internet Starter Kit Origins

40:56 Apple Legal Scare

43:09 Invent a Better Future

46:04 Go Outside Finale

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Best Of CCP - 200: Not So Off The Rails

Sam Valencia, Jerry Zigmont and Joe Saponare discuss working with Apple technology and clients. Drawn from their combined experience of over 20 years in the Apple Consultants Network, thaey discuss technical support issues both with the technology and working with clients.

665: Apple’s 50th Anniversary Old Shortcuts, and What Still Delights - Part 2

The hosts revisit early Apple and Mac experiences and discuss first keyboard shortcuts, focusing on “Command Control Power” after a photographer client referenced it while troubleshooting a MacBook Pro that died on location from a drained battery. They debate the proper shortcut key order versus Apple’s conventions, recall Apple II shortcuts like Control–Open Apple–Reset, and reflect on floppy-drive workflows and multi-disk backups. The conversation shifts to Apple’s attempts to break into business hardware, Steve Jobs’ impact and management style, and a perceived reversal where hardware fit-and-finish improved while macOS feels buggier, with annual OS releases and settings moving cited as problems. They note Rapid Security Response/Background Security Improvements placement changes, praise Apple Watch and AirPods, share audience photos and Apple memorabilia, and close with gratitude to Apple, colleagues, and listeners.

00:00 Apple 50th Kickoff

00:27 Shortcut Origin Story

01:08 Photo Shoot Panic

02:17 Shortcut Order Debate

03:27 Open Apple Keys

05:16 Save Changes Shutdown

07:33 Floppy Boot Days

09:02 Apple In Business

12:22 Jobs Magic And Myth

14:03 Modern OS Buggy Era

19:27 Settings Search Problem

23:17 Yearly OS Cadence

26:04 Planned Obsolescence Talk

27:46 Software Sells Hardware

28:07 Mac CPU Transitions

29:12 Snow Leopard Lessons

31:37 Intel Era Reality Check

33:11 Security Updates Moved

34:22 Throwback Mac Photos

35:52 Daily Delight Devices

40:12 Old iPhones and iPods

42:29 Apple Employee Card

44:37 Startup Office Memories

46:13 50 Years of Apple