Charles Martin
3
Thu May 30 2024, 11:04 PM EDT · 3 minute read
User accounts listed on the login screen of the author's Mac
On occasion, you may want to allow other people in your home to access your Mac, but not your personal account. We'll show you how to set up and manage temporary guest users.
If you are routinely sharing your Mac with someone else, it might be best to set up a second administrator or just a Standard user account for them. For short-term access, for visitors as an example, you can create a Guest User account.
Doing so allows limited use of your computer without a password needed, or any access to your other accounts. It is important to note that nothing is retained in the Guest User account once the guest logs out.
In order to create a Guest User account, you must have an Administrator account. If you are usually the sole user of the Mac, your account is already an Administrator account.
In your own account, go to the Apple menu, and select System Settings, then choose the Users & Groups option. You will see every existing account on your Mac, with your own listed as Admin.
The Guest User option will typically be listed as "Off." Click on the "Info" button to the right of the Guest User account to see the available options for a Guest User account.
Creating a Guest User account
Here, you can rename the Guest User account if desired. Next, turn on the Allow guests to log into this computer switch.
You can also choose also turn on options, such as Limit adult websites, which will require your administrator password to change. Once activated, it will block access to known adult sites.
You can also choose to Allow guest users to connect to shared folders by activating the accompanying switch.
Once you log out of your own account, you may still see a login page with only your account. If this happens, click on the icon for your own account, and the others should appear.
Guest Users can't install software, can't make system changes, and can't remotely log into that account from another device. Any files created in a Guest User account are stored in a temporary folder, which is deleted when the guest logs out.
If a guest user has created something on your Mac that they'd like to save, there are some options. They can store it in their own cloud storage solution, copy it onto a portable storage device, or email it to their home or other email address — but they must do this before they log out.
They can also store files in a shared folder from another computer on your network, if you've allowed that option. The Find My service is also available to guest users to help locate lost devices if they had that option set up on those devices.
It's important to note that if you have FileVault turned on for your machine, guest users can only access Safari. They cannot create files on the computer at all, or access anything on the drive.
Guest User accounts are intended for short-term, temporary access to very limited parts of a Mac. Once the need for a Guest User account has passed, you can deactivate the account.
To do so, use your own Admin account to return to System Settings, then Users & Groups, and turn off the switch that allows guests to log in to your computer.
If someone will be needing frequent access to your Mac, the Guest User option may be too limited for their needs. You also have the option of setting up a Standard account, which has some limits, but is not as restrictive as the Guest User account.
Standard users can install applications and change their own settings. They cannot add or delete other accounts, or change any other users' settings.
If you have family members or others who will regularly be using your Mac, consider giving them a Standard account. Only the owner(s) of a Mac should have an Administrator account, and for security reasons it should have a unique, strong password that non-admins don't have access to.
Creating a Standard user account on a Mac.
You create additional users in the Users & Groups section of System Settings. Click on Add User to begin the process, and add the user's name, the account name, the password for that account, and a password hint.
Then, click on the blue Create User button to create the account.
Once you have more than one account on your Mac, you can choose which one to log into from the startup screen. If you only see one user on the startup screen, click on that icon to reveal other accounts.
To change between accounts, click on the "person" icon on the right side of the menubar, usually located between the Wi-Fi indicator and the Spotlight search icon.
ADAM ENGST 7 December 2025
In “Comparing the Classic and Unified Views in iOS 26’s Phone App” (10 November 2025), I wrote about the Classic view’s Recents screen:
Tapping a recent call dials it, whereas tapping the ⓘ button to the right opens the contact card associated with the call.
In contrast, Unified view’s Calls screen displays a different behavior:
Tapping a recent call shows the associated contact; to redial the call, you must tap the blue phone or camera (for FaceTime) button to the right.
The only visual difference is the button to the right, which lets you override what happens when you tap anywhere else on the call. In Classic view, it’s an info ⓘ icon, whereas in Unified view, it’s a phone icon.
I have strong opinions about this tap-a-call interface. As I wrote in the previous article:
I have hated this interface with a burning passion for years because it’s far too easy for a stray tap to start an unwanted phone call that I must then frantically cancel and often explain in a message to the accidental recipient so they don’t call me back.
Put simply, an interface shouldn’t make it too easy to perform a destructive action or create more work for you, and inadvertent calls can easily create more work. You may prefer a different behavior than I do, but I hope we can all agree that it’s good to have a choice of whether a tap on a recent call initiates a callback or opens its associated contact.
But isn’t it weird that the way you toggle the tap-a-call behavior is by switching the Phone app’s view? What if you like Unified view but prefer that tapping a recent call starts a callback rather than opening a contact?
In an example of a poorly designed, nearly undiscoverable interface, Apple actually provides a setting for this, but it’s accessible only when the Phone app is set to Unified view—props to Paul Kafasis of Rogue Amoeba for alerting me to this train wreck of an interface.
To find it, make sure the Phone app is in Unified view, open Settings > Apps > Phone, and scroll down past Calls to where you’ll see Tap Recents to Call. Here’s the odd part: if you switch the Phone app to Classic view and then return to Settings, the Tap Recents to Call switch disappears, and Hold Assist Detection slides up. Switch Phone back to Unified and return to Settings again, and you’ll see Tap Recents to Call reappear, pushing Hold Assist Detection down. (If you’re unlucky, Settings will crash instead—I saw several crashes while exploring the feature.)
This is deeply wrong. “User interface elements should not come and go based on settings adjusted elsewhere,” said Paul Kafasis, while holding his nose and fanning the air with his hand, in an exaggerated gesture of disgust aimed at Apple. (Hey, tip me off to a hidden interface atrocity, and you too can write your own quote.)
A basic tenet of interface design is predictability: controls must look and work the same way every time, or people lose trust in their ability to use the system. The most egregious example of a changeable interface (outside games, where unpredictability may be the point) came in Microsoft Word 4, where Microsoft had a brief fling with “short menus,” a mode that hid menu items for less common features. Thirty-five years ago, I criticized Word 4’s short menus in “Word 5.0 Wishes” (4 March 1991):
Another major contributor to the interface headaches is the “Short Menus” feature (I’ve heard an instructor in a class once say that Short Menus is a bug, not a feature.). With Short Menus turned on, most of the menu items disappear, resulting in complete and utter confusion when the user wants to perform an action whose menu item no longer exists.
But this is 2025, not 1991, and the unpredictability of the Phone settings is entirely unnecessary. If we agree that the default behavior for tapping a call should be user-configurable, why should that be true only in the Unified view? There’s no reason to prevent those who prefer Classic view from changing the tap-a-call behavior.
I have suggested to Apple that this tap-a-call option apply to Classic view as well, and I’ve reported that the Settings app crashes while toggling the option. We’ll see if anything changes in future versions of iOS.
Andrew O'Hara
2
Tue Dec 30 2025, 01:50 PM EST · 4 minute read
Some of my favorite devices to release in 2025
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.
Based on the ever-churning rumor mill, it sounds like 2026 is going to be a banner year for tech fans. That said, I still found a bunch of great gear in 2025 to tide me over from Apple Home devices to chargers.
2025 didn't end up being "Year of the Smart Home" as I initially hoped it would be. Apple punted its next-generation version of Siri till 2026, along with its much-discussed phantom smart display.
Accessory makers weren't held back though, with a ton of new smart home devices launching. Despite a growing list of favorites, I managed to try to winnow things down to a few mass-appeal items that I think stood above the rest.
A few years ago, I didn't have a single Aqara item in my home. I had tried a few, but I wasn't a fan of requiring a hub to do everything.
Jump forward to 2025 and I can't think of a smart home company pushing boundaries more than Aqara is. I've purchased probably a dozen G100 cameras for family members and its FP2 presence sensor is incredible with little competition.
The one that I wanted to highlight though is the Aqara G5 Pro camera that comes in both USB-C and POE-powered versions. This Apple Home-enabled camera supports HomeKit Secure Video, Aqara's cloud platform, or even a local NAS for video recording.
The Aqara G5 Pro is so fast, it's the best Apple Home camera out there
It has a durable design that works both indoors and outdoors, even with the USB-C version, to withstand the elements. It has a built-in spotlight that can be independently controlled with excellent night vision and 2K video capture.
With an onboard Thread radio, it can act as a Thread router, extending your Thread mesh network to the outdoors. This is great for remote sensors, like the ones I have on my mailbox to let me know when it is opened and closed.
Best of all though, it's fast. Shockingly so compared to every other Apple Home camera I have tested. When you access the camera, it goes live almost instantly and never goes offline.
That is with the Wi-Fi version, and I have to assume the hardwired POE version is even faster. Simply put, this is the best camera for Apple Home users right now.
If you'd like to try one, they have them on Amazon for $119 right now. The G100 are much simpler, but I can also attest that they are equally as fast and reliable if you don't need all the bells and whistles.
My second favorite launch of 2025 wasn't necessarily a single product, but rather a new spec. Qi2.2 was made official, which is the wireless charging spec based on Apple's MagSafe.
The Qi2.2 version ups the supported wireless speed to 25W, from only 15W. It supports magnetic wireless charging all the way back to iPhone 12, but on the latest devices — like iPhone 17 — it supports the maximum 25W.
Qi2.2 gives you the convenience of MagSafe with nearly the speed of a cable. Since Apple adopted it, we've seen several chargers launch from all the major players like Nomad, Belkin, Anker, Aukey, and more.
Of those out, I have three favorites. They are the Anker Prime Wireless Charger, the Belkin UltraCharge Pro 3-in-1, and the Kuxiu X40 Turbo.
Belkin was the first to release an actively-cooled 25W Qi2.2 charger
The UltraCharge Pro from Belkin was the very first to hit the market and has a nice compact design with a soft-touch finish to the body. I like the chrome look, and it has active cooling to keep the temperatures down.
Anker's solution is impressive as it not only has fantastic speeds but several other nice touches. The power supply is a tiny 65W GaN charger, it has an NFC tag to run automations, and Bluetooth support to customize the display or charging performance.
Kuxiu is solid because the X40 Turbo folds down into a tiny little puck that is great to take with you. It is the most compact by far and even comes with its own travel case.
All three are currently listed on Amazon. The Anker Prime Wireless Charger is $160, the Belkin Ultra Charge Pro is $129, and the Kuxiu X40 Turbo is $79.
Rounding out my list is another power product, the Anker laptop battery pack. It has a massive airline-friendly 25,000mAh capacity, three 100W USB-C ports, and a total of 165W of power output across all four outputs.
It even has both a retractable cable built-in and a second cable to act as a lanyard. There's a useful display that shows all current input and output speeds, battery health, and temperature.
Anker's 25mAh battery pack has been my go-to battery for travel
This originally launched at CES 2025, and I have been using it almost constantly ever since for travel. It's the perfect size to slip into the side pocket of a backpack while also packing enough juice to charge even my 16-inch MacBook Pro.
I love the retractable cable too because I don't need to always have a Type-C cable handy. If I do want to plug in something like a MagSafe puck or legacy USB-A device, the two female ports are there if I need them.
ADAM ENGST 12 December 2025
Last month, among all the usual email I received was an anxious missive from a TidBITS reader—we’ll call her Beverley, largely because that’s her name. While walking down the street in El Calafate, a tourist town in Patagonia, Argentina, Beverley was approached by a woman with a British accent who asked if she spoke English. The woman claimed she was looking for a hotel shuttle pickup location and showed Beverley a map on her phone, but it was fuzzy and hard to read.
Being helpful, Beverley pulled out her iPhone 17 Pro and opened Maps to get a clearer view. While she was comparing the two maps and trying to locate the marked spot on the other woman’s map, Beverley’s iPhone vibrated. The woman immediately made a lighthearted comment: “Oh look, I’ve probably shared all my contacts with you!”
After Beverley pointed out the location (a block or so to their right), several other women who “looked more local” approached. The original woman said to them—in English—that she had found someone who spoke English, thanked Beverley, and then walked off confidently to the left, showing none of the hesitation you might expect from someone genuinely lost who had just been told to go in the opposite direction. The other women went with her. When Beverley followed at a distance, the group turned a corner and quickly disappeared down an alley.
Beverley was left with an unsettled feeling and the worry that the woman was trying to compromise her iPhone. Several details stood out in retrospect. The woman’s iPhone had a white cylindrical accessory attached to the bottom—about half an inch in diameter and the width of the phone—which Beverley initially assumed was a backup battery; its unusual form factor raised concern later. Plus, when Beverley’s iPhone vibrated, there was no accompanying onscreen notification, and the woman’s comment about sharing contacts came immediately afterward, as though she was trying to explain it away. Finally, the woman walked in the opposite direction from where she’d asked for help, and the other women disappeared quickly as well.
Worried, Beverley went to change her Apple Account password using her iPhone, but because she had Stolen Device Protection on and was in an unfamiliar location, she had to wait an hour after starting the task. Later, back at the hotel, she changed it again using her iPad to be doubly sure.
That’s when she wrote to me—should she change the passwords for important accounts, given that her potentially compromised iPhone would be used for authentication? Would resetting the iPhone be overkill, given that restoring an iCloud backup while traveling might be difficult? Should she contact Verizon about possible SIM cloning? Needless to say, traveling without a functional phone is challenging these days, so she was hesitant to proceed with a plan that might leave the iPhone in a problematic state.
Although I agreed that the encounter seemed sketchy, I was pretty sure that her iPhone hadn’t been hacked. For backup, I cc’d Rich Mogull, our security editor. Rich confirmed that he is unaware of any attacks that would work on a device like that, and called the iPhone 17 Pro “the most secure consumer device available,” noting that Apple has added new hardware protections in the latest iPhone models.
The most likely explanation for the vibration was NameDrop, an iOS feature that makes it easy to transfer contact information when two iPhones are brought close together. NameDrop is controlled by a setting in Settings > General > AirDrop > Bringing Devices Together. When enabled, placing two iPhones close together triggers the contact-sharing interface. The woman’s quick comment about “sharing contacts” suggests she knew what had happened and was trying to normalize it.
However, NameDrop should show an animation and a notification along with a vibration, which Beverley didn’t recall seeing. In testing, I couldn’t establish a NameDrop connection without that animation, and it always results in a notification or a contact poster that needs to be dismissed manually. This behavior occurred even on an iPhone that wasn’t signed in to iCloud. Although Beverley later confirmed that she had AirDrop set to Contacts Only, I discovered that the Bringing Devices Together setting is independent from the AirDrop settings. That means iPhone proximity can initiate contact sharing even if AirDrop is set to Receiving Off. Even then, no information is exchanged unless you explicitly approve the action.
So was this even a scam? Lost tourists often ask for navigation help, even in this age of online maps. If you’re far from your destination in an unfamiliar city—or accidentally mapping to an incorrect but similarly named destination—mapping directions can seem very off. Rich Mogull even said he had a similar experience in New York City the week before with a tourist who was utterly lost.
In the end, I’m left weighing two possibilities:
We’ll never know for sure, but after several weeks back home, Beverley has seen no signs of malicious activity on her iPhone or online accounts. It seems safe to say it wasn’t the sort of sophisticated, if fictional, attack often shown on TV and in movies. (Those also usually rely on USB because plugging in cables and waiting for data to download is more dramatic than some hypothetical wireless attack.)
After learning what happened, Beverley wondered whether the lesson was simply not to help people while traveling. That would be a sad conclusion to draw. The real lesson is to help people while staying aware of your surroundings and protecting your belongings.
From a technical standpoint, I hesitate to recommend anything that would feed unnecessary paranoia. But these settings seem reasonable:
If you have an unsettling encounter similar to what Beverley experienced, it’s worth monitoring for unusual behavior—things like unexpected charges, roaming or data spikes, unprompted Apple Account sign‑in alerts, or eSIM changes. Be extra alert for phishing; don’t tap links in urgent email or text messages—navigate directly to the website to verify. If nothing odd shows up in the next day or two, you’re almost certainly safe.
In short, modern iPhones are highly resistant to opportunistic attacks, and most “weird tech moments” on the road aren’t evidence of hacking. Stay helpful, keep proximity sharing in check, use biometrics, and stay alert—caution without paranoia is the right balance.
