Thursday, April 7, 2022

Recent Questions - Ask Different

Recent Questions - Ask Different

Charging a MacBook M1 with MagSafe 3 and USB-C wall outlet

Posted: 07 Apr 2022 07:07 AM PDT

Something I've been wondering for a while is would be safe or bad for the laptop somehow to charge my 16" MBP M1 simply by plugging my MagSafe 3 charge cable's USB-C end directly into a wall outlet has a USB-C port on it. In essence, I'd just be using this cable.

Nominally, the port puts out 5V 3.3A. The desire to do this stems from the fact that I could eliminate that wall brick from the counter. I wouldn't charge the laptop in this manner while in use, just while in standby/sleep.

I've done the same thing with a Dell Precision 5560 but I cared about that machine a litle less. Just curious about thoughts here.

How to investigate cooling resp. kernel_task problem

Posted: 07 Apr 2022 06:18 AM PDT

On my macbook pro 2019 I'm running into this issue, where the infamous kernel_task starts blocking my computer after a couple of hours.

I know that many people are experiencing similar issues for many different reasons, but none of the approaches I've researched so far seem to work for me. So I really hope you can help me.

  • Typically I'm working for a couple of hours using basic stuff like Zoom, Chrome and my programming IDE and everything seems fine. No lags etc. Macs Fan Control is showing the following measurements:

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  • Then, after 4-5 hours suddenly my whole computer gets very laggy. After checking the Activity monitor, I can see that kernel_task is taking up 100-300% CPU percentage.
  • This kernel_task process seems to be a system strategy to block CPU usage and prevent further heating of the hardware that could potentially cause damage.
  • This happens instantly after 4-5 hours of normal work. I do not run extra programs. The temperatures are still at ~60-65°C.
  • I can stop the lagging, if I close almost all programs. But as soon as I open up some basic programs again (Zoom, Chrome) it starts lagging again

I'm now wondering on how to further investigate this issue and identify the cause of the problem:

  • While Macs Fan Control is showing that the fans run at max speed, I don't feel very much air coming out of the macbook case. Maybe the fans don't work properly or are dirty?
  • Can you tell me why my macbook decides to start kernel_task if the CPU and GPU temperature are at ~60-65°C? This doesn't seem too hot to me.

Things I've tried:

  • Making sure the laptop is placed on a good stand.
  • Unplugging all devices including monitors, power supply etc.
  • Resetting SMC

EDIT: Cleaning the fans actually solved my issue!

Can I enable "Hey Siri" only when using AirPods?

Posted: 07 Apr 2022 05:06 AM PDT

I have "Hey Siri" turned on so I can use my phone hands-free when my AirPods are in (if I'm running, washing dishes, etc.). But I'd prefer not to have it listening all the time.

Is there a way to configure "Hey Siri" so it only listens through AirPods, but is otherwise disabled?

Why might Photos be "Unable to upload" certain image files?

Posted: 07 Apr 2022 06:01 AM PDT

Just to be clear, I have masses of free space on iCloud. This is not a storage space issue.

I'm using Photos 7.0.

I have a variety of images in the "Unable to upload to iCloud" folder, and they don't appear on iCloud.

Photos itself seems to be perfectly happy with them. They are mostly .tif files of slide scans, and RAW Pentax .pef files.

Weirdly, I have previously been able to upload these items to iCloud, with an earlier version Photos.

Also weirdly, the "Unable to upload to iCloud Photos" condition for smart albums doesn't show the same items (or indeed any items).

There is no indication why there is a problem with these files. I am pretty sure that it's related to the file type or some metadata though. Is there:

  • some way of finding out what the issue is?
  • something that might remedy the problem?

Does QuickTime automatically record stereo audio into mono?

Posted: 07 Apr 2022 04:44 AM PDT

I connect Zoom h4n Pro to my Mac via USB as audio interface. I then record audios with QuickTime.

The input of h4n is stereo; the right & left inputs are not exactly the same. But it seems that QuickTime automatically mixes the left & right channels; as a result, the generated audio file has same volumes from left and right.

Could anyone confirm me that it is true?

Can I make FaceTime the default audio- and video-call app when other call apps are installed?

Posted: 07 Apr 2022 07:03 AM PDT

I installed Microsoft Teams on my iPhone because I need it for work. But now when I click a Favorite in the Phone app so I can call someone, the default in the list for making an audio call or a video call is Teams. I have to click the tiny drop-down button to select mobile for calls or FaceTime for video calls. Is there a way to move Teams down the list so I can default to regular phone calls and FaceTime for video calls?

Also from any Contact screen, clicking Video to make a video call defaults to Teams at the top of the list.

Not jail-broken. iPhone 8. iOS 13.4.1

Shortcut for toggling between different windows of same app?

Posted: 07 Apr 2022 05:48 AM PDT

I opened two Google Chrome windows (because I am using multiple Gmails) and when I do the Cmd ⌘ Tab ⇥ shortcut it just shows me other applications that I opened but does not show me the other Chrome windows that are already opened.

How to switch to the other Google Chrome window that I opened using keyboard shortcut?
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