A reference for who uses which device, which accounts are signed in, and how to fix common problems.
Matthew's MacBook Air is his primary homelab management machine (hostname gob on the home network). The Family MacBook (hostname family-macbook, IP 192.168.1.160) is Violet's main laptop — it has full monitoring and Screen Time enabled.
Each device is signed into one Apple ID, which controls:
- iCloud sync (photos, contacts, calendar, files)
- App Store purchases
- iMessage and FaceTime
- Find My
Passwords for each Apple ID are in 1Password → Family vault under each person's name.
Even though each device has its own Apple ID, the family shares:
- iCloud Family Sharing: App purchases, Apple One subscriptions, storage plan
- Find My: Matt can see all family devices
- Shared Photo Album: Family album visible to all
Violet's iPhone, iPad, and Family MacBook all have Screen Time enabled. Matt manages the settings remotely from his own devices.
- App limits: Time limits on certain app categories (social, games)
- Content restrictions: Age-appropriate content filtering for apps and web
- Downtime: Scheduled times when only certain apps are available (e.g., overnight, school hours)
- Communication limits: Who can be contacted during downtime
- Screen Time passcode: Separate from the device passcode — only Matt has it
From iPhone:
- Settings → Screen Time → scroll to Family → tap Violet's name
From Mac:
- System Settings → Screen Time → select Violet from the family list
When a limit is hit, tap Ask For More Time → Matt gets a notification on his iPhone to approve or deny.
The Family MacBook also runs background monitoring (Beszel + osquery) that sends activity data to the homelab. This is visible in Grafana and Beszel. Monitoring is battery-optimized (5–30 minute intervals).
- Hold side button + volume down for 10 seconds to force restart
- If still dead, plug into power and wait 5 minutes, then try again
- If it won't charge, try a different cable
- Face ID fails 5 times → falls back to passcode
- If fully locked out: Text Matt — recovery requires the Apple ID password (in 1Password)
- Swipe up from bottom → swipe the app card up to close it fully
- Reopen the app
- Still broken: Settings → General → iPhone Storage → find the app → Offload App, then reinstall from the App Store
- Settings → General → iPhone Storage — see what's taking space
- Quick fixes:
- Enable Optimize iPhone Storage (Settings → Photos → toggle on)
- Delete unused apps — offloading keeps data but frees space
- Clear old messages: Settings → Messages → Keep Messages → set to 1 Year
- Delete downloaded videos you've already watched
- Restart: hold side button + volume button → slide to power off → wait 30 seconds → power on
- Check for updates: Settings → General → Software Update
- If still slow after restart and update, text Matt
- Hold the power button for 10 seconds to force shutdown
- Wait 10 seconds, then press power once to start
- If no response at all, check the power connection / charger
- Check if a specific app is the culprit: open Activity Monitor (search in Spotlight with Cmd+Space) → look at the CPU or Memory tab for anything using a lot
- Restart the Mac: Apple menu → Restart
- Check for updates: System Settings → General → Software Update
- Apple menu → System Settings → General → Storage — shows a breakdown
- Common culprits:
- Downloads folder — safe to clear anything you don't need
- Trash — empty it (right-click Trash icon → Empty Trash)
- iCloud Drive — enable "Optimize Mac Storage" (System Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → iCloud Drive → toggle on)
- For Matthew's MacBook Air specifically: it has 512 GB and can fill up with dev tools — run
brew cleanup in Terminal to clear Homebrew caches
- Force-quit if it's frozen: press Cmd + Option + Esc → select the app → Force Quit
- Try opening it again
- If it won't open at all: right-click the app in Applications → Open (bypasses some security warnings)
If an app on the Family MacBook is blocked by Screen Time and it shouldn't be, text Matt — he can approve it remotely from his iPhone without touching the laptop.
iPhone/iPad: Settings → General → Software Update → Download and Install
Mac: System Settings → General → Software Update
Updates usually take 15–30 minutes. Plug in before updating — don't do it on battery.
- Open Find My app
- Tap Devices
- Select the device to see it on a map
- Options: Play Sound, Mark as Lost, or Erase Device (last resort only)
Matt can locate all family devices. Each person can locate their own.
- Open Find My → locate the device
- Tap Mark as Lost — locks it and shows a contact message on the screen
- Text Matt immediately — he can take further action
- If confirmed stolen: Erase Device removes all data (Matt handles this)
Back to Home