I'm trying to clean up a somewhat messy Apple Photos setup that developed over the last few years, and I'd like some advice before doing anything destructive.

The easiest way to explain it is chronologically:

Library 1 — oldest / most complete early library

This is my oldest library, covering roughly 2022–2023.

It was mostly left untouched and contains everything from that period.

All originals are stored locally on my Mac.

Library 2 — created from Library 1

At some point I made a copy of Library 1 and continued using that copy.

This second library contains photos/videos from roughly 2022–2024.

Over time, I deleted a lot of the larger videos from 2022-2023 to reduce the size of the library, but otherwise continued adding new photos and videos.

So Library 2 contains newer material that Library 1 doesn't have, while Library 1 still contains some large videos that were later removed from Library 2.

Again, all originals that exist in this library are downloaded locally on my Mac.

Library 3 — current library / iCloud library

Later, I made another copy, this time from Library 2, and continued from there, repeating the process.

This became my current Photos library and is the one currently synced with iCloud Photos.

It contains the newest part of my photo history, but I continued deleting many large videos because I was running low on iCloud storage and wanted to keep most of my historical photos accessible from my iPhone.

This library is set to Download Originals to this Mac, so all of its existing originals are also stored locally.

So the evolution was basically:

Library 1 → Library 2 → Library 3/current iCloud library

Each new library started as a copy of the previous one, but then gained new content and lost some of the larger videos.

What I want to do now

My first goal is to use PowerPhotos to merge all three libraries into a completely new library.

Let's call that:

Master Library

The Master Library would contain the union of everything from all three libraries:

• the older large photos and videos preserved in Library 1
• anything unique to Library 2
• all newer photos/videos from Library 3

I would use duplicate detection during the merge so that overlapping copies don't become unnecessary duplicates.

This Master Library would become my complete local archive and would not be synced with iCloud.

The three old libraries would only be kept temporarily as backups until I've fully verified the merge.

Then I have to decide what to do with iCloud

I want a second, separate Photos library specifically for iCloud.

I'm considering two options.

Option 1: Keep historical photos in iCloud

Create a copy/derived version of the Master Library, remove the largest videos from it, and use that smaller library as my new iCloud Photos library, just like i was doing with every new library copy.

This would let me continue having most of my historical photos available on my iPhone without paying for enough iCloud storage to hold every large video.

My concern is that PowerPhotos documentation says that when an iCloud Photos library is merged into a new library, the iCloud-specific synchronization information is not transferred.

They specifically warn that if you later enable iCloud Photos on the merged library, Photos may not recognize that the local files correspond to photos already in iCloud and may create duplicates.

So I'm unsure whether I could safely connect this new reduced library to my existing iCloud library, or whether I'd first need to completely empty iCloud Photos and upload everything again.

Option 2: Start iCloud Photos from scratch

Keep all historical content only in my local Master Library and Google Photos (i have this too)

Then completely erase my existing iCloud Photos library, create a brand-new empty Photos library, enable iCloud Photos on it, and use iCloud only for new photos/videos going forward.

What I'm trying to figure out

Has anyone dealt with a similar setup?

In particular:

• Does my PowerPhotos merge plan make sense given that all three source libraries have their originals stored locally?
• Is there anything special I should watch out for when merging libraries that are essentially descendants/copies of one another?
• For the reduced historical iCloud option, is there any safe way to reconnect a newly created library to the existing iCloud content without creating duplicates?
• Or would wiping iCloud first and starting fresh be the safer approach?
• Is there a better architecture for keeping one complete local master library and a separate, smaller iCloud-friendly library?

My priority is to make sure I end up with one complete master library containing everything before I delete or change anything in iCloud.

I’ve built around 7–8 projects with AI so far: small websites, tools, a couple of games, etc. I’m currently working on something more complex: a cross-platform game, multiplayer rooms, servers, more moving parts. As the projects get bigger, I’m starting to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of AI coding workflows and tools people recommend.

Every week I see posts about things like:

• Codex by itself vs Codex + skills/plugins
• Sol Advisor / agent orchestration
• Spec-driven development / Spec Kit
• Multi-agent workflows
• Using ChatGPT/Codex for planning and cheaper models like DeepSeek or Luna for implementation
• Pi, OpenCode, Hermes, and alternative harnesses
• Anti-slop / code-quality skills

Some examples of the kind of posts I’m talking about:

https://x.com/goan999999/status/2088920272812564546
https://x.com/Av1dlive/status/2088998246849118583
https://x.com/mattpocockuk/status/2075218406266036236
https://x.com/lornasuriano/status/2088742742499205219
https://x.com/29meat_ai/status/2088395759129673856
https://x.com/bil0090/status/2088351963951890635
https://x.com/vatsy99/status/2088346475185283390
https://x.com/dillon_mulroy/status/2087537790061850984
https://x.com/DavidOndrej1/status/2087862257279459422
https://x.com/josesilesdata/status/2087993121153991016

And this project in particular:

https://github.com/DannyMac180/sol-advisor

My problem is that I can’t tell anymore what’s genuinely useful, what’s situational, and what’s mostly Twitter hype.

I’m a very organized person. I document things heavily. Currently A lot things in this project got done by doing .md files defining things so agents have a clear source of truth. I don’t like blindly telling an agent “go build this” and hoping for the best.

I also assume the right workflow depends on the size of the task. Adding a button probably doesn’t need specs + five agents + an orchestrator. Redesigning an entire visual identity or changing a major system probably does need much more structure.

I’m curious what people who are actually using these tools seriously are doing today:

1. What tools/workflows have genuinely become part of your daily setup?
2. Which ones did you try and eventually drop?
3. Do you mostly stay inside one harness like Codex, or mix tools/models?
4. When do you bring in specs, skills, worktrees, subagents or something like Sol Advisor?

And especially: how do you keep the workflow organized and token-efficient without sacrificing quality or constantly rebuilding your setup every time a new AI coding tool appears?

My iCloud storage has been full for more than 3 months, and my iPhone says I have around 2,200 photos/videos pending sync.

But in the Photos app on my MacBook I can still see lots of recent photos from my iPhone including photos received today through WhatsApp, plus photos from yesterday and recent weeks.

Both devices use the same Apple ID. I don’t understand how these new photos are reaching the Mac if iCloud Photos has supposedly been unable to sync due to full storage.

Is iCloud actually syncing some new photos while older pending items remain stuck? Or could there be another explanation?

i keep seeing those kinda messages on live chats
@ whatever: said "hi"
@ whatever 2: said "hi"

but it's translated to every language, like if i have youtube to spanish it says "ha dicho 'hola' "

I have had the band 8 for 2 months now and I feel this is a downgrade...

• Battery life feels the same despite the much bigger, brighter screen and newer tech. I expected at least a noticeable improvement, but it’s basically identical to my Band 5 in real-world use
• New UI looks nicer, but some tasks now need more taps:
  • Timer: On Band 5 I could scroll directly to any time and hit start. On Band 8 there are only presets; to set a custom time I have to open an extra screen and press more buttons (2–3 extra clicks)
  • Media volume: Before, volume up/down were right on the media screen. Now there’s one button that opens another screen where the volume controls live, so it’s an extra tap every time.
• Heart rate sensor feels less accurate than Band 5:
  • At rest it sometimes shows 80+ bpm when I’m totally calm.
  • In the gym, when I’m clearly very elevated, it sometimes reads ~70 bpm—even when I manually check my pulse and it’s much higher. I’m using the “Smart/auto” heart rate mode, not a restricted setting.
• Too many false “new step goal” notifications:
  • Random wrist movements (washing dishes, driving, small gestures) trigger the “new step goal achieved” screen. This never happened with my Band 5, even with similar daily routines.

Overall, the Band 8 looks and feels more modern, but for me the day-to-day experience is more clicks, more inaccuracies, and more annoying pop-ups than the Band 5.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice on how to build a development setup that fits my workflow.

Right now I have:

• A Windows desktop where all of my AI and vibe coding projects currently live. (this is where I feel most comfortable with because I’ve been windows user since born)
• A MacBook M1 that I wouldn’t mind leaving powered on 24/7 if that’s the better option.
• A daily iPhone that I’d like to use for coding and managing my projects whenever I’m away from my desk.

My goal is to be able to work on my projects from my iPhone, whether I’m connected to my home Wi-Fi (if I’m in another room) or out using mobile data. Ideally, I’d like to ask an AI (through OpenCode/Codex with my ChatGPT subscription) to edit files, run commands, explain code, and generally keep working on my projects without needing to sit at my desktop. I plan to use OpenCode because I’ve seen that it’s the most useful and easiest way now (plan with gpt models and execute with the free models in Open Code). This Is mainly because Codex tokens have been draining faster Than Ever lately.

I’ve come across tools like Paseo, Tailscale, SSH, remote development setups, VPNs, etc., but I’m honestly not sure what the “right” architecture is.

A bit about my experience:

• I’m very much a beginner.
• I got into programming through vibe coding.
• I have fewer than 10 projects in total. (A couple 2D games, some demos of some product ideas, etc. I have created databases with Firestone , deployed with vercel and not much more to be honest)
• I can usually figure things out if I have good documentation, but I have zero experience with networking, SSH, VPNs, homelabs, or server administration.

One thing I’m also considering is moving everything from my Windows desktop to my MacBook. Since it’s a laptop, I don’t mind leaving it on all the time, whereas I don’t want to keep my Windows desktop running 24/7 just so I can access it remotely.

So I have a few questions:

1. If you were starting from scratch today, how would you build this setup?
2. Would you move everything to the MacBook or keep the projects on Windows?
3. What’s the simplest, most reliable, and secure way to access my development environment from my iPhone, both at home and remotely?
4. Has anyone here used OpenCode/Codex from an iPhone through a setup like this? If so, what does your workflow look like?
5. Are there any tools or approaches I should avoid as a beginner?

I’m not necessarily looking for the most powerful solution, I care much more about having something that’s easy to maintain, secure, and works reliably.

Thanks!

edit1: One more requirement: I’d also like to be able to test my applications while I’m away from home. Right now, when I’m at my Windows desktop, I simply run a local development server and test everything in my browser. I’d like a setup where I can do something similar remotely from my iPhone, without relying on the AI to verify every change or test the app. Ideally, I’d like to access my development server securely, interact with the app myself, and validate that everything works before committing changes. Is there a standard or recommended way to achieve this?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice on how to build a development setup that fits my workflow.

Right now I have:

• A Windows desktop where all of my AI and vibe coding projects currently live. (this is where I feel most comfortable with because I’ve been windows user since born)
• A MacBook M1 that I wouldn’t mind leaving powered on 24/7 if that’s the better option.
• A daily iPhone that I’d like to use for coding and managing my projects whenever I’m away from my desk.

My goal is to be able to work on my projects from my iPhone, whether I’m connected to my home Wi-Fi (if I’m in another room) or out using mobile data. Ideally, I’d like to ask an AI (through OpenCode/Codex with my ChatGPT subscription) to edit files, run commands, explain code, and generally keep working on my projects without needing to sit at my desktop. I plan to use OpenCode because I’ve seen that it’s the most useful and easiest way now (plan with gpt models and execute with the free models in Open Code). This Is mainly because Codex tokens have been draining faster Than Ever lately.

I’ve come across tools like Paseo, Tailscale, SSH, remote development setups, VPNs, etc., but I’m honestly not sure what the “right” architecture is.

A bit about my experience:

• I’m very much a beginner.
• I got into programming through vibe coding.
• I have fewer than 10 projects in total. (A couple 2D games, some demos of some product ideas, etc. I have created databases with Firestone , deployed with vercel and not much more to be honest)
• I can usually figure things out if I have good documentation, but I have zero experience with networking, SSH, VPNs, homelabs, or server administration.

One thing I’m also considering is moving everything from my Windows desktop to my MacBook. Since it’s a laptop, I don’t mind leaving it on all the time, whereas I don’t want to keep my Windows desktop running 24/7 just so I can access it remotely.

So I have a few questions:

1. If you were starting from scratch today, how would you build this setup?
2. Would you move everything to the MacBook or keep the projects on Windows?
3. What’s the simplest, most reliable, and secure way to access my development environment from my iPhone, both at home and remotely?
4. Has anyone here used OpenCode/Codex from an iPhone through a setup like this? If so, what does your workflow look like?
5. Are there any tools or approaches I should avoid as a beginner?

I’m not necessarily looking for the most powerful solution, I care much more about having something that’s easy to maintain, secure, and works reliably.

Thanks!

edit1: One more requirement: I’d also like to be able to test my applications while I’m away from home. Right now, when I’m at my Windows desktop, I simply run a local development server and test everything in my browser. I’d like a setup where I can do something similar remotely from my iPhone, without relying on the AI to verify every change or test the app. Ideally, I’d like to access my development server securely, interact with the app myself, and validate that everything works before committing changes. Is there a standard or recommended way to achieve this?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice on how to build a development setup that fits my workflow.

Right now I have:

• A Windows desktop where all of my AI and vibe coding projects currently live. (this is where I feel most comfortable with because I’ve been windows user since born)
• A MacBook M1 that I wouldn’t mind leaving powered on 24/7 if that’s the better option.
• A daily iPhone that I’d like to use for coding and managing my projects whenever I’m away from my desk.

My goal is to be able to work on my projects from my iPhone, whether I’m connected to my home Wi-Fi (if I’m in another room) or out using mobile data. Ideally, I’d like to ask an AI (through OpenCode/Codex with my ChatGPT subscription) to edit files, run commands, explain code, and generally keep working on my projects without needing to sit at my desktop. I plan to use OpenCode because I’ve seen that it’s the most useful and easiest way now (plan with gpt models and execute with the free models in Open Code). This Is mainly because Codex tokens have been draining faster Than Ever lately.

I’ve come across tools like Paseo, Tailscale, SSH, remote development setups, VPNs, etc., but I’m honestly not sure what the “right” architecture is.

A bit about my experience:

• I’m very much a beginner.
• I got into programming through vibe coding.
• I have fewer than 10 projects in total. (A couple 2D games, some demos of some product ideas, etc. I have created databases with Firestone , deployed with vercel and not much more to be honest)
• I can usually figure things out if I have good documentation, but I have zero experience with networking, SSH, VPNs, homelabs, or server administration.

One thing I’m also considering is moving everything from my Windows desktop to my MacBook. Since it’s a laptop, I don’t mind leaving it on all the time, whereas I don’t want to keep my Windows desktop running 24/7 just so I can access it remotely.

So I have a few questions:

1. If you were starting from scratch today, how would you build this setup?
2. Would you move everything to the MacBook or keep the projects on Windows?
3. What’s the simplest, most reliable, and secure way to access my development environment from my iPhone, both at home and remotely?
4. Has anyone here used OpenCode/Codex from an iPhone through a setup like this? If so, what does your workflow look like?
5. Are there any tools or approaches I should avoid as a beginner?

I’m not necessarily looking for the most powerful solution, I care much more about having something that’s easy to maintain, secure, and works reliably.

Thanks!

edit1: One more requirement: I’d also like to be able to test my applications while I’m away from home. Right now, when I’m at my Windows desktop, I simply run a local development server and test everything in my browser. I’d like a setup where I can do something similar remotely from my iPhone, without relying on the AI to verify every change or test the app. Ideally, I’d like to access my development server securely, interact with the app myself, and validate that everything works before committing changes. Is there a standard or recommended way to achieve this?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice on how to build a development setup that fits my workflow.

Right now I have:

• A Windows desktop where all of my AI and vibe coding projects currently live. (this is where I feel most comfortable with because I’ve been windows user since born)
• A MacBook M1 that I wouldn’t mind leaving powered on 24/7 if that’s the better option.
• A daily iPhone that I’d like to use for coding and managing my projects whenever I’m away from my desk.

My goal is to be able to work on my projects from my iPhone, whether I’m connected to my home Wi-Fi (if I’m in another room) or out using mobile data. Ideally, I’d like to ask an AI (through OpenCode/Codex with my ChatGPT subscription) to edit files, run commands, explain code, and generally keep working on my projects without needing to sit at my desktop. I plan to use OpenCode because I’ve seen that it’s the most useful and easiest way now (plan with gpt models and execute with the free models in Open Code). This Is mainly because Codex tokens have been draining faster Than Ever lately.

I’ve come across tools like Paseo, Tailscale, SSH, remote development setups, VPNs, etc., but I’m honestly not sure what the “right” architecture is.

A bit about my experience:

• I’m very much a beginner.
• I got into programming through vibe coding.
• I have fewer than 10 projects in total. (A couple 2D games, some demos of some product ideas, etc. I have created databases with Firestone , deployed with vercel and not much more to be honest)
• I can usually figure things out if I have good documentation, but I have zero experience with networking, SSH, VPNs, homelabs, or server administration.

One thing I’m also considering is moving everything from my Windows desktop to my MacBook. Since it’s a laptop, I don’t mind leaving it on all the time, whereas I don’t want to keep my Windows desktop running 24/7 just so I can access it remotely.

So I have a few questions:

1. If you were starting from scratch today, how would you build this setup?
2. Would you move everything to the MacBook or keep the projects on Windows?
3. What’s the simplest, most reliable, and secure way to access my development environment from my iPhone, both at home and remotely?
4. Has anyone here used OpenCode/Codex from an iPhone through a setup like this? If so, what does your workflow look like?
5. Are there any tools or approaches I should avoid as a beginner?

I’m not necessarily looking for the most powerful solution, I care much more about having something that’s easy to maintain, secure, and works reliably.

Thanks!

edit1: One more requirement: I’d also like to be able to test my applications while I’m away from home. Right now, when I’m at my Windows desktop, I simply run a local development server and test everything in my browser. I’d like a setup where I can do something similar remotely from my iPhone, without relying on the AI to verify every change or test the app. Ideally, I’d like to access my development server securely, interact with the app myself, and validate that everything works before committing changes. Is there a standard or recommended way to achieve this?

https://preview.redd.it/o63ukqpjz0eh1.png?width=689&format=png&auto=webp&s=09b58d3d22963a01be5467ea6db72f3b914af0ef

Using OpenCode Desktop and I'm building a simplified version of the viral game Mecha Chameleon, and I keep running into the same wall over and over. I can't tell if the free models I'm using are just not good enough for game dev, or if I'm the problem.

The recurring nightmare:

• The model fixes one bug, breaks three other things
• I fix those three, and while fixing them, two more things break
• I've been stuck in this loop for two days straight on the same core issues like body painting, movement, screens, UI overlapping...
• Adding even the smallest new feature turns into 3+ hours of debugging

1. What are these free models actually good for, if not this? Am I misusing them for a task they're not suited for?
2. Is there a specific model that's genuinely solid for 2D game programming? I keep hearing different things and can't tell what's hype vs. real.
3. If I pay for OpenCode's subscription, are the paid models a significant upgrade, or just marginally better? Trying to figure out if it's worth the money before I commit.
4. On the "Skills" system, I tried https://www.autoskills.sh/ to auto-detect which skills my project needs, and it only flagged 3: one for frontend, one for SEO, and a third I don't even remember, none of which felt relevant to a 2D game project. This made me question how skills are actually supposed to work. Do you load all skills upfront and let the model decide when to invoke one for a specific dev phase/task? Or do you build first, then retroactively add the skill matching whatever phase/task you're on to re-work on previous tasks? Haven't seen a single line where Model calls a Skill.md.

Any insight from people who've actually shipped something with these tools would help a ton.

Hi everyone. my iPhone started malfunctioning out of nowhere, and I’m not sure if it’s battery wear, an iOS issue, or something hardware-related.

I’m running iOS 18.6.2, and lately I’ve been dealing with all of this:

• The battery percentage is acting strangely. It’ll show 30%, then 32%, then 28% within a few minutes, like it’s jumping around.

• A lot of my apps, especially the ones I use most, keep getting offloaded automatically and I have to reinstall them almost every day. I still have a little less than 10 GB of storage left, so I’m not completely out of space, but it keeps happening anyway.

• One banking app in particular freezes my phone so badly that the screen goes black, a small loading circle appears, the app closes, and I get sent back to the home screen. After that, all my home screen apps reload like the phone just rebooted.

• I also have Screen Time/app limits enabled, and every morning when I wake up, my apps are locked again even though I’m using them regularly.

• The weekly app usage report / Screen Time screenshot is also completely wrong, and there seem to be errors in how that data is being recorded.

One important detail: I always charge the phone with the original Apple charger.

https://preview.redd.it/9bfr26nl0nch1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=45e930e5d1046d45b8ed513db27bec63a54e646a

Hi everyone, I’m looking for help designing a ComfyUI workflow for a before/after style project for TikTok slideshows. I want to generate two images of the same girl in a bikini: the first one is the “before” image, and the second one is the same girl with a subtle tan effect as the “after” image.

My main goal is to preserve her identity as much as possible: same face, same body type, same proportions, and ideally the same scene if I want to keep the background consistent. (In some cases I’d like to keep the room/background exactly the same, and in other cases I’d like to move her to a different environment while keeping the character consistent.)
I’ve already tried Z-Image Turbo with a realism LoRA, and also Qwen Image Edit, but I had consistency issues with the face. I also experimented with IP-Adapter / FaceID-type approaches, but I couldn’t reliably transfer the face from one image to another generated from scratch with a slightly different prompt and a tan effect. And I think there were a lot of mistakes made here due to not knowing exactly how to build a workflow and what nodes to use and which models to use too and said models limitations in size and else, so yeah, a big big mess.
The last thing I tried is making both images in 1 (a split in half image). The left side is before, and the right side is after. I'm using a workflow I found on civitai, but when upscaling the image, the girl loses consistency between images (both on face and body). The workflow also has FaceDetailer nodes and it seems like it is not applied equally on both faces because 1 is always better/more detailed/like the vanilla photo, than the other.

Would you help me find the best model or workflow for this use case?
I’m open to either:
• a single workflow that generates both images, or
• a two-step workflow where I generate several base images first, choose the best one, and then apply the “after” effect on top of it.

I’d especially appreciate advice on:
• which base model to use,
• whether InstantID, IP-Adapter FaceID, or Qwen Image Edit is better for this,
• how to keep the face and body consistent,
• how to handle background changes versus background preservation.

If all this is not enough. I need to make this with several (dozens) of different girls. At one time I thought of using Loras but I don’t know if there’s that many different girls Lora’s for ZiT.