badbully

Q: Messages and Facetime don't recognize my contacts phone number

After updating to 10.9.2 my Messages and Facetime app don't recognize my contacts phone number I have the number saved without the international code +X but in the apps it appears with the international code. When I try to add the number to my contact it recognizes it and won't let me add it, so I'm stuck with a lot of conversations from phone numbers and not contacts. Anyone else has this problem? If I try to start a new conversation with a contact, the app recognizes the number and it shows up in that conversation but the name doesn't show, only the number.

MacBook Air

Posted on Feb 25, 2014 12:00 PM

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Q: Messages and Facetime don't recognize my contacts phone number

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  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Feb 25, 2014 1:50 PM in response to badbully
    Level 9 (72,994 points)
    Applications
    Feb 25, 2014 1:50 PM in response to badbully

    Hi,

     

    You are trying to Edit the Address Card in the Contacts App ?

    This should allow you to change the phone number and add  the Country code.

     

    In Contacts > Preferences > Template, check if you have entered the phone number under Mobile.

    In General section my setting is for the United Kingdom but I do have one contact how as a United States phone number and it allowed me to add the (+1)

     

    I tend to find those that do not have the leading +Country code have the option to use in the "To" spot when you add the name (it shows both the plain number and the one with the country code. However it may presume that it as a Local Country Code as the app can also be set by country).

     

     

     

    3Sigcopy2.png

    9:50 pm      Tuesday; February 25, 2014

     

      iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
     G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
     MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
     Mac OS X (10.6.8),
     Couple of iPhones and an iPad

  • by badbully,

    badbully badbully Feb 28, 2014 11:36 AM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Feb 28, 2014 11:36 AM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)

    I don't want to edit anything I just want it to work like it did before 10.9.2, when I could start a conversation with a contact and not show up in the messages app not recognized. I don't want to modfiy my entire address book just because my mac stopped recognizing my contacts. My iphone recognizes the number immediatly and shows the conversation under the contacts name and not a phone number, like my mac does.

  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Feb 28, 2014 1:44 PM in response to badbully
    Level 9 (72,994 points)
    Applications
    Feb 28, 2014 1:44 PM in response to badbully

    Hi,

     

    I checked my Main Messages window  by starting a New Message and typing the first two letters on my name in the "To" spot.

     

    It then lists various options for AIM, Jabber, Yahoo and iMessages IDs and Phone numbers based on Address Cards from my three computers

     

    It showed my Landline number with the +44 for Great Britain (and the dropped leading 0) which is not the version on the Address Card it was quoting.

    (Messages thinks any phone number is a potential iMessages contact point).

     

    For me this is working.

     

    An example I can post of a UK vehicle supprt service

    RAC.png

    It does not go red until you select it as the "Contact"  (which I did to separate it out from the other ones starting "ra")

     

    At this stage it is unclear if it is the Contacts app that is not supplying the Messages app with the correct info or whether Messages is not using the Info correctly.

     

    For Messages this woiud be in the com.apple.ichat.plist file

    I can only see this item

    Messages address book.png

     

    From that info it is unclear what the function is .

    The Column Offset could be the amount right the drop list of potential contacts are from the "To" spot.

     

    Deleting com.apple.ichat.plist will remove any Preferences Settings (apart from Accounts) that you have changed in the Messages Preferences.

    This includes the Viewing Choices regarding Colours and Fonts  and so on.

     

    I am unsure of other apps and deleting their .plists

    Generally this can be less invasive than a complete reinstall/recovery of the OS.

     

    I would consider Repairing Permissions. (Applications/Utilities > Disk Utility > First Aid tab. > Repair Permissions button)

    And possibly redoing the Update.

     

     

     

     

    3Sigcopy2.png

    9:44 pm      Friday; February 28, 2014

     

      iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
     G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
     MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
     Mac OS X (10.6.8),
     Couple of iPhones and an iPad
  • by badbully,

    badbully badbully Feb 28, 2014 2:12 PM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Feb 28, 2014 2:12 PM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)

    I tried starting a new conversation from my mac with a contact that has imessage support but after I chose to start the conversation with the phone number saved it says "not registered with iMessage". The number is saved as 0123456789. From my phone it works perfectly, but not from my mac. When I start the conversation from my phone it shows up on my mac as +40123456789.

     

    Repaired disk permisions and nothing. Deleted ichat.plist and nothing.

  • by Ralph Johns (UK),Solvedanswer

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Mar 1, 2014 1:39 PM in response to badbully
    Level 9 (72,994 points)
    Applications
    Mar 1, 2014 1:39 PM in response to badbully

    Hi,

     

    I have the computer, Messages app and the Contacts app set to the United Kingdom.

    This does seem to be something to do with the +44 that gets added to my Contacts that have iPhone numbers.

     

    I presume it is the setting in Messages that does this.

    In Messages menu > Preferences > Accounts > iMessages accounts click the Details Button and then sign in via the pane that shows up.

    At the bottom of the pane that replaces that is the Country selector.

    Select where you are and then Save.

     

     

     

     

    3Sigcopy2.png

    9:39 pm      Saturday; March 1, 2014

     

      iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
     G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
     MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
     Mac OS X (10.6.8),
     Couple of iPhones and an iPad
  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Mar 2, 2014 10:47 AM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)
    Level 9 (72,994 points)
    Applications
    Mar 2, 2014 10:47 AM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)

    4thanx.gif    for the    2correct.png   Points.

     

     

    3Sigcopy2.png

    6:47 pm      Sunday; March 2, 2014

     

      iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
     G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
     MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
     Mac OS X (10.6.8),
     Couple of iPhones and an iPad
  • by Mosafa,

    Mosafa Mosafa Sep 17, 2015 4:18 PM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 17, 2015 4:18 PM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)

    i have the same problem with my iPad 2 after update to 8.4.1 changed region to my country and to +90 (number) which appears in FaceTime but still the same!

  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Sep 20, 2015 11:14 AM in response to Mosafa
    Level 9 (72,994 points)
    Applications
    Sep 20, 2015 11:14 AM in response to Mosafa

    Hi,

     

    In System Preferences > Date and Time are you using the Automatic Time Server ?

     

     

    3Sigcopy2.png

    7:14 p.m.      Sunday; September 20, 2015

     

      iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
     G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
     MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
     Mac OS X (10.6.8),
     Couple of iPhones and an iPad
  • by thanhbinh84,

    thanhbinh84 thanhbinh84 Sep 1, 2016 7:36 PM in response to badbully
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 1, 2016 7:36 PM in response to badbully

    I got the same problem. Fixed by correct the region: System Preferences > Languages & Region > Region: select your region. Otherwise, it will try to match contact phone number to selected region.