Q: iMessage conflicting with talk.google

HI,

I am going to phrase this a little differently.

The Messages app can login to several different Services that do "messaging" in one form or another.

iMessages is just one account that you can use.

iMessages takes an Apple ID to "register" your Mac with the iMessages service (run by Apple and is Mac and iOS only)

You can also register with the AIM service (An AIM or AOL registered Name or an Apple ID issued by Apple (@mac.com and @me.com and @icloud.com that are linked to an iCloud account) (There was a time when Apple Issued @me.com name under the MobileMe service but these will not longer work for iMessages if they were allowed to lapse at the closure of MobileMe/Start of iCloud).

You can also join the Jabber service.

This is a collection of servers that work together. The IDs look like emails but rarely are (Google being an Exception)

Servers can be Private (work or home based) where only certain people can join.  Other are Public server that anyone can register with.

Most have the format of the Jabber ID being a username @ a servername.com or net (as in ralphjohns@jabber.au.com to use the Australian Jabber.com server as an example).

Google allow both the @gmail.com and the @googlemail.com names to be valid as their Jabber IDs but this causes a naming issue in most Jabber based apps.

Apple got around this in iChat 4 (and through to Messages 8 in Mavericks) by creating a separate Google Login process.

Instead of using gmail.com and/or google.mail.com as the Server Name, Google use talk.google.com

IF...

You were using Lion (iChat 6) before moving to Mountain Lion (Messages 7) or directly to Mavericks (Messages 8) then the System Preferences > Mail, Contacts and Calendars pane in Mountain Lion and Internet Accounts in Mavericks may have activated a Google Email account for Messages as well as the Mail app.

i.e. if you have an Google email account then the System may have added it to Messages for you.

The alternative it that your Google email is also your Apple ID and you were using that as your iMessages "registered" ID.

Summary

Messages is the app and iMessages is just one potential account you can login to.

A Google email may therefore be your Apple ID and used as the "registered' name in iMessages or it may also be a Jabber ID that is logged in for the Jabber server.

Yours sounds like it is a Jabber ID in this case.

8:10 pm      Wednesday; August 20, 2014

I have the same problem.  iMessage wants me to log in, but the log-in window that pops up is for Talk.Google.  It doesn't accept my Google password.  I received an email message immediately from Google, saying someone had used my password to log in, and Google blocked it, as it was logging in from a not secure application.

I followed the instructions in the article attached to this answer.  However, we now have Yosemite, and maybe this doesn't work.  I went to Messages, Preferences, Accounts, and there is no iMessage account in the left column to choose to log into.  The options are Google Talk, Gmail messages (which has the same icon) but already is listed as an account, and Yahoo.  One can also select AIM.

I'm not clear on how to log in to the iMessage account still.

Not sure if this will fix your issue, but this is what I discovered recently. When my google account password was updated my account on 'messages' stopped working. Even if I used the new password. Then I remembered that our company uses the 2-Step verification process. In order to use other apps/devices, I have to take an extra step.  In this case, I had to generate an  app-specific password.

See https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185833.

Hope that helps someone.

Hi,

Normally on first Run the Messages App asks for an Apple ID  for the iMessages account.

At this point if you went to the Messages App > Preferences > Accounts you would see two Accounts.

One is Bonjour and the other is iMessages.

Even if you skipped adding the Apple ID and went to the Preferences to Add other account types, the iMessages and Bonjour ones would still be listed as they cannot be deleted (only turned Off/Deactivated).

An Apple ID can be any Email you have used to register at Apple.  In some cases you may have made an Apple Issued ID (using an external email as a recovery email).

Apple issued Email ID include older @mac.com ones, @me.com ones that have been linked to iCloud and @icloud.com ones themselves.

External  ones can be from anywhere such as Yahoo, Google Mail, AOL mail and so on.

For some people their email/Apple ID may be with an ISP they no longer use. I once had a deal with an ISP that gave free email accounts back when I used Dial up. I can still access this email accounts to download new emails but I cannot send as I cannot login via Dial-up any more.

However it is my Apple ID and the Password I use at apple for it obviously works.

So...

Your Google ID may well also be your Apple ID.

It could work in the iMessages account AND as a Google Account in Messages.

(i.e. you can add it as both if it is your Apple ID).

IF the Messages App > Preferences > Accounts > iMessages  is devoid of an ID you can use your Apple ID.

If these is the Google ID you were talking about it you should use the password you use at Apple with this ID.

If you are adding it as the Google ID  the ID must be the same one as it appears when logged in to the web version of Google Mail.

Google Mail uses at least two formats (@gmail.com and @googlemail.com) and these are recognised as two different IDs by the Jabber (GoogleTalk) server involved.

Obviously the Password should be the same as you use at Google.

At this point Google have an issue with Apps that use SSL to login securely.

To allow this you have to login to Google (I do it on the Web Mail page) then access the Account option by using my ID top right as a drop down.

In the Account page you can use Two Step verification - this also does not work well with Messages so if it is ON turn it Off and then Enable the Less Secure Apps option as this will allow you to login using SSL.

Check the two Accounts you have and the ending of the Google ID is use.

(The List can be dragged into any order - except in Yosemite, Bonjour will always go to the bottom when you restarted the App).

Also check the Server Setting tab.

This should list port 5223 and the Server talk.google.com if you come from a older Google Mail ID rather than Hangouts.

9:22 pm      Thursday; February 19, 2015

Hi all,

The likely reason for this happening is in your Google account security settings. It appears you need to allow insecure apps access for iMessages to work (whatever insecure means from Google's perspective ???).

Go to the link below and login using your google id when prompted.

https://www.google.com/settings/security/lesssecureapps

Not sure why this is necessary when the iMessages server settings are as below but there you go.

Like you probably did I went through my Google account settings and turned on the option to stop insecure access. Seemed like a good idea at the time. After that suddenly iMessage starts popping up login prompts and I can't connect it any more.

Thank you, Steve.  Did this and it worked!

Cool Gaye. Happy to help as I know how frustrating these things can be.

I've been in IT for 30 years and **** computers still drive me insane but perhaps that's always been a short trip :-)

Steve.

Humm,

That was posted on the 19th Feb

...

At this point Google have an issue with Apps that use SSL to login securely.

To allow this you have to login to Google (I do it on the Web Mail page) then access the Account option by using my ID top right as a drop down.

In the Account page you can use Two Step verification - this also does not work well with Messages so if it is ON turn it Off and then Enable the Less Secure Apps option as this will allow you to login using SSL.

...

If the piece was too long in trying to explain why your Google ID might also be your Apple ID and used for iMessages you only had to ask again.

7:30 pm      Monday; March 2, 2015

Humm,

Sorry you seem to feel slighted Ralph.

I didn't read your post and meant no disrespect or to steal your thunder but sometimes the same information explained in a different way turns on the lights.

I hope there's no hard feelings.

All the best,

Steve.

Hi,

I am aware that I do tend to go over the top trying to cover all bases when I feel part of the question is a little vague.

I am also ware that sometimes I do the same you have done is explaining something a different way to someone.

I do have mixed feelings over whether the post was read or not.  (By you or the Poster).

No harm done though.

8:37 pm      Monday; March 2, 2015

I was having the same issue logging into my chat through messages.  I changes the google security settings and now I'm in but I'm getting the pop-up to re-enter my PW even though I'm in my account.  Clicking cancel makes it pop up over and over

Hi,

Do you have two Google Accounts now showing in Messages > Preferences > Accounts ?

Is one then Logged in and one not ?

From the Window Menu can you display the Buddy List and start chats with Jabber/Google Buddies ?

8:47 pm      Monday; March 2, 2015

Cool Ralph.

I hear you about sometime questions asked being vague and share your feelings on things not being read properly and you're not the only one who goes on and on - just kidding :-) I love to explain things in great detail too and am often criticised for it.

Sadly today my experience is even my supposedly technical colleagues (especially the younger generation) are more interested in a quick fix than understanding the background or why it works. I can understand non technical people having this attitude. I guess a carpenter doesn't want to understand magnetic flux density to use his electric drill so in that case his or her attitude can be considered reasonable.

My justification for not reading your post in depth - My answer and post came about from me searching for the solution and coming across this conversation but before I was finished reading all of the responses I thought of what I had particularly changed just before I had the issue and eagerly posted my solution only in the hope of helping out.

Cheers,

Steve.