Q: Messages no longer allows me to transfer images using AIM

Hi,

Along time ago, in iChat 3, there was an issue the involved corrupt .jpegs being sent that could create issues on windows machines.

There was code imbedded in what looked like .jepgs and were labelled as .jpegs but were not.

At that time AIM stopped allowing some pic formats.

There was a similar malware item that targeted Macs at the time https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_%28computer_worm%29

After a while we became able to send Pins-in-chats again until more recently (as you say within the last year)

The option now does seem to be to Zip the file first or send it in a Folder which causes it to be automatically zipped.

I am not entirely sure if it is a deliberate act by AIM or whether it is something to do with the way Apple and Sandboxed Messages.

File Sending which Pics-in-Chats is a part involves a process IMFileTransferConnection (If I remember the name correctly) that can be blocked (or not allowed) if you are running Little Snitch or similar software.

The error messages seems to refer to the fact the chat Details option top right will show a thumbnail of the Pic but the pic will not show "full size" in the chat.

9:05 pm      Saturday; February 6, 2016

If this is such a widespread problem why is it that I cannot find any talk about it online?

Also, I can't see how this is an AIM issue, as I can send and receive images from someone using AIM through Adium.

FWIW, it's possible that Apple has dropped certain AIM features in Messages. I don't know if that's the case but it could be.

Hi,

As far as I can tell thumbnails can be shown in the Details option top right of the Chat window.

The actual transfer needs a process to be allowed.

See this Thread Re: I cannot receive pictures in iMessage all of a sudden.

Possibly an App called Little Snitch or a similar may need to allow the right transfer agent.

There is one for AIM and Jabber transfer and one for iMessages as shown in the other thread.

8:53 pm      Monday; February 8, 2016

I have used Little Snitch in the past, but don't have it on this computer. Why would I need it to allow the transfer agent? Why wouldn't it be allowed by default in OS X?

Hi,

I did not say the Mac firewall blocks it.

I said third party app like Little Snitch  alert you by Process and not the apps that they are connected to and if you don't recognise this you can end up denying processes that should be allowed.

A login to AIM is done on port 443 in Messages (all versions 7 through both 8s and 9 in El Capitan).

However File Transfer still move to port 5190 using the UDP protocol.

This port might need allowing in your router if you have it listing specific ports.

9:17 pm      Monday; February 8, 2016

But, if .zip files do get transferred correctly then I would have to think that 5190 is open and working correctly.

D'oh !!,

Sometimes I can miss the obvious.

I have posted that fallacy several times  (read that as "many") where I have had one train of thought about it.

I have now tried this from iChat 5.0.3 in Snow Leopard to my iMac running El Capitan.

Sending from the iChat 5 machine eventually tells me it has failed due to an issue with the "AIM Proxy".

The File Transfer window on that computer continues to say it is waiting for a response from the other Buddy (my iMac)

The iMac never sees an Invite to accept a file and nothing appears in the chat window.

I then used the Bonjour Chat.

I text'd first and then sent from the iChat 5 machine again.

this was immediately marked as failed in the File transfer window on that machine and the Text Chat window on the iMac (El Capitan) shows a white info icon which in turn shows you the File Transfer window which states it failed

Attempts to send in the other direction are also met with the same things.

I am now not sure if the El Capitan version's lack of Invite window or any indication in the chat window is the cause or whether it is generally Apple Apps through AIM.

I then checked the Snow Leopard Firewall and found that iChat was not specifically listed and I added it.

Then Sending from the iChat 5 machine did cause the Invite window to appear on the iMac but the send still showed as failed at both ends using Bonjour.

Sending through the AIM Account results in the same "Waiting for Buddy to accept" followed by the same AIM Proxy message after a wait.

Nothing appears on the iMac end.

Nothing has changed in iChat 5.0.3 for years.

I checked the iMac's Firewall and it lists both IMAgent and Messages as I would expect.

Attempting Folder-ised items failed from the iMac over Bonjour, and in the reverse from the iChat 5 machine

Sending folder-ised items from the iChat 5 machine worked over AIM.

Zipped files seems to work both ways.

I am now more confused than before.

It is looking like a change to accepting pics-in-chats that show In-line has been stopped in the EL Capitan version.

However I will did deeper.

9:25 pm      Tuesday; February 9, 2016

Thanks for watching !

Same thing here with many iMacs with El Capitan.

Couldn't be a way for Apple to push their iCloud protocol ?

Any news yet ?

Hi,

No, it seems that AIM have done something about plain picture Transfers.

A very long time ago - longer that iChat 5 I was talking about above there was an issue with corrupt jpgs files that had code in the files so that when you tried to open what you though was a picture, ran the code instead.

On the whole that issue effected Windows uses more than Macs (the code was for windows).

However there was one of the few Mac issues with one variant called the Leap worm (or The Oompa-Loompa malware).

The important bits were.

You had to be sent the Pic, (or rather a file with a .jpeg suffix)

You had to attempt to open it.

It then spread via your Bonjour Contacts on your LAN.

(You could not re-spread it to internet Buddies)

That was ten years ago and AIM changed the way they dealt with Transferring files back then.

Now it seems AIM have tightened up on various things including this and Hyperlinks (another way that code can be "hidden").

It could be that Apple have not been fully paying attention to the "iChat Side" of Messages whilst trying to give the iMessages account more features.

I don't think it is a deliberate policy as such - just more of the alack of care taken with the Messages app in general.

9:00 pm      Wednesday; June 8, 2016