Q: iMessage on my mac says every contact is not registered with iMessage

This is interesting. I had my Logic board replaced last week and since then have been unable to get Messages working as it was before. It works perfectly on iPhone and I can also send 'Blue' iMessages to myself from the macbook to iPhone and visa versa. Everyone else is 'Green' Text Message. It's quite strange. If you enter the name of who you want to start a new conversation with, at the top of the messages window, it lists all their available addresses/numbers with 'iMessage' at the end. Wait a few seconds and they all turn to 'Text Message'. The text message forwarding works. Turn that off and contacts turn red. I have signed in and out numerous times, activated account, de-selected and re-selected messages in sys pref internet accounts, trashed the com.apple.iChat.plist and com.apple.imagent.plist. Pretty much everything I have read on here I have tried with no positive results. Calendars are syncing, FaceTime works, it's just messages that is definitely not happy. I have had different warning pop ups at various times as well. Sometimes it says 'Your message could not be sent. XXX is not registered with iMessage'. I have also been told by friends that they get that on their machines regarding me. I also had a pop up after restarting that stated 'An internal Messages error occurred' although that has only happened once.

I did not however get a pop up message stating to Contact Apple Support after the Logic Board replacement.

I'm pretty much at a loss as to what to try next other than to take it in.

Hi,

Can you actually see the Serial Number on the Mac ?

Go to the Apple Icon Menu top left and then select About this Mac.

Then click on the line that tells you the Mac OS X version twice.  It will change to the Build Number (another way Apple counts the OS) then it will show th Serial Number if it was "flashed" back to the new Logic Board.

If it is missing take it back to where the repair was done and get them to finish the job and put it back.

Failing that take it to an Apple Store and ask them to fix it.  (I have not heard of this costing)

7:58 pm      Thursday; February 4, 2016

Hi Ralph.

Many thanks for your response.

I followed your instructions. Serial Number is show as usual down at the bottom of the list above 'System Report' and 'Software Update' tabs. Clicking 'Version', as you said, gave me a 7 digit number in brackets but that was all. Should another 'Serial Number' appear close to this 'Build Number'? (Along with the one at the bottom? If so should they match?).

Hi,

There are two ways to see the Serial Number.

Using the Apple Icon Menu  will bring up a small window.

Nearer the top is the OS X version  but you can click it.

The first click will show you the Build number which Apple uses to count the version as well.

Clicking the Build number reveals or should do the Serial Number.

Another way is to hold the ALT key down when using the Apple Icon Menu and it will change the top item to System Information.

This brings up a larger window.

At the top of the list on the left is Hardware.

Select this and in the right hand pane near the bottom of the list of info is the Serial number.

It should be about 12 digits.

Later version of About this Mac show it on the front pane.

10:15 pm      Thursday; February 4, 2016

Hi Ralph,

I am running Yosemite so have a similar window to the El Capitan screen shot you posted. Serial number is present at the bottom of the list. Clicking the build number had no effect. Any other ideas by any chance? This is surely related to the Logic Board replacement, no?

Hi,

The one in System Information > Hardware and the one shown in About this Mac > Double click OS X version (past the Build Number) should be the same.

The Build number will be something like 14E33a

As you say these might be 7 characters in some versions.

Just to be clear.

In the About this Mac panel you have to click the line that tells you the OS X version.

This shows th Build Number.

You then have to click the line (Build Number now) to then see the Serial Number and it should titled as such like the pic with the Arrows I posted before.

I had thought that the computer "read" the info and placed it in each view independently.

The About this Mac panel should still change to show you the title "Serial Number" even if the number is missing or unreadable.

The Serial Number should match the sticker on the back or Bottom or in the battery compartment of the computer as well as on the box if you still have it.

I have a Snow Leopard booted computer and this is the Build Number:-

That greyed out line is click-able (or should be)  and should appear like the earlier pic I posted (minus the arrows and blurring of course)

It seems from what you are saying that you need to take it back to the Repair place and have it put back.

9:26 pm      Friday; February 5, 2016

hi,

In the Yosemite and El Capitan version of the About this Mac the Serial Number does not need clicks to see it is at the bottom of the Overview tab.

9:32 pm      Friday; February 5, 2016

This is EXACTLY what has happened to me. Apple replaced my logic board and now iMessage contacts are in re

d or listed as "7046183853 is not registered with iMessage."... even when I know they are. My iphone 6 and ipad (same Apple ID) work fine.

I was on phone support for 1.5 hours without luck. Then I went to a Genius bar.. .another 1.5 hours and no resolution. I've searched support communities such as this and attempted fixes. No luck.

If you find any solution I would love to know. This is extremely aggravating.

K Langston

Update.....

I spent close to 2 hours on the phone to Apple tech support on Friday. After a good 30mins trouble shooting/various operations (All of which I had already tried) with the initial chap, I was then passed to a tech in Ireland (A very helpful soul). We tried creating a new user account and running messages via that, safe boot etc etc. He checked my Apple ID for any abnormalities (All checked out) and various other things until telling me he would do some investigative work and call me back. In just over an hour he returned the call and told me it was due to the logic board replacement and that he would need to request for my Apple ID to be "White-listed". This, he attempted to do there and then but for some reason couldn't process it. The call was finalised with him saying it would take 24hrs for this "White-listing" to take effect and that he would call me back with an update, however, in that time there could be a possibility that messages would start working again as normal. Either way, he would call me back. Think it is all to do with the macbook not pairing up my ID with the new hardware. So in theory, my ID needs resetting with the hardware (I think). I tried signing out and back in again this morning but there is still no joy.

One thing that was strange that I noticed was that when I go to Preferences in Messages - Details - then enter my Apple ID Password, View Account. Where it has the boxes to enter your Name and Password, the password boxes that have bullet points in there is one bullet point missing in my password length. I flagged this up with the tech and asked if there should be the same number of bullet points as characters in the password. He said yes. So I tried entering the password again, hit save and got red text reading "You must choose a password that you have not used in the past year". All very strange as I have always held the same password for my account and it works on other devices for messages, iCloud and everything related to Apple ID.

Oh and I also got an email after purchasing an album on iTunes (The first I've bought since logic board replacement) stating "Your Apple ID, XX@XX.com, was just used to purchase XX by Various Artists from the iTunes Store on a computer or device that had not previously been associated with that Apple ID."

Yeah, ok. I've only purchased on that for the last 5 years.

Anyway, I can only suggest you get onto tech support and hope they can sort it with this White list thing. I will post again with any updates. Hopefully this will be resolved for me today. I'm now on day 3 since the call.

Ejeide, thanks. Your fix worked for me. I was logged in under my AIM account rather than my apple ID. When I changed that, iMessages came back to life. For those who want to try this on your Mac, open Messages Preferences and look at Accounts. Make sure you are signed in with your customary Apple ID. For some reason I wasn't. Log in with the Apple ID and (fingers crossed) it should work. (I recognize there are others with more elaborate troubles; I just wanted to underscore that this simple fix appears to resolve the trouble for some of us.)

Hi,

Can you see the Serial Number when you check ?

8:18 pm      Monday; February 29, 2016

Hi,

All Apple password slots will show 8 dots when you return to them no matter how long the password is.

The Issue is at the Server end.

If You have done all the things that might (rarely) correct it on your computer such as trying a Another Mac User and check the Serial Number, NVRAM rest, Safe Boot then it is the server end.

Basically it is an over zealous security feature that block the use of the ID on juts the Mac and just for iMessages (because it is the server).

Often phone call to Apple Support do get bumped up the chain and needs a least  Level 2 support person.

Even then they may involve the Engineers from more data grabbing.

At the end of the day they have to reset the ID on the server from just the Device that is having issues.

AS the Login is individual based on the Serial Number as well as the Apple ID and password it can take a long time to convince the Support worker that it is at the sever end.

At the OS X 10.8.2 update (where Messages started using the Serial Number as well the level 2 people were resetting it themselves  if the person had their Serial Number showing up.

Many people found they had to go to an Apple Store and get it fixed.

8:28 pm      Monday; February 29, 2016

When it turns red, it means it is not an Apple device, iMessage needs to be linked to your iphone forwarding. You have to go into settings on your iPhone and set up forwarding for your desktop or laptop in messaging.

Your Mac can now receive and send SMS and MMS text messages through your iPhone when you set up text message forwarding. For example, if a friend sends you a text message from a phone other than iPhone, the message appears on your Mac and iPhone in Messages.

SMS messages are green. iMessage messages are blue.

To receive and send SMS and MMS messages on your Mac, your iPhone needs iOS 8.1 or later, and must be signed into iMessage with the same Apple ID as your Mac.

1. On your iPhone, tap Settings > Messages.
2. Tap Text Message Forwarding.
3. Enable your Mac in the list of devices.
4. On your Mac, open Messages.A six-digit activation code appears.
5. Enter this code on your iPhone, then tap Allow.

You can now send and receive SMS and MMS messages on your Mac.

Happy to say that my Messages is now back to normal and working fine. Going to level 2 on the phone and getting the white list/server reset done seems to have worked. Never got a call back or any further correspondence from Apple or techs but I just kept going to the app and trying. Didn't require a sign out/back in again. It just worked as it did before the logic board replacement.

Hope my findings/troubles helps anyone else in the future with this fault.

Also, many thanks to Ralph for his assistance along the way!

Hi,

An entry in the "To" spot that goes red can mean several things depending where else it occurs.

If it is just one Contact it could mean they are not Registered with iMessages (which is the alert message that shows up)

That could be an iPhone that is not Registered (or has become de-registered).

It could be an Apple ID that is not registered for iMessages.

(Obviously with those last two it does depend on whether an iPhone Number or Apple ID is the "To" ID)

It could mean as you suggest that it is neither an iPhone Number or an Apple ID and if such a number it could be an non iPhone mobile phone.

For iOS 8 and Yosemite users and above on both iPhone and Macs can do Text Forwarding for the SMS linking.

Once this has been set up the Contact will not go "red".

This Thread is in Mavericks so much of this does not apply to the people that Started or joined the Thread near the beginning.

Lastly, All the Contacts can go red as you try them.

In this case this generally means the iMessages account is not logged in to the Server.

From the OS X 10.8.2 update this could be because the Serial number is not on the Logic board after a replacement.

Later versions of the OS seem to develop this issue almost randomly when it seems the Apple ID gets "blocked" at the iMessages server.

This continues even in EL Capitan when the trigger seems to be Upgrading to El Capitan or updating to OS X 10.11.3

Later parts of this Thread deal with this issue of the iMessages Account not being logged in (either fully or partially).

Our best guess is that this is an over zealous Security feature that Apple still have not worked out how it gets triggered.

7:59 pm      Wednesday; March 2, 2016