"Email Address Mismatch" error with Google account under 10.14.4

Question

Level 2

176 points

"Email Address Mismatch" error with Google account under 10.14.4

There are already a number of threads about the Google account problems that coincided with the release of 10.14.4, and while an update (apparently on Google's end) fixed the issue for a lot of people I seem to be getting a different error than most, and I'm wondering how many others are seeing the same error and if anyone has had luck working around it.

Specifically, here's the error dialogue I get:

"Email Address Mismatch - The email address you entered does not match your account."

It of course should match, and worked fine up through 10.14.3 (and 10.14.4 for a couple of days, probably until a token expired). This is with a Google Apps account through work with a private domain, and probably due to the fact that my employer uses their own CAS centralized authentication service for Google (when logging in to Google we're directed to a login page hosted by the organization, which then forwards back to Google once you're logged in).

Are others seeing the same error I am? Is your setup the same--centralized non-Google authentication service for an enterprise Apps account? Different setup?

MacBook Pro 15”, macOS 10.14

Posted on Apr 5, 2019 6:43 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Marc Marshall Author

Level 2

176 points

Apr 14, 2019 11:49 PM in response to Marc Marshall

So after significant digging, I think I've located the cause of this. My organization uses email aliases, so everybody has (at minimum, you can also create your own): john.doe@place.com, johndoe@place.com, jdoe@place.com, and jd1@place.com

The "default" username for all Google services is jd1, but the "formal" address is john.doe@place.com. Some of us who've been around since pre-Google, however (or those of us with very long names) prefer jd1@place.com

The issue, looking at captures of the actual authentication traffic, is that when you try to authenticate, the Google authentication server people.googleapis.com replies with a list of valid email addresses that doesn't include jd1, just the other three options.

As a result, if you had Mail configured with jd1@place.com you get the "Email Address Mismatch" error. Problematically, there is no way to change it in the MacOS other than deleting and re-creating the account in the MacOS. After Google rolled out whatever fix they did a while ago, this does appear to let me log in, but if you've got tens of thousands of emails to re-sync it can be a time-consuming pain. You also then get stuck with the WRONG email address if you actually wanted to use the one that won't authenticate.

As an alternative, I used the app Charles to do a re-write on Google's response to overwrite one of the undesired email addresses with the one I actually want to use. This is similar to the instructions in this thread, but instead of the rewrite string suggested using Charles to overwrite johndoe@place.com with jd1@place.com. This had the odd side effect of generating a second Google account in my System Prefs with one of the other emails, but the original account still worked, so I neither had to re-download everything nor use a non-preferred email. I just left the other account disabled; maybe I can delete it but I didn't try.

Reply

Answer 2

Apr 23, 2019 3:35 AM in response to Marc Marshall

As of Tuesday 23 April I am getting the same error message. All my google accounts are off line and won't go online. On quitting and restarting email I can get a request to enter my first email address, password and google authenticator code. I then get the error message identified above (mine is on a white background!). The account remains offline and there is no further error message when asking it to go on line

I am using a Macbook pro on a domestic (BT) internet connection so I am not in the position of Marc above. I do have a @googlemail (i.e. not a @gmail) address, though I have tried entering both the long and short version and get the same result.

Help!

Reply

Answer 3

May 16, 2019 8:28 AM in response to Vincentista

I too have this problem, frustratingly have wasted hours trying to resolve it. I don’t even know how it started in the first place! I kept changing my google password until I thought naagh must be a system problem. Consequently I can’t now use gmail on any of my IPhone, Mac or iPad - well I know I can use the google M app but it’s pretty awful. Think I’ll just use my iCloud email from now on.

Reply

"Email Address Mismatch" error with Google account under 10.14.4

Similar questions