Messages on Macbook can't sign in

Question

Level 1

12 points

Messages on Macbook can't sign in

I just created a new Apple ID about a month ago. I have a macbook air that is about 4 years old. I had been using an Apple ID on the macbook and really had no important information linked to it so I decided I would log in to the new Apple ID I created. I was able to link my Apple ID just fine for most of the services but when trying to sign in to messages or facetime, it gives me an error and says it couldn't sign me in.

Specifically it says "Could not sign in to messenger. An error occurred during activation. Try again."

The error is identical on messenger and facetime.

Roughly a hundred tries later, no success.

I've tried many things to resolve this, most of which I got from this website.

https://appletoolbox.com/error-occurred-during-activation-for-imessage-or-facetime-on-mac/#Check_if_Apple_Placed_a_Block_on_iMessages_or_FaceTime_Servers

I've attempted every suggestion there and none have worked. This included a software update from El Capitan to Catalina. I've also ensured the settings on my phone for iMessage are what they need to be.

My next step is to actually contact apple support. I honestly haven't done so because I don't have much time to get it done during the day lately. If anyone has any advice or possible solutions to this I would GREATLY appreciate it. I would love to be able to respond to messages without having to look down from my computer.

Thanks

MacBook Air 13", macOS 10.15

Posted on Dec 8, 2019 3:36 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

Eric Root

Level 10

684,213 points

Dec 8, 2019 7:24 AM in response to PDXkmac

The list in the article is fairly comprehensive. One more thing you can try is to have someone else attempt to sign in using their Apple ID. If they can successfully sign in and use Messages/FaceTime, it may be your Apple ID. Someone I know had this happen and I was able to sign in using my Apple ID. After a call to Apple Support and then being elevated to a tier 2 support person, it turned out it was a problem with their Apple ID. It took the software engineers 3-4 days to fix the problem. When calling Apple, make sure you tell them it is an Apple ID problem so you don't get charged.

You can also try signing in on another device/computer. There have been a couple of posts where people's device/computer was blocked. You will need to contact Apple for that problem also.

There is a contact link.

Apple ID Support

Apple ID Support (2)

Apple Support by e-mail or chat

Apple Support using Twitter

Or fill out and submit this form.

Reply

Answer 2

PDXkmac Author

Level 1

12 points

Dec 8, 2019 10:59 PM in response to Eric Root

Thanks for your post. I ended up contacting apple support through chat. They suggested I sign out of my apple ID on my mac and then sign back in. Then I attempted to sign in to messenger and it worked out.

So it appears re-logging in in my mac solved the issue, but it was contacting support that got me there.

The only small issue I have now is it seems my contacts are not being shared across devices. A text message on my phone from someone who is a contact in my phone shows up on my mac as just a phone number. I will try resigning in to my apple ID on my phone to see if that will sync it up.

Thanks for your help.

Reply

Answer 3

Eric Root

Level 10

684,213 points

Dec 9, 2019 5:58 AM in response to PDXkmac

You are welcome.

Reply

Messages on Macbook can't sign in

Similar questions