iMessage not working on Mac

For a while, I have been trying to use iMessage on my MacBook Air 2018, but every time I try to sign in, I see a pop-up appears saying that an error occurred during activation, and when I click OK, I see red text below the sign in area saying, "An error occurred during authentication." This has been a problem to me since I use iMessage often, and am unable to use it on my MacBook. I have also tried multiple ways to fix it that I have seen online, but so far, none of them have worked.

MacBook Air 13", macOS 10.15

Posted on Apr 13, 2020 12:13 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 13, 2020 12:35 PM

Messages - If you can‘t sign in to your iMessage account or FaceTime on your Mac.    


Message activation error.      


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 - Official Apple Support.    


Contact Apple for help with Apple ID account security - Apple Support.   (The link doesn’t always load)


Get Support     Work through the screens to get a chat option. 


https://twitter.com/AppleSupport


Or fill out and submit  iTunes Store - Contact Us - Official Apple Support   The form is for iTunes, but will get passed to the ID Support section. 



7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 13, 2020 12:35 PM in response to stupefy100

Messages - If you can‘t sign in to your iMessage account or FaceTime on your Mac.    


Message activation error.      


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 - Official Apple Support.    


Contact Apple for help with Apple ID account security - Apple Support.   (The link doesn’t always load)


Get Support     Work through the screens to get a chat option. 


https://twitter.com/AppleSupport


Or fill out and submit  iTunes Store - Contact Us - Official Apple Support   The form is for iTunes, but will get passed to the ID Support section. 



Apr 13, 2020 12:38 PM in response to stupefy100

If you can't sign in to your iMessage account or FaceTime on your Mac

Get help signing in to Messages, FaceTime, and Game Center

Messages for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac - Official Apple Support


Or, if needed call Apple Support:


Contacting Apple Customer and Support Service


  1. Apple Store Customer Service at 1-800-676-2775 or visit online Help for more information.
  2. Primary support help at Contact Support.
  3. To contact product and tech support:  Contacting Apple for support and service including international calling numbers.


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iMessage not working on Mac

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