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ruchira918 Author

Level 1

51 points

iMessage not working on Big Sur

Just updated to Big Sur from Catalina on a 16" MBP, and now my iMessage doesn't work. On launch it prompts me to sign in, and when I do, it displays the iMessage interface with all my chats for about 10-20 seconds before it quits and gives me that same prompt again.

If I try to send a message while the interface is displayed it gives an error message about iMessage not being enabled :/

Weirdly enough, the iMessage preferences windows does not open nor is iMessage or FaceTime listed under the services using my iCloud account.

Does anyone know what exactly is happening here, and if there is a fix?

ps: iMessage works fine on my iPad which uses the same AppleID

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 11.0

Posted on Nov 12, 2020 9:39 PM

Top-ranking reply

david.ross392

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Dec 8, 2020 6:03 AM

Check your login / local_items keychain. I was having this issue and it was ultimately because I changed my macOS password a few weeks before upgrading to big sur. It looks like when iMessage / Facetime try to login with the Apple ID, they get stuck because the keychain was created / locked with the *old* macOS password. So try this (from https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202860):

Open Keychain Access, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
Choose Preferences from the Keychain Access menu, then click the Reset My Default Keychain button in the preferences window. After you enter your new password, Keychain Access creates an empty login keychain with no password. Click OK to confirm.
If you don't see a Reset My Default keychain button, close the preferences window and select the “login” keychain from the left side of the Keychain Access window. Press the Delete key, then click Delete References.
Choose Log Out from the Apple menu to return to the login screen.
Log in to your account using your new password. Your account password and login keychain password now match again.

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iMessage not working on Big Sur

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