iMessage login issues

HI,

What have you tried so far ?

6:48 PM Wednesday; May 9, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

I deleted the Facetime com.apple.Facetime.plist in ~/Library/Preferences and deleted the app and reinstalled it...

Facetime was running in beta. I am not sure if it was running after the update to OSX Lion.

For Messages, I uninstalled the Beta and installed it again.

Have checked the Little Snitch rules for both apps.

HI,

FaceTime comes with Lion.

Both Messages Beta and FaceTime use IMAgent to connect.

Try going to Applications/Utilities and opening Activity Monitor.

Fine IMAgent in the list and highlight

Then use the Quit icon and Confirm Force Quit.

It will restart itself anyway if Messages and FaceTime are supposed to be Open.

FaceTime has an option to turn it Off in th Preferences (It will not "Listen" for calls and start the app)

If that does not work, then delete com.aplle.IMAgent.plist.

It pays to restart the mac when you delete this as IMAgent normally starts when the OS is booted/Started

7:18 PM Thursday; May 10, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Hey Ralph,

thank you very much for your help! It was the imagent process which was blocked by the little snitch rules on port 80...

Now I am happy to use iMessage from my MacBook 🙂

No Problem.

9:38 PM Friday; May 11, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

I also facing the same problem... Suddenly sign out... Changed apple Id password still couldn't work... It mentioned unable to verify address. An email link send to your email address. But when I click on d check mail... Nothings show.

Hi,

So you had a Apple ID that was working in Messages beta as the iMessage login ?

(the one that allowed you to send messages to iPhones and iPads)

This was not an iCloud Apple ID ?

(you don't mention it so I am guessing).

You went to somewhere on the Apple site and changed the password for this Apple ID and presumably that page told you it could not verify the email address.

My original or rather everyday Apple ID is based on the email of a Dial-up account I once had.

I can download/fetch mail from their servers but cannot send unless I am logged in via their Dial-up (in) server.

I had managed to enter a different email here at the Communities section, in my profile so that a gmail account got the emails about new posts.

When I linked the ID to an iCloud issued @me.com name all Apple contact emails from iTunes, these Support Communities and other places started to come to my Dial up account.

Logging in here (My Support Profile allowed me to Change the email linked to this Apple ID.

You may need to do this if you no longer has access to the email that created the Apple ID.

You also do not mention if you change the password in iChat.

7:40 PM Monday; May 14, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

I have tried to login to imessage, I use ipod touch..It asks me to verify the email and after that it goes back to the main screen even after i have verified all emails online.

Thank you

HI,

Where are you verifying the emails and where is the screen returning you to the beginning ?

Also what sort of name is this particular Apple ID ?

@mac.com ?

@me.com issued from MobileMe (Is your Account still current ?) ?

An @me.com from iCloud ?

External to Apple Email ?

8:23 PM Thursday; May 17, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.4)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.7.4),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

My apple id is @me.com

When i click on imessage it takes me to a startup page where it says get started, after clicking on get started it tells me to log in via my apple id and password. After, i login it asks me to verify email. I put in the email which i have already verified online. It then takes me to the login page and this loop keeps on continueing.

I would like to know how break this Thank you for responding to my post

Mihir

HI,

I will presume then that it is a fairly new @me.com name and that you got it as an iCloud ID

Try this first.

Open the Applications/Utilities folder and then the Activity Monitor app.

In this app find the listing for IMAgent (It will not have an iCon)

Highlight it an then use the Quit Button and then confirm Force Quit in the dialogue box.

(It will restart almost before you can do anything else - this is normal)

Try Messages again.

Is the name you are entering the same as FaceTime if you have already set up FaceTime ?

Both FaceTime and Messages use IMAgent and in theory for Messages Beta they should be using the same name/Apple ID.

If Force Quitting IMAgent via Activity Monitor has not worked then try this:-

Make th FInder the "Front" app and item listed in thre Menu Bar

Use the Go Menu and then Hold the ALT key down whilst the Menu is in Drop Down mode.

This will make the Library appear in the List

Select the Library then open Preferences after that.

In the Preferences Folder find the file com.apple.imagent.plist and drag it to the Trash.

As IMAgent Starts up when the computer does Restart the Computer which will cause the .plist to be rewritten from defaults.

Have either of these worked ?

7:39 PM Friday; May 18, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.4)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.7.4),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Hi

I too have this problem. I cannot use iMessages or FaceTime on my iMac. I can use them on my iPad2 and iPhone 4S without any issues (I can contact one fom the other etc.)

I have tried Force Quitting IMAgent (it immediately starts again).

I have alo gone looking for com.apple.imagent.plist in Preferences under Library but it is not there

I have also reset my Apple pasword after trying the above but that didn't work either.

HI,

It does not look like you are in the right place for the Library I was talking about by the way you describe you went.

There are three Library folders on a MAc if there is only one Mac User Account set up.

They are:-

1) Hard Drive (Macintosh HD) > Library (i.e the one you can see when you open the Hard Drive)

2) Hard Drive > System > Library

3) Hard Drive > Users > (your account name) > Library (known as the Home Folder/Library and sometimes written as ~/Library)

If in Users there are several Accounts then each one would have it's own Library folder (but without that users password you cannot look at them)

Also in Lion each User cannot "See" their Own Library folder as it is hidden.

The only way to access it is from the FInder > Go Menu > Hold the ALT key to get the Library to be added to the menu.

7:19 PM Sunday; May 27, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.4)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.7.4),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Hi Ralph

Thanks for that - you can tell I have only come to OS X from the 'dark side' of MS in the past year can't you?

I finally found the file as you suggested in /Users/USERNAME/Library/Preferences/

I then deleted it and restarted the system.I then tried both FaceTime and Messages but received the same error.

Just checking back the Preferences folder I find that the com.apple.imagent.plist file still wasn't there. There is a com.apple.imagent.plist.lockfile file though.

Thanks in advance for your continuing patience.

Peter

Hi,

That's interesting.

Technically you can delete the .plists and an App will recreate them when you restart it.

(However don't delete .plists willynilly as some contain info that keeps the app involved up to date).

So we have a .plist that is not being recreated for some reason.

Can you access the Library again.

This time Highlight Preferences with a single click

Now use the Apple/CMD ( or ⌘) and i keys together - Get Info - See FIle Menu in the Finder. (Older keyboards will show the Apple iCon on the key to the left of the space bar. Some show the "Cloverleaf" (Point of Interest icon in some Scandanavian road signs) and of course some show both.

Pic showing key (normally shown for something else)

AT the bottom of the panel that appears do you Own the File and do you have Read a Write Permissions ?

The Read and Write should be fairly easy to see (your shortname/Username and Me in parenteses).

To see if you Own it Unlock the padlock

Highlight your Name in the list.

Now Click the Cogwheel type icon.

If you own it it will say "Make username(me) the Owner" but it will be greyed out as it is already done.

This will check if You can "Write" to the Folder itself.

Can you also do similar checks on that .lockfile and any com.apple.ichat...... .plists items ?

This will check that you Own and can also Write to those individual .plists

Now with the Finder Window still open go to the View Menu and Enable Path Bar.

This will add a line across the Bottom of the window saying the Hard Drive Name > Users > Username > Library and so on (down to the file you last clicked)

Can you Right Click the Library itself in this path bar and then select Get Info that way for that item.

Do you have Ownership and Read and Write permissions to the Library ?

7:30 PM Monday; May 28, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.4)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.7.4),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously