imessage stuck on "Enable this account"

Question

imessage stuck on "Enable this account"

After installing Mountain Lion, I find that Message cannot sign on using the credentials that worked in the past:

My original account was set up under MobileMe, as username@mac.com

But always before, those two addresses were interchangeable, I thought...

And if I try to add username@mac.com as a Message account, I get a drop down with only three options: AIM, Jabber, and Google Talk...no Messages option.

Could this be any more confusing?

Macbook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5), 2 GB RAM, 250 GB HD, 17 inch Core Duo

Posted on Jul 25, 2012 5:56 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

William Damon Author

Level 1

60 points

Jul 28, 2012 3:32 PM in response to William Damon

Deleting the Messages plist file from ~/Library/Preferences resolved this issue for me.

Reply

Answer 2

dwight l

Level 1

0 points

Aug 25, 2012 12:49 PM in response to William Damon

I'm having the same problem, but don't see the Messages plist file. I'm guessing it should be fairly obvious, but what does it look like?

Reply

Answer 3

Aug 25, 2012 12:57 PM in response to dwight l

I thnk they may have changed something about the plist files Messages used in Mountain Lion. I can't find it in my preferences folder now.

Reply

Answer 4

dwight l

Level 1

0 points

Aug 25, 2012 1:14 PM in response to William Damon

Thanks for checking.

Reply

Answer 5

Aug 26, 2012 2:28 PM in response to William Damon

HI,

To be clear.

MobileMe issued @me.com name no longer work

@MAC.com names will

They are regarded by the AIM Server as two separate Valid Screen Names (providing the password is kept to 16 characters or less)

If you converted an @me.com name to iCloud this will only work in iChat 6 and Above (Messages)

This is because the post Lion apps do a login to me.com as well as AIM which allows AIM to "See" the password.

In iChat 6 and Messages the Add Account screen/pane only has the AIM drop down (And not the variants iChat 5 and earlier had)

All AIM valid names should be added under AIM and typed in Full (as in username@me.com or Username@mac.com) if Apple Issued.

Any Apple ID that is going to be used in Messages as the iMessages account is set up on launching Messages for the First time.

It is added to the list as if it were an "Account" but you cannot set up more "Accounts" of this type in the Add Accounts pane.

You can only look in the Account Details button and then Sign out of the current Apple ID before listing a replacement ID

To be really clear.

Apple issued IDs ending in @Me.com and @Mac.com can do several things

As an MobileMe that followed an .Mac Account, you may have linked the email services and used the two names Interchangeably in iTunes, Apple Discussions, App store and some other places.

However as far as AIM are concerned they are Separate Screen Names (They just happen to have the same password).

The iMessages Account is an account only as far as the Preferences Listing is concerned

It or another cannot be added as a new "Account" (only Screen Names and Jabber IDs can have that done)

It also does not have a Buddy List (It accesses Contacts via the Messages (main) window)

The verification process has changed that allows AIM to "See" the password on some Apple IDs and those registered with iCloud can only be used in iChat 6 or later.

10:28 PM Sunday; August 26, 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

Reply