I can't send iMessages from my Mac?

Hi,

Thanks again.

7:36 pm Thursday; May 11, 2017

Hi,

If you are still using Mavericks and Messages 8 then you might need to do this test

No more SMS on MacBook.

8:23 pm Thursday; June 29, 2017

Hi,

I will ask the Hosts (moderators to remove the Pic as it has your Serial Number showing.

If you iMac is not Logging in to the Servers have your Migrated the Mac user account from another computer including the Keychain ?

If so launch Keychain Access in Applications/Utilities and find the IDS: yourAppleID-Auth Token item and delete it. This holds info about the Serial Number of the Mac as part of the security for logging in.

Having the Old token will have the "old" Serial Number.

If Messages will still not login after this it is probably because the Server end has locked you out.

If that is the case then work though this Users Tip When the iMessages account will not Login

The bit about Serial Numbers in included. You will probably have to phone Apple Support. At that point it is an Apple ID issue and free to fix but you will have to get moved up the chain (Level 2 at least).

9:28 pm Friday; June 30, 2017

thank you, this solved my problem, and believe it or not it also solved a problem in my photos. a lot were showing up with a triangle exclamation point and i had been trying for months to figure out how to fix them. after i deleted that file like you suggested and restarted the computer, i saw my imessages was working then by happenstance i went to photos and noticed the pictures all showed up. wow! tytyty

I just fixed mine.... found the answer by accident!

Go to settings. Click on Messages. Be sure 2 things are working.... Send as SMS is on, and then go to Text Message Forwarding. Click on that. Your device should be there. Turn it on. You should now be able to send & receive.

Yeah ive been having the same problem and i get this message once i quit the application....how can i fix this??

Hi,

The iMessages account in Messages is actually nothing to do with iCloud.

That's not to say the same Apple ID is in use or that the iCloud Sync for Contacts uses the same ID.

The two services use different servers and you can uses a different ID in iMessages whilst using another to sync your Contacts apps details.

Did you just untick the "Enable this Account" box or did you use the Sign Out button ?

Use th Sign Out button

Then Shutdown or Restart the Mac and relaunch Messages.

Re-add the Apple ID (you may obly have to confirm the password.

This completely refreshes the Login.

Side note.

I noticed my wife was showing up red a couple of days back.

When I checked her iPhone the setting for iMessages had been turned Off.

i.e. it was the other end.

8:06 pm Thursday; January 30, 2014

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

Hi,

Open a Finder window.

Use the Go Menu whilst holding down the ALT key.

Select the Library that appears in the Menu.

Navigate to the Preferences folder.

In here find the com.apple.ids.service.com.apple.madrid.plist and drag it to the Trash.

Restart the app.

This .plist holds all the Apple IDs and iPhone numbers and alternative emails you have linked to the account.

On restarting the app you may have to re-enter the Apple ID.

7:30 pm Saturday; February 1, 2014

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

I had the same issue between my mac mini (imessages dont send, although it was updating imessages from my ipad) and my ipad. I removed the file as you posted and this fixed the problem. However, there now is no com.apple.ids.service.com.apple.madrid.plist file in that folder. I assumed a new one would be created. I was not asked for my appleID and I WAS able to send imessages from the mac mini. So i think my problem is solved, but that file is missing. Is that a potential issue?

thanks

Hi,

The current place on my computer for this file is ~/Library/Preferences

However it is referenced by an Alias in ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.ichat/Data/Library/Preferences

This is the Sandboxing in action as it were.

The App Writes to the .plists via this second route. (it probably Reads the file this way as well)

Mavericks added the Containers/app reference/Data folders to "protect" by separation the individual actions of the apps.

I would expect the file to be recreated when the App was restarted.

You could go to the Containers location and Right click the Alias and ask it to show you the Original in the Finder.

In the Finder use the Video Menu > Show Path Bar so you know where the file is.

8:20 pm Thursday; May 15, 2014

Hi and thanks again,

I can't find the file using the tips above, even with spotlight. I had copied the file to an external drive and i copied it back to a folder on the mac. Then spotlight immediately found that file using 'madrid.plist' as a search term. But no other file was found. I closed and restarted imessage several times.

imessages seems to work so not sure if there will be an issue.

HI,

Just to be clear.

There are three folders called "Library" on a Mac with only the original Admin account. *see fourth Library below.

If you open the Hard Drive to it's top level then you can read Library, System and Users (As well as Applications and anything you have put here.

If you open the System one then there is a Library folder as the next step there.

Also in Users > the name of your Account (Little House icon) then there is one in here.

However since Lion this has been Invisible.

Using the Finder > Go Menu > Go to Folder and entering ~/Library will open a window in that Library

You can also make the Folder Visible on permanent basis if you need to.

Generally Spotlight will not display the results from the ~/Library which is why you will not find it this way.

Fourth Library.

Since Sandboxing came into being the Containers folder has many "Library" folders that apply to each app that can be sandboxed.

Basically all are at the same depth of Containers/Data/App Name/Library.

As you say it is working I would not worry too much about it.

I have just finished installing OS X 10.9.3 and my Users folder seems to be the next one to become Invisible.

8:07 pm Friday; May 16, 2014

Tried to send to ph # I msg with all of the time on iPhones. Contact shows in red and get msg that # not registered with iMessages. Other #'s work fine. Apple Support absolutely not help at all!

Hi,

At any one time you may get this with an iPhone if it is set to be Off such as Do not Disturb or in Airplane Mode.

Also if it does not have wifi coverage or a suitable carrier coverage.

It also happens if the phone has lost power.

The iMessages server cannot tell why the iPhone is not accepting just that it is "not there".

You get a standard "Not registered" error message.

8:19 pm Monday; May 19, 2014