iMessage on my mac says every contact is not registered with iMessage

Hi,

Just to check.

Date and Time including Time Zone and Daylight Saving settings if applicable.

A valid DNS server listed in System Preferences > Network > Advanced Button > DNS tab (Not the "router" IP)

Your Name in the My Card in the Contacts App.

The Serial Number of the Mac showing in "About This Mac" panel. - This leads to a valid IDS: AppleID-Auth Token (where the AppleID is an email) in the Keychain.

More recently no McAfee (without allowing Messages) or Kapersky

Only one Account in Contacts App. > Preferences > Accounts for syncing.

Using only Ethernet or WiFi and not both.

7:35 pm Friday; May 8, 2015

Humm,

It seems we will have to wait on Apple Support then.

Did they mention whether they had looked at the iMessages servers and it's treatment of your Apple ID from the Mac ?

7:53 pm Friday; May 8, 2015

Hi,

That sounds like the server is double checking if your Mac's use of the Apple ID is as valid as it is supposed to be.

On the Mac the process is that you add the Apple ID and the Password and the App then uses the Serial Number of the Mac to create the Auth Token in the Keychain which in turn verified by the iMessages servers.

This gives the Mac an Unique Login to the iMessages servers.

The iOS in iPhones and iPads do a similar thing for those devices so that each device has a unique login to the servers.

Judging from other people's posts regarding this issue, those that have posted back have hinted that Level 2 Support staff have just reset the Apple ID flag at the server end. Some seem to have reported that there issue has gone away silently days later without specifically being able to attribute this to Apple Support Staff.

As this has been continuing since Messages was updated to version 7.0.1 in Mountain Lion (when the Serial number was first used) I am not surprised that apple want to look deeper at it.

I would also guess that some of the updates to the OS and Messages since were supposed to have fixed this (which they obviously have not).

I hope they get back to you soon and that some of the info they give can be used for others.

8:33 pm Friday; May 8, 2015

Sounds like some sort of progress.

9:34 pm Friday; May 8, 2015

Hi,

Good to hear.

8:20 pm Thursday; May 14, 2015

Hi,

Can you check that the Serial Number still shows up ?

In the About this Mac pane click twice on the listing of the current OS level.

7:53 pm Saturday; May 16, 2015

Hi,

From everything you post it does seem that the issue is with the Apple iMessages servers.

Each device you have logged in to the servers does so uniquely.

This means that for devices using the Apple ID you can get different responses.

The most reported here at Apple Support Communities is the Mac version getting either the "Not Registered with iMessages" for every Contact or a "not Delivered" alert on every iMessages sent.
Annoyingly these are also valid alerts and messages about the normal function of iMessages - although not to the extreme of every Contact you try to connect with.

When this started happening after the OS X 10.8.2 update which was when the Mac's Serial Number started being used to create the unique login and the Auth Token in the Keychain any contact with Apple Support seemed to soon get bumped to Level 2 people who would then check the Servers and the Mac's use of the Apple ID and reset the server.

It seems now that Apple are more aware of it and trying to work through the issue with Support and the Engineering team to find the cause.

My guess is that there are several "silent" failures or incomplete Logins that are presenting with very similar symptoms which is where the delay on the Apple end is.

I can only suggest that you contact Apple Support and ask for a Level 2 support person. (Level 1's use a Script and have difficultly getting past this).

Account/ID issues are supposed to be free to Fix and are not Software or Hardware issues (the domain of level one people).

However it is difficult to persuade people that the issue with Messages and the iMessages use of the Apple ID is anything else.

That is not to say that some have found deleting the Keychain items has fixed it for them when led through the process by Apple Support - i.e. it is something we have seen in people reporting back after contacting Apple Support.

It was not a "fix" before but seems to be for some - which leads credence to the fact that there are several potential issues going on.

8:21 pm Saturday; May 16, 2015

HI,

Whilst the iMessages and Text options are both based on the Apple ID the iMessages side requires the app can login fully to the iMessages servers.

The Text Forwarding from the iPhone of SMS messages only requires the iPhone can get SMS Messages, is using the same Apple ID and is on the same network.

(I.e. the two systems are separate from each other but are linked via the Apple ID to link them but need the iPhone to be connected to the carrier)

Any issue with the iMessages servers and you lose them whilst you may still maintain SMS abilities.

As I have said before, at the OS X 10.8.2 update Messages 7.0.1 (as it was updated to in this update) then needed the Mac's Serial Number to be present and this was used to create a unique identifier called the Auth Token based on the Apple ID in use.

At this point if the Serial Number was not present a pop up appeared telling your to contact Apple Support and a code number for your error.

Now we appear to have related but silent failures (It looks logged in but will not send).

These seem to fall into two groups:-

1) the Contacts turning red and getting the messages that they "Are Not Registered with iMessages" ( A bit like not getting your Buddy list on other services)

2) the iMessage appearing to be sent but instantly getting the "Not Delivered" error alert.

Some checks have helped some people:-

Date and Time settings in both Mac and Router as the login and iMessages are Time Stamped.

Check the AppleGothic font is Active, not duplicated and Validated (File Menu in the Font Boot app).

Checking DNS settings in System Preferences > Network (Listing the router's IP is not always good enough)

A PRAM/NVRAM reset has been known to help some (Restart the computer holding down ALT+CMD+P+R keys until you have heard three Start up bongs then let the start up continue.

A Safe Mode boot have worked for some.

Both these reset some things you can't reset other ways.

Deleting the Auth Token and restarting the app can work but is in the rare category.

Deleting the com.apple.imessages.bag.plist (the listing the servers) and the IDS ****.madrid.plist that list the Apple ID and the alternatives can help.

You have to re-enter the Apple ID if you delete the second one.

Apple do seem to be working on this.

However that means finding the cause and not resolving the symptoms that seemed to happen earlier on when Level 2 support people were resetting the iMessages servers regarding the Apple ID used by the Mac.

It tends to get bumped to the Engineers and anything to resolve the issue tends to be taking a back seat.

7:26 p.m. Sunday; June 14, 2015

Hi,

No specific update.

You might be able to contact Apple Support and say you have an ID issue (free to fix) with your Apple ID and it's use with iMessages.

You have to ask to speak to a Level 2 person.

They used to check the iMessages server and your Apple ID from the Mac use on it and unblock it if it were blocked.

Nowadays they seem to involve Engineers and want all sorts of test info.

9:44 p.m. Friday; July 24, 2015

Hi,

You will have course spotted that this Thread is in Mavericks (No Hint of SMS/Text Forwarding).

You will of course also have spotted that the Start date is the September of 2014. Yosemite, which is needed fro the "fix" you suggest is not released until the October of the same year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_X_Yosemite

Admittedly the Thread does drift in to the use of Yosemite and the aforementioned OS and iOS ability to do SMS/Text Forwarding... but you have replied a year later to the Original Poster.

Apple Support Communities Use Agreement See section 2.5

Help is always welcome but needs to be targeted at the correct point.

It is not unusual to have threads that are active after more than a year.

However care should be taken to ensure you have all the information to answer with relevant info.

Have fun helping people.

8:21 p.m. Wednesday; September 9, 2015

for the Points

9:08 pm Sunday; November 1, 2015

Hi,

If you have checked the Serial Number is present and that it is and have tied a NVRAM reset and the Safe Boot with no effect AND the Apple ID will not login in another Mac User Account on that computer then there is a good chance the Apple ID in relation to the Mac logging in to the iMessages server has been suspended.

That is to say that all the servers that Apple use for the different services such as iTunes, FaceTime, App Store, iMessages and so on can be individually stopped.

At OS X 10.7.2 Apple started using the Mac's Serial Number to be part of the verification that it was "you" that was logging in.

It was seen at the time that those that did not have the Serial number due to repairs or replacements of the Logic Boards received a Pop alert message to Contact Apple Support.

Since then several other issues seem to have arisen that seem closely related.

One is the fact the app looks Logged in but each and every Contact goes Red and say it is "Not registered with iMessage" even if it is your own iPhone which is sending iMessages quite happily.

Another is when sending each iMessage get the Alert "Not Delivered".

Because the block to the ID is by the Auth Token/Serial Number issue one mac can appear blocked when other and iOS devices are working fine.

After the above checks the only option is to Contact Apple Support.

This can be fraught with trying to establish that it is in fact an Apple ID issue (free to fix), getting past the Level one people who are Script Led and then dealing with the Level 2 people who involve the Engineers who still seem to be looking at why this security feature gets triggered when it should not.

Good luck

8:00 pm Sunday; January 17, 2016

Hi,

Either in System Info or the About this Mac panel and click twice on the OS X version number will show you the Serial Number if it is installed on the hardware. (i.e. it is there, it is present)

It was the case back at Messages 7.0.2 in OS X 10.8.2 (I misquoted the OS version earlier) that the Level 2 people used to say they could see the iMessages server's Login for the Mac and would get on and reset it themselves.

More recently with issues related to the serial number dropping off and others coming to the fore it seems that the engineers are concerned about why this is being triggered and about the amount of resetting being done.

The most recent "cause" seems to be something about some set ups when Installing El Capitan. (i.e. it happens straight away if you were using it before then Upgrade to El Capitan).

If you already have a Level 2 looking into this try saying that you use iMessages for business or something equally important.

Most people who are reporting back about their experiences are saying the Engineers are quoting "24 hours" for a reset and that a follow up phone call will also follow.

It seems "overnight" is more common and there tends not to be a follow up phone call.

It would appear that despite the numbers it has yet to reach the really critical point of an update to the app to prevent this from happening.

8:52 pm Sunday; January 17, 2016

Hi,

The Google Account should be set up using the Google option.

The ID you type in should be the same as when you visit the Google web site, such as the on Line Mail page where it will be shown.

Generally Google use two forms of Google Mail ID - @gmail.com and @googlemail.com (Mail seems to use either but the GoogleTalk sever does not).

If you have already set up the Google account then you should be able to check the details in Preferences > Accounts.

The Server Setting should be port 5223 using SSL and the Server name should be talk.google.com

On your Google Web Mail page you should be able to Enable "Chat" in the settings so that a Chat section appears in the menu on the left.

If you are using 2 Step verification then you have to set that up as well.

7:50 pm Thursday; January 28, 2016

Hi,

Can you actually see the Serial Number on the Mac ?

Go to the Apple Icon Menu top left and then select About this Mac.

Then click on the line that tells you the Mac OS X version twice. It will change to the Build Number (another way Apple counts the OS) then it will show th Serial Number if it was "flashed" back to the new Logic Board.

If it is missing take it back to where the repair was done and get them to finish the job and put it back.

Failing that take it to an Apple Store and ask them to fix it. (I have not heard of this costing)

7:58 pm Thursday; February 4, 2016