FaceTime on mac not signing in/working

Do you have your Two-factor/step verification turned ON? if so, turn it off!!

I had a problem with my macbook's FaceTime, iCloud all logged out.

The FaceTime 'preference' was greyed out so I couldn't click on it.

The password I enter was correct but it just never logs in. I tried inputting a wrong password and the system detects its incorrect.

SOLUTION FOR ME: I turned OFF the Two-factor verification function and it works now. FaceTime, iMessage on both macbook and iPad mini works.

process is simple, follow the instruction for 3 security Q&A, another email for recovery.

To the Apple support staff, most of your answers are copy and paste and most unhelpful and the Two Factor system is great EXCEPT if you wipe the device that receives the pass code then the system does not work since there is no device that can receive the passcode.

Hi Michael,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities.

It sounds like there is an issue signing into FaceTime on your Mac. The article linked below provides a lot of great troubleshooting tips that should help you isolate and resolve the issue.

FaceTime for Mac: Troubleshooting FaceTime

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4185

Activating FaceTime for Mac

Use your Apple ID to register and use FaceTime. FaceTime registration validates your Apple ID and email address for use with FaceTime.

If you are unable to activate FaceTime, try the following:

Sign in to FaceTime for Mac using a valid Apple ID. After you validate the email address for use with FaceTime, other FaceTime users can connect to you using that email address. If you encounter issues registering or using an Apple ID account:

• Ensure that you have an active Internet connection.
• Verify that you are using a valid Apple ID at appleid.apple.com. You can also create an Apple ID or reset your password from this website.

• Check that your email address is verified in FaceTime > Preferences.

If FaceTime > Preferences shows your email status as "verifying," follow the instructions in the verification email that was sent to complete the process.

• Toggle FaceTime off and on in FaceTime > Preferences.
• If still unable to Sign In follow the instructions in FaceTime, Game Center, Messages on OS X: Troubleshooting Sign in

I hope this helps.

-Jason

You might think this is "a lot of great troubleshooting tips" but NONE of them are pertinent to the problem. I'm having the same problem, followed these steps, only to find that none of them are pertinent because they only become relevant once signed into FaceTime, which is what we're both having trouble with.

READ what someone is posting before blithely writing nonsense as an "answer", please.

Hi, Did you ever get through? I am having the same problem

No, I've been completely unsuccessful. I fill in my username/email, then my password, click sign in, and it doesn't even seem to be attempting to sign in. I don't even see an attempt by FaceTime to send any data over the network to actually sign in.

Tried all sorts of things. No change. No dice. And I used to use FaceTime on this computer. Don't know when it decided to log me out, or why.

Sigh..... Same exact thing is happening to me... it was working before so I don't get why all of a sudden this happens!!!

Are you still using Yosemite (10.10.5)? I am. I thought this might have something to do with it, but it shouldn't, as Apple claims FaceTime works on all previous OS X versions it was supported on, still.

I haven't "upgraded" because I use a couple of apps that haven't yet been updated.

Or do you do anything political? There doesn't seem to be anything on the web, much, about this particular problem. So we could be in a very small minority with this problem, which might mean we've been subject to some kind of "observance" from somewhere. I'm having some interesting troubles with my emails, too. You can probably guess from my handle that whilst not necessarily political, I sometimes have opinions that aren't necessarily aligned with the status quo. I don't want to be paranoid, but the very low number of people with this particularly vexing problem is noticeable. And I've done nothing else to this OS X installation that might cause this kind of problem. I'm also being asked to sign into iCloud, twice, on every boot, which is also new.

I've got the same problem. not logging in at all after hundreds of attempts.

Same issue here, not only with FaceTime but iMessage too! I'm annoyed because I only just got this Air today. Everything else is working fine but with FaceTime I just get that never ending wheel, and iMessage eventually tells me this;

I have this problem as well. Just got a new Macbook Air, and can't log in to FaceTime or Messages at all. When I try to log in, Messages just says "an error occurred during authentication" or something similar. FaceTime just keeps turning and turning, not doing anything.

Just bought a mac desk top and I am getting the same message on both FaceTime and iMessage "error occurred during authentication."

I've now tried in many different locations, on many different connections, all without any further success.

Also been searching high and low and found nothing more than this little outpost of solace.

UPDATE!

I have been successful in the issue regarding FaceTime and iMessage.

I merely went to https://appleid.apple.com/account/home and updated my password.

I was then able to sign in on my Air which was giving me so much trouble!

Hope this helps!

I have exactly the same issue.. Using OS X 10.10.5 on a Macbook Pro, 17", mid-2010.

Facetime worked at some point, but now it just refuses to log in. It either sits there until I hit cancel, or after a seemingly random amount of time it will say exactly what iJudaz reported above.

Could not sign into FaceTime.

Could not sign in. Please check your network connection and try again.

I do have LittleSnitch installed, but I've had that for years. I have no rules that block anything related to Facetime. What's more, even if I turn it off, the issue persists.

In terms of troubleshooting... I can see in the LittleSnitch network monitor that FT connects very briefly to profile.ess.apple.com when I first start it, although at that point I've not even entered my password. It transfers almost no data... 1.60 kB up, 21.7 kB down. Other than that, it makes no further connection attempts or data transfer.

If I hit CANCEL and then type in my password and click Sign In, NO data is transferred over the network at all. It sits there completely dead, as far as network connectivity is concerned.

This suggests to me it has a serious internal issue, as opposed to issues with the network connection as the error message suggests.