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Messages.app/Facetime Broken/Not-Working in Yosemite 10.10

Hi all.

I'm wondering if anyone else is having a problem with Messages.app/iMessage/Facetime after upgrading/installing Yosemite (the release version)? My Messages doesn't work.

The Problems

(A) Specifically, when you enter your AppleID in Messages.app->Preferences->Accounts->iMessagesAccount you get the following error:

Quote:

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

Sometimes the error says it cannot activate.

(B) Also, oddly, FaceTime makes me enter my AppleID every time i reboot, but will work for Video FaceTime chats, but not audio? And once I reboot, it again asks me for my AppleID.

My Setup

I have a 2010 Mac Pro.

My Mac Pro is not stock, but nothing that's in there *should* cause a problem, so I wonder if anyone else is having a similar issue. My non stock hardware is:

--MacVidCard 802.11ac and bluetooth 4.0 upgrade card (http://www.macvidcards.com/store/p33...port_Card.html)
--VisionTek 7750 Eyefinity 6 2GB card (https://www.visiontek.com/graphics-c...rd-detail.html)
--OWC Mercury Accelsior E2 SSD (http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/P...Accelsior/RAID)
--Inateck 4 port PCI-E to USB 3.0 card (which has requires no drivers and is a pretty compatible card) (http://www.inateck.com/inateck-kt400...er-connection/)
--Upgraded the 12-core 2.66ghz motherboard to 12-core 3.46 west mere x5690 xenon (turnkey OWC upgrade) (http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/turnk...Xeon_Processor)

Here is some of the troubleshooting I've already done:

I tried making a new guest account and tried to login there, and went so far as to install a clean install on a blank external drive with similar results.
The only caveat is when you make the new guest account of fresh install, when you first put in your AppleID it almost kinda succeeds. You initially see the screen where Messages tells you it's associating your phone number and a few email addresses together. But if you try to use Messages, nothing gets through, and when you quit and re-run the app, you get that same 'could not sign in' error.
Went through the stuff here to no avail:
messages "An error occurred while activating. Try again later"
My serial number does show in about this Mac.
Messages/iMessage/Facetime all work(ed) fine under 10.9.x on the Mac Pro, so it should not be a hardware issue, as I didn't change any hardware over after upgrading.
I installed Yosemite on my 2013 13" Macbook Pro and Messages/Facetime all work fine, so it's likely nothing to do with my network.
I have confirmed that others that have done the MacVidCard 802.11ac/bluetooth upgrade are not experiencing this issue.
Same with the USB card.
Since I installed a fresh OS on an external drive, I doubt the OWC Accelsior has anything to do with this.
I called apple support, and they are stumped and getting engineers to figure it out. One support guy at apple said the broken Messages.app problems were his only unresolvable problem he was getting this since Yosemite launched (and that it has been an exceptionally smooth launch), and had 4 calls on the same issue early morning the day after launch (he's one level up from the entry support folks and the only level above him are the actual software engineers).
The video card seems highly unlikely to matter here. Then again, I'm not sure the hardware should matter at all...Which leaves me with...

My Suspicion

I think there may be an interplay between 2 things going on. One, although I haven't changed my motherboard, perhaps changing the processor tray makes something fail with the Messages authentication? And second, perhaps there is some corrupted data up on iCloud that alone or in combination with the processor tray, is tripping up Messages verification? The solution might be to bring my machine in and have them do some magic to make the serial number authorized on their system?

Appreciate any thoughts and thanks for any help. Thanks!

Posted on Oct 18, 2014 2:13 PM

118 replies

Oct 24, 2014 12:16 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Umm,

I have had an email about a Post that looks like it should be at this spot.

The link to it however does not work.

Reading the email I can't see why it has been removed. It does mention a specific tool to replace the Serial Number where I had suggested using a Apple Source. However this is not always practical if you are a long way from an Apple Store or Apple Authorised Service Provider and I am aware they are out there.

8:16 pm Friday; October 24, 2014

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 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

Oct 25, 2014 2:32 PM in response to grahamfromilkeston

Having the same problem. Just getting a blank screen in Messages. Just upgraded to Yosemite on a mid-2012 MacBook Pro. All solutions related to Messages>Preferences>etc, are unusable ....no menu options are available.

You are not alone.

Oct 26, 2014 11:20 AM in response to Toby DeVoss

Hi,

If the Application launches but the main window is missing the list of chats (or the space where the list would be) and th "To" spot across the top of that Main window AND the Menus are greyed out - particularly the Messages > Preferences item then you have a different problem.

You need to access the ~/Library/Preferences and Delete (Drag to Trash) the com.apple.ichat.plist item and then restart the app.

6:19 pm Sunday; October 26, 2014

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 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

Oct 26, 2014 11:38 AM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Ralph

Sorry - I just tried that and it didn't help..

Graham

Oct 26, 2014 11:45 AM in response to grahamfromilkeston

The creation date on my Messages App is 7 May 2012 and is identifies itself as version 8.0. Shouldn't it be dated 2014?

Graham

Oct 26, 2014 12:12 PM in response to jkheit

Same boat here, though on a mid 2011 Macbook Air. Likewise tried all the fixes you have stated and got nothing. Also tried a safe mode boot up, login, reboot.... couldn't log in through safe mode either. Hoping for a fix soon as I live 4000 miles away from family and friends.

Oct 26, 2014 12:40 PM in response to grahamfromilkeston

Hi,

In Yosemite Messages still identifies itself as Messages 8

This does not stick with the Numbering system used throughout iChat and Messages Beta (6.1) Messages 7 and 7.0.1 and Messages 8 in Mavericks.

However throughout Mavericks Messages has been updated but not received the normal sub numbers.

The "Get Info" panel does give you a date.

It's a pre Mavericks release date and shows that someone is not keeping the file writing up to date when changing the app.

The Info you are seeing is "Correct" as it is what Apple Published.

On the other hand you are right that it should show a Date more commensurate with Yosemite (And at least be Messages 9 in the scheme of things)

On not displaying the windows properly I would look to Fonts being Off or damaged.

Messages needs Helvetica (Most Apple App needs this one), Lucida Grande (used in Buddy Lists for the Group title bars) and AppleGothic to login in to the iMessages account.

Mavericks and Yosemite also use the iOS like thin Font (whose name I forget at the moment)

I would check these are all active and validate and are not duplicated with the Font Book app.

7:40 pm Sunday; October 26, 2014

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 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

Oct 26, 2014 1:05 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

I have checked the fonts with Font Book and all seems OK..

This is all I get as a main window and most menu options are greyed. No preferences. File menu completely blank, Edit menu mostly blank. FaceTime works fine for me and messages works fine form me on my other computer with Mavericks.

Oct 26, 2014 1:09 PM in response to grahamfromilkeston

Hi,

Can you create a test Mac User Account on your computer and try the Messages app there with the same Apple ID ?

8:09 pm Sunday; October 26, 2014

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 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

Oct 26, 2014 1:10 PM in response to grahamfromilkeston

HaHa!

I missed Apple Gothic so have enable that now. I have a messages window with no messages in it and have a preferences pane now. Judging by this I think I need to track down the 'thin font".....

Oct 26, 2014 1:13 PM in response to grahamfromilkeston

Hi,

That's a new twist on the Preferences display issue.

Are you saying you are expecting there to be a History with open chats/conversations showing in the window ?

A New Mac User Account would not have this (the "sync" in Messages will not pick up old chats)

8:13 pm Sunday; October 26, 2014

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 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

Oct 26, 2014 1:18 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Hi Ralph

I have not created a new user account. This is my 'existing' account but it is not showing any of my conversation history. Once I had enabled Apple Gothic, The menus became enabled and I have been able to send a test message. Still no history although a text from yesterday fleetingly showed up then disappeared again..... :-)

Oct 26, 2014 1:49 PM in response to grahamfromilkeston

Ralph

Many thanks for your help. My conversation history re-appears once I send / receive a message from my contacts. I was expecting it to just be there as before.

Oct 26, 2014 1:51 PM in response to grahamfromilkeston

Hi,

Open Finder window and then the View Menu of the "App" and select Show Path Bar.

Across the bottom of the window should appear the icons and Folder names of where the window is.

Use the Go Menu > Go to Folder and type in ~/Library/Messages in the Dialogue box.

Right Click the chat.db item and choose Get Info

At the bottom of the Pane you should see your shortname listed (the one that titles your Little House icon/Home Folder)

If you select this and then the little Cogwheel type icon it should show you greyed out text saying to make you the Owner (it is greyed out as you are already the Owner.

You should also have Read and Write Permissions.

Now in the Path Bar right Click on the icon for the Messages Folder (It has to be the icon) and choose Get Info.

Check you have Read and Write Permissions and Ownership of that Folder.

Repeat for the Home Folder itself.

You need the "right" Permissions to Read and Write to the containing Folders as well as the files that are written to.

Do the same for the Attachments folder in the open window.

8:51 pm Sunday; October 26, 2014

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 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

Oct 26, 2014 1:52 PM in response to grahamfromilkeston

Ahh,

Forget what I just posted then.

8:52 pm Sunday; October 26, 2014

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 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

Messages.app/Facetime Broken/Not-Working in Yosemite 10.10