Google 2-step verification failing in 10.10.3 'Internet Accounts'

I'm having the same issue as reported here. I have a Google Apps account tied to my own custom domain and am using Google Authenticator for 2-factor. After upgrading to 10.10.3 my Google account is no longer authenticating. Prior to 10.10.3 I had an app specific password. I have attempted to add my Google account under the "Internet Accounts" panel. The system accepts my password, accepts my 6 digit code, presents me with a list of permissions to accept then fails with the "Failed to authenticate with Google" error. I tried completely removing the account and re-adding it, only to receive the same error.

Just guessing, but I believe this may be related to the fact that my Google Apps account username is the same as my AppleID. My primary workplace also uses Google Apps for their productivity suite as does another client I perform side work for. Both have Google Authenticator 2-factor enabled and both work flawlessly under 10.10.3.

I'm also having similar errors on my iPhone 6 running 8.3. My work related Google accounts can authenticate, but my personal Google account does not. The system also accepts my password and my 6 digit code and presents me with a list of permissions to accept, however in this case, I don't get a specific error. The account just fails to add with no indication that anything happened.

Thank you so much, after hours with the google work support these settings resolved the problem within a minute! I couldn't get mails at all, it wouldn't accept the password. Now all is working.

Just confirming. Same issue. All my Google accounts use 2 factor and some are just now randomly failing.

I have an update to my original post:

When attempting to log in using the Google two-factor:

1) One of my work related Google accounts no longer authenticates email. Contacts, Calendars and Messages are still working.

2) My side client account is working without error.

3) My personal account still receives the "Failed to authenticate with Google" error.

I opened a ticket with Google and received the following response:

"Thank you very much for working with us. My name is <redacted> from the migrations and sync team. I understand you are being affected by the new update of iOS in which users who have 2 factor active are having issues. At the moment this for some reason is not working with Google and the workaround we as Google have given is adding the accounts as 'Other Account' rather than choosing the Google option.

When using the 'Other Account' in Apple Mail you are able to use the normal App Specific password which you can generate and make the account synchronize with Google. Please let me know if you can try this if you are still having issues please let me know and I will be glad to help."

It looks like they are aware of the problem. I attempted their work around on my personal account. Email does not work. I get the same "An unknown error has occurred" that others in this thread have reported. However, Contacts, Calendars and Messages are functioning. I do receive an obnoxious alert window stating that my Google password is required. If I close the alert Contacts, Calendars and Messages remain authenticated, but the alert pops up again a few minutes later. I receive the same error when logging on with my work account, regardless of whether I attempt to log in using two-factor or an App Specific password. Mail will not authenticate, receiving an "An unknown error has occurred" popup. Contacts, Calendars and Messages work without error.

great, I've followed your steps and finally get connected to my gmail notes on my new macbook. My old macbook pro didn't have the issues when upgraded from 10.10.2

This is it. You just get your app password, go back to you mail app on your mac (not the general account settings) and replace the normal pass with the app pass.

Also confirming that I have encountered this problem.

I use Google Apps for Work to host my domain for personal use and I'm the only super admin user. Across Google's support pages it states:

"If you have iOS 8.3 on your iPhone or OSX 10.10.3 on your Mac, you will no longer have to use App passwords to use 2-Step Verification."

However, this doesn't seem to be the case for Google Apps users - I continually get a "Failed to authenticate with Google" pop-up every time I attempt to add my Google Internet Account under "Internet Accounts" on Mac OS 10.3.3, whereas the whole procedure simply quits under iOS 8.3.

It worked before and I've made no changes within my Google Apps admin console, so something has changed, somewhere!

I have also tested this with Google's 2-step verification disabled and I get the same issues. Interestingly, I have no problem adding a standard Google account to the same Mac and iPhone, with and without 2-step verification.

These steps lead to the issue:

iMac OSX 10.3.3:

1. I go to Systems Preferences and select Internet Accounts.

2. I click on the Google logo

3. I sign in with my Google Account

4. I use Google Authenticator to verify (I have also tried this with verification turned off, but still get the same error)

5. I then get a window stating that OS X would like to view and manage my mail, email address, basic profile info, calendars, messages and contacts.

6. I click Accept

7. I receive a pop-up stating "Authentication failed, failed to authenticate with Google."

iPhone iOS 8.3:

1. I go to Settings, then "Mail, Contacts, Calendars" and select "Add account"

2. I again click on the Google logo and repeat steps 3 to 6 as above.

3. My iPhone then quits the process with no error message at all and no account has been setup.

As I stated earlier, I do not have this problem with a standard Google Account, so it seems to be an issue related to Google Apps for Work users.

As others have mentioned, I can only setup my iMac's Mail App's access to Gmail's IMAP servers by selecting "Add Other Account..." either in Internet Accounts or Mail's Preferences > Add Mail account, and then using the App-Specific Password method. However, doing this with my iPhone, means I have to create separate accounts and separate App-Specific Passwords for both Gmail and Google's CalDAV Calendar, rather than have a unified "single sign-on" Google account. So not only am I still relying on App-Specific Passwords when Google states "I will no longer have to use App passwords to use 2-Step Verification.", it also makes for a messy setup and means my iPhone's mail folders behave differently, especially when it comes to Archiving/All Mail options.

I'm currently wondering if it's an issue with Google Apps for Work accounts and Apple’s implementation ofGoogle Sign-In and/or Google’s OpenID, the latter of which was deprecated by Google on April 20th, which is why I am here hoping to find a solution.

I've also raised the issue with Google's Support Team, but they seem to be sending me down the Google/Mobile Sync route using a MS Exchange server, which is not how I want things setup.

Anyway, I hope Apple and Google can work together on this one, as I feel there's a few of us here with this problem...

It looks like there's perhaps more than one issue as well.

I've seen accounts that work on neither iOS 8 or OS X 10.10.3, ones that work on 10.10.3 and not on iOS 8 and (my category) accounts that work on iOS 8 but not 10.10.3.

And it's definitely impacting both Google Apps and regular Gmail accounts in all of the above modes though I've noticed the Gmail accounts I've seen impacted are all very old. Mine's a day one account for example.

Hi there, we were having this "Failed to authenticate to Google" problem on several OSX 10.10.3 users in our Google Apps domain.

The solution for us was in the Google Apps Admin Console (so you need admin rights on your Google Apps domain) to turn on Google+ Data API access (https://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=3187191).

Specifically: Apps - Additional Google Services - Google+ - Sharing Settings - tick 'Allow apps to access Google+ APIs'.

After this the Internet Accounts in OSX were able to authenticate and add the Google account, whether with SSO or not.

If you don't have admin rights to your Google Apps domain, I guess you will need to talk to your IT department or whoever does have the admin rights for Google Apps.

Ethanet... You've hit the nail on the head! One little tick later and everything is authenticating. Thanks for taking the time to post here!

Perfect. That actually helped and solved the problem. Just what I suspected in one of my former posts that Google Apps customers may block a certain API - a choice you don't have in free Google Accounts.

I'm having the same problem, but using a standard free Google account, not a Google Apps account.

I can see an OSX entry in the Account Permissions page (https://security.google.com/settings/security/permissions?hl=en-GB)

But I think that must be for my MacBook, which does not keep asking for authentication.

For my Imac, it asks every couple of minutes, and if I enter my account password and do the 2FA, I also get the 'authentication failed' message.

Is there any way to turn on the Google+ Data API access in a standard Google account?

btw, i have about 20 other websites, IoS apps, MacOs apps and Windows programs working with Google, including an app-specific password in AppleMail

- its only the MacOS Internet Accounts app that is failing.

I noticed that the Google APIs have changed recently (https://support.google.com/a/answer/3187191?hl=en)

"Deprecated APIs were discontinued on April 20th, 2015. To restore service, update to the replacement API."

Is it possible that Apple have implemented the old APIs?

I was having a problem with one of my Gmail accounts that uses 2-step verification on my MacBook Mail app. It hadn't gotten most of the mail for the account for 3 days. What I ended up doing was deleting the account from the Mail app settings, turned off the MacBook, turned it back on and added back the Gmail account that has 2-step verification. Thankfully, I didn't get any error messages. Once the account was back, the Mail updated it and finally pulled in the email that not gotten for 3 days.

I was having no problems with the Mac OS Mail app up until Mavericks came out. For months, I had to use a 3rd party email client app for a while, but it was buggy & would sometimes crash. I finally switched back to the Mac OS Mail app, which was working better after Apple finally repaired some issues. After Yosemite came out, things were still working okay, but since upgrading to 10.10.3, I've been seeing an increasing number of issues with the Mail app again associated with Gmail accounts, which is what I primarily use. I never have these issues on my iOS devices, which are running the latest iOS (8.3), but on Mac OS, it's always hit or miss with Gmail accounts with the native Mail app.

I've considered switching to a different mail client for Mac OS X again, but most seem to have mixed reviews in the App Store. The latest version of the previous 3rd party email client I was using has a lot of 1-star reviews, so I wouldn't waste my time with that one again.

I think you're on to something. I was never able to successfully log in after removing a 2-factor authenticated GMail account under OS X 10.10.3. I ended up having to do the "set up a generic IMAP" option and use a new 2-factor App Specific password. My guess is that you're right about the API change over and that 10.10.3 isn;t supporting the new APIs. There also doesn't seem to be a way to turn on the Google+ Data API access in a standard Google account, so I think until Apple fixes things (hopefully in 10.10.4) we are stuck going back to app-specific passwords.

"Authentication Failed

Failed to authenticate with Google"

I don't think this msg has to do with 2-step authentication, i get this when i try to add a regular google apps (business) account.. i get a window to enter password for google account, then this error msg, i don't use 2-step auth!

Tony