Seeing Google Talk (Hangouts) status in Apple Messages

Question

Level 1

0 points

Seeing Google Talk (Hangouts) status in Apple Messages

My company recently migrated email platforms over to Google. Most of our 50+ staff work from remote office when not in a main office, so it is a (decade+) corporate policy that we be available via instant messaging all day, and to use the "status" notation to let others know what we are up to / if we are available / in a meeting, and so on. As part of the Google transition we have also switched over to using the Google Talk protocol for our IMing. (We all had an AIM or Yahoo! IM account previously.)

Many folks (me, for example) are simply using the Google Hangouts interface. Others in the company still prefer to use Messages. Those that use Apple Messages have deactivated their AIM or Yahoo! account and have done all of the steps to be using a Google Talk account (which, when created, says it is Jabber in the Messages preferences pane -- if that matters). We have no problems communicating between users no matter which platform (Google Hangouts or Apple Messages)... But the status message doesn't sync. To be super clear: if I put "in the NY office today" as my status when using the Google Hangouts platform, everyone else using Google Hangouts sees that, but everyone on Messages only sees my green (available) dot. Similar issues in reverse... if a colleague puts "only IM me if urgent" in their Apple Messages status, I will only see their red dot in Google Hangouts (if they changed status to away / the red dot).

Long story to get to my question: Why don't the statuses sync / how do we get them to sync?

One more thing... 99% of us are on Macs, and are still using Mavericks, although the next step it to upgrade everyone to Yosemite. (We have some unique corporate software that was incompatible with Yosemite until a few days ago.) And yes, the status sync issue has been tested Mavericks to Mavericks, Mavericks to Yosemite, Yosemite to Yosemite... and that doesn't seem to be a factor.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

CITYG1RL

Posted on Apr 17, 2015 9:05 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Apr 17, 2015 1:44 PM in response to CITYG1RL

Hi,

Very clear explanation of the issue.

Right this instant where most of my Buddies are in the United States that are on Google or other Jabber servers they are Off line to me in the United Kingdom.

Having opened both my Google Buddy List in Messages and looked in the Google Mail Web page at the chat List I can only see basic Off line indicators in both.

One who is Available is also Idle and does not appear to be posting a Status Message of any sort.

I used to have other Jabber accounts but the server have closed for two of those and I have not created new ones yet.

In Messages > Preferences > Accounts > Google (or other Jabber account) in the Chat Settings tab is a priority setting.

This may need to be the same as the Web Login to Google's Priority.

I am not sure if the default setting in Messages of 0 acts as higher or Lower that other numbers.

9:44 pm Friday; April 17, 2015

 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

Reply

Answer 2

CITYG1RL Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 17, 2015 2:33 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Hi, Ralph.

Thanks for the quick reply. You stumped me with this sentence: "This may need to be the same as the Web Login to Google's Priority."

What do you mean? How do I find that? Then what?

Thank you!

CITYG1RL

Reply

Answer 3

Apr 18, 2015 12:21 PM in response to CITYG1RL

Hi,

Jabber apps can set a Priority for that Apps Login.

The trick then is to "stack" your devices so that you have several Logins but only one take precedence over the others.

That way the Home computer can have the lowest priority, so when a work computer is On it will "Receive" first.

A Phone and it's version would be the highest and used when you could not be at the computers.

If I login via the Psi App then the Priority is set there is 5

In Messages in Yosemite the Priority set is 0 (zero)

I have seen the Priority set at 25 in one of the apps that I have tried but I don't remember which one.

This Article https://razamattaz.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/pidgin-android-talk-and-the-xmpp-pri ority-issue/ says in about the 4th paragraph that it is 24

The other things is though if all the devices use the same priority the last to login takes precedence (much like settings up an AIM account not to allow Mutliple Logins and the last login will boot off the previous one but less dramatic about it).

For this reason it might not be this that is effecting things.

On a slightly different note this list of servers has an awful lot of pink indicated one (Off line)

http://www.jabberes.org/servers/

Whilst I have never thought of it as an exhaustive list it is effectively getting smaller if you take the pink labelled ones out.

I have "lost" three Accounts this way and I have not replaced them as my Buddies don't seem to appear On line at the moment (It is no different if a use a web Login to Google so it is not the Messages app logging into the server)

I am not seeing Status Messages as Away or anything else for these Off Line Buddies.

8:21 pm Saturday; April 18, 2015

 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

Reply