Can't add a Buddy to Messages

Hi,

Messages is the app created from what was iChat.

iChat had 4 "services" it could join when the last version was about in Lion (iChat 6)

These were

AIM and Bonjour that have been present since day one.

Jabber (that includes GoogleTalk and Facebook Chat) which were added in iChat 3.

Yahoo was not added until iChat 6 and can only Text Chat (the other three above can Video and Audio Chat and Share Screens from within the app)

iMessages was added as the Messages app came into being in Mountain Lion (OS x 10.8) and was numbered as version 7 from the start.

iMessages uses Apple IDs that are iCloud valid to Register a Mac.

This can then be linked to an iPhone and in Yosemite and iOS 8 you can even sync SMS messages.

However since day one Apple IDs has also be valid AIM Screen Names.

This starts with any @Mac.com ending ID whether it was a trial account, a paid for account that became a MobileMe linked ID or a lapsed paid for account.

When MobileMe came out you could keep the @mac.com ID and link it to an @me.com ID. Trial @me.com account never continued as AIM Screen Name as @mac.com ones did.

Since MobileMe finished and changed to iCloud you had to link your @me.com account with iCloud.

This allows some @me.com Accounts ID to be used in both iCloud (and apps that use Apple ID) and the AIM Screen Name registration (in any version of Messages and older updated version of iChat 6).

Then we have iCloud linked accounts. Most are @icloud.com IDs but as I said there may be those that were linked at the MobileMe to iCloud change over.

In these cases the AIM server recognise each ID as a separate valid AIM Screen Name.

If you have an @mac.com ID linked to an @me.com version linked to an @iCloud.com ID you will have three valid Screen Names.

NEXT

Lets presume you have opened up Messages, linked and Apple ID to the iMessages account and Enabled the Bonjour account.

At this point you have no Buddies.

You can choose Contacts and send iMessages to them.

If you have Other Macs on your LAN and they have iChat or Messages with their Bonjour Account active then you will see them in you Bonjour Buddy List if you display it (You cannot add Buddies to this List. It finds them Automatically if you have Macs and active Bonjour accounts on the LAN).

You can now Add other accounts.

As we are talking about the AIM Buddy List we will start with that.

Press the + icon below the list in the Preferences > Accounts

Choose the AOL option (it calls it AOL here but later lists them as AIM accounts)

Add the Apple ID.

Add the Password (it should be a password of 16 characters or less to work with the AIM servers)

The Account should then be listed in the left hand list and be available.

In the Window Menu the CMD+1 option should show the combined Buddy List (Bonjour and AIM)

They can be separated in the General section of the Preferences.

Buddies (I.e. in this case other AIM/AOL Buddies can be then added to the list).

You could use the Jabber option (After pressing the + add icon) to add any Facebook Chat ID you have.

Choose the Google option if you have a Google ID you wish to use.

This will allow you to chat to Jabber Buddies (Google and Facebook and other Jabber Buddies can be added to a Jabber list)

Chats are then iMessages to iMessages people

AIM to AIM

or Jabber to Jabber.

Yahoo is also an option

You can only use a Yahoo ID to add an account (other Yahoo clients allow other linked in options).

As I said this Account will only Text chat. It will not do Video or Audio or Screen Share.

It will not even send files.

To be clear.

Buddies are separate from Contacts.

You need a Buddy list to add a Buddy.

Whilst it is called the Contacts app and the people are probably the same their Address Card should list their iMessages Apple ID/iPhone Number info as well as their AIM or Jabber or Yahoo IDs

Points to Remember

Whilst I have coached this in terms of an Apple ID that is iCloud valid to allow it to work in iMessages and that it can alos be used in an AIM/AOL account other people may use other emails as their Apple ID.

In some cases this could be a Google ID.

So Google ID might be the Apple/iCloud ID and then it can also be set up in Mail as a mail account and Messages as a Google Account (it has it's own set up because it does not follow the server naming format of other Jabber servers).

The same might be true of a Yahoo Account used as an Apple ID.

I.e. it might not just be Apple IDs issued by Apple that can be used twice in Messages.

9:22 pm Tuesday; May 19, 2015

Hi,

Ok....

I have several accounts set up.

In this Pic the @icloud.com ending name is called an AIM Account.

However at the Add Account slide out they are referred to as AOL accounts.

By Default if you have many accounts (more than 1) then the app combines them when displayed from the Window Menu.

In the General Section you can Untick the "Show all my accounts in one list".

Unticking means the Window Menu changes and the Buddy Lists separate.

The Title Bars for the groups can be changed s that they are not the same in every Buddy List.

The Pic above is 3 of my AIM accounts and the Bonjour Account (it will show "Buddies" if there are other Macs On your LAN and they have either iChat or Messages open with the Bonjour account Enabled).

Adding Contacts or Buddies.

Clicking the Box and Pencil icon open the New Message item. It also displays the Blue + icon.

That in turn opens access to the Contacts list as First choice but you can also access Buddies.

Clicking a Contact or selecting Buddies then a Buddies "Name" (it might be an Screen Name or Google ID or other depending if you added those details to their Address Card).

Or you can Click on a Buddy in the Buddy List to highlight then use the icons at the bottom of the Buddy List (or the Buddies Menu).

Just double clicking the line "Starts" a Text Chat.

Alternatively you can also start typing "names" in the "To" Spot. ("names" includes real names from the Contacts App, Screen Names if you have not added Buddies to an AIM account Buddy List or others for other services).

Partial Names reveal options based on the Name completions and how far you have typed.

I have used iChat on my G4 my MacBook Pro and currently use Messages on my iMac.

AS such I tend to associate some of the accounts with the computers I first used them on and have Address Cards for those computers (Hence the "Ralph G4" contact and the "Ralph Johns-iMac" one - My MacBook Pro is much further down the list).

It indicates the info in the Address Cards that is used by iMessages (Blue indicator) and the Green for other services chats.

My Land Line number also shows up "Text Message" but is not coloured Green as I have never used it. It used to be shown and a potential iMessages one before Text Forwarding (SMS) in Yosemite. It does presume that every telephone number is valid in some way.

As you can see it shows that I can connect to ralphjohnsr (my well known AIM name) from several of my Accounts hence the reason it is repeated so often.

Choosing one then make the Chat/Interface window look like this:-

It looks slightly different for iMessages (And a "Name" as on an Address Card)

The 16 Characters was for the password. (you cannot shorten a Apple ID so I presume you meant the Password but I like to be clear)

Through the various pics you will have gathered I have an AIM registered name and then several Apple Issued Apple IDs that end in @mac.com, @me.com and in fact @icloud.com (as well as Yahoo and Google ones not really shown).

For an Apple ID to be valid with AIM/AOL it has to be issued by Apple with one of those Endings.

The password then needs to be 16 characters or less.

The process since the later updates to iChat 6 and all though all versions of Messages is that the app logs in to Apple which then allows the passwords to be read by AIM. This was a security change compared to iChat 1 through early version of iChat 6 which only required the AIM login - but the password was still read from Apple.

If you changed the password the iMessages account (If you are using the same ID) will also need to be changed in Messages.

If you added the AIM account before you changed it it might pay to Restart the app which will cause it to ask you if it can't then log in.

I think I covered everything.

I tend to show separate Buddy List (most are kept for testing only and do not have many (if Any) Buddies).

I then tend to use the Buddy Lists to start AIM, Jabber, Bonjour or Yahoo chats and use the Main Window/Interface to choose a Contact for iMessages ones.

8:23 pm Friday; May 22, 2015