Apple Messages 8.0 not working with Google Talk

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Apple Messages 8.0 not working with Google Talk

Apple Messages will not log into my Google Talk. I set up the account using the autodetect for Apple Mail. It often won't log in successfully at all. When it does succeed at logging in, the connection usually drops out after a few minutes. This is extremely frustrating because it often drops out mid-conversation. When I click the little caution icon, it says:

Messages can’t communicate with the Google Talk account “...”.

Could not connect to host talk.google.com

It never reconnects when attempting to hit the lightning bolt or caution icons in Messages window. Sometimes it reconnects successfully when selecting File -> Log In, but this often fails as well. My Google Talk account is the only account I have enabled, so I don't think the problem has anything to do with interactions with other accounts.

I haven't found a thread that describes the situation I'm experiencing exactly. Some related threads suggested settings changes that might fix the problem, but the account preferences won't let me make any edits, presumably because Google accounts are supposed to be auto-configured. I also cannot disable the account and re-add it manually, because OS X accounts detects that it's the same account I also use for Mail.

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Aug 31, 2015 11:25 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 31, 2015 2:14 PM in response to acjohnson55

Hi,

Google decided that SSL was not secure enough.

They then added their own Authorisation protocols and 2 step Verification.

It used to be that you could then set an option for Less Secure apps (those that login by SSL such as Mail and Messages) on the account settings at Google.

More recently this has also disappeared.

However Mail still seems to login to the Mail server with SSL (probably says more about the amount of other apps on all sorts of platforms still using SSL than needing 2 step verification).

The iCloud's 2 step verification seems to need Application Specific Passwords for some Apps including Messages.

I can't seem to find any info on this about Google's.

I also had an issue at an update where the System Preferences > Internet Accounts and the iCloud pane used a variation on my iCloud ID and as a result messed up iMessages. (I use my Original Apple ID which is linked to iCloud for which I got an @me.come ID and later and @iCloud ID and it changed to the @me.com one)

I managed to Sign Out in the iCloud pane in System Preferences and set Messages separately again.

Like you I have a similar issue with the Google set up.

I cannot delete the Account in Messages as it is linked to the item in System Preferences > Internet Accounts - even if I deselect Messages there first.

If I activate the Account in Messages after changing the server back to talk.google.com and the port to 5223 (SSL) it activates the option in the Internet Accounts again.

You have to be Signed Out (Untick "Enable this Account") to be able to change the settings in the Server settings.

As I have pointed out it is also linked to the Internet Account preferences and seems difficult to unlink to reset the whole thing.

It used to be in earlier versions of the OS that Messages did not add all items to Internet Accounts and things could be set up separately.

Apple's march to make all accounts linked and Google's set up about SSL is making life very difficult.

Try Unticking the "Enable this Account" box.

Then go to Server Settings.

Make the server talk.google.com

Change the port to 5223 and enable SSL

Do not use "Automatically Find server and port".

Use the two Warn before options.

10:14 p.m. Monday; August 31, 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

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Answer 2

acjohnson55 Author

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Aug 31, 2015 5:54 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

I'm not currently using 2-step verification on this account, and I also have the "less secure apps" option enabled. But I guess that still doesn't make it compatible with Google's changes, I suppose.

Unchecking "Enable this Account" still leaves all my options grayed out, but the settings you suggest are already in the grayed out boxes.

I went ahead and installed Google's Hangouts desktop app through Chrome, and I'll probably go ahead and stick with that. It supports many more of Hangouts' features, but especially the fact that it has the cloud message history is pretty key for me.

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Answer 3

Sep 1, 2015 12:19 PM in response to acjohnson55

Understood.

8:19 p.m. Tuesday; September 1, 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

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Answer 4

Sep 26, 2015 10:45 PM in response to acjohnson55

Hi acjohnson55,

I have found what seems like a solution to your (our) problem.

Go into your Google Security (I access mine from the upper right corner of gmail
Choose: Sign-in & Security
Next: Set up a "2 Step Verification"
You will have to do this for all of your devices. It is pretty simple to manage.
Once you have set up your phone and mac choose: "Select app" and select "Other (custom name)
Name it whatever you want and then use the generated code as your password for Apple Messages

Hope this helps,

Marty

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