Can't login to iMessage and FaceTime

I have the same problem

Macbook pro late 2011

was working & suddenly stopped...gives message that it can not activate account, try again later

other attempts to activate account from messages display window say 'failure to authenticate'

updating OS X to 10.11.6 did not work

booting in Safe Mode did not work

resetting NVRAM did not work

same problem with Facetime

Both Messages & Facetime work with my icloud acct from iPod just not from Mac

makes no sense to me

Hi,

Have you had the Logic/Mother board replaced ?

This should have the Serial Number on a readable chip on it. Sometimes it is not put back.

Open the Apple icon Menu top left and About this Mac

In the Overview tab the Serial Number should show up.

Is it there ? (I don't need to know what it is)

In System Preferences > Users and Groups either enable the Guest option or create another Mac User Account for testing.

Log into the account.

Start up Messages and try your Apple ID in the iMessages account.

If it does not work here try and Different Apple ID.

If your ID does not work but another does test the other ID in your normal Mac User Account.

If that works your account is most like blocked at the iMessages Server.

It is a known issue but for Apple the numbers are small.

As a consequence they don't know why this security feature id getting triggered when it should not.

There is also no reset on the Mac end.

The only fix we have found is to contact Apple Support (Apple Care)

Level 1s are Script led and you have an Apple ID issue which are free to fix and are something they don't normally deal with.

Level 2s may still want you to jump through hoops and data gather. (you may have to limit this)

Reinstalling, Updating and Upgrading do not work.

Only a reset of the iMessages server regarding your Mac's use of the Apple ID will work.

They will probably bounce it to the engineers at this point.

You may get a lead time of 24 hours to 5 days (based on what people who have posted back have said)

9:40 pm Tuesday; August 30, 2016

hi,

iMessages is not part of iCloud.

In System Preferences > iCloud there is nothing about Messages, iMessages, FaceTime, App Store, iTunes, Game Center, iBooks and several other logins.

However an iCloud valid Apple ID can be used in all of these.

Arguably paying for extra storage and using in Photos which is part of iCloud would constitute "Paying for it" but it is essentially a free service.

You need to phone Apple Supple (Apple Care)

Yes it is then a game of dealing with the Level 1s who are script led and don't always understand about Apple ID issues being free to fix.

Ask to speak to a Level 2.

Even here it can be a mixed reception (Based on what other people have posted back)

Your Serial Number gives your Mac a Device Specific Login which is why it can get blocked by the iMessages server when it still works on other devices for iMessages and for other apps.

Some Level 2s know about the issue and want to data gather (for Apple the numbers are small and it is not clear what the cause is).

Others will want you to jump through hoops to eliminate things

Reinstalling, Upgrading or Updating does not work.

Politely ask them to check the server with regard to the use by your Mac on the iMessages Server.

It seems you are likely to get bumped to the Engineers to resolve this and will be told anything between 24 hours and 5 days (based on what others that have posted back have said).

We have not found a faster fix.

It seems only Apple Care is the gateway and not everyone there is clued up about this.

9:52 pm Tuesday; August 30, 2016

I have this issue and I'm at 2 levels of escalation right now. They explained that it's some kind of authentication thing that needs to be reset by Apple on their server. It affects Messages, FaceTime and App Store, which means that it's not possible to update apps while this issue persists. No voice but to wait for Apple engineers to fix the account on the server. There apparently is no other fix for this.

How? Please help!

I have the same issue. Can anyone help me? Please.

If it's the same as mine, it's a security feature at Apple's server that accidentally got triggered somehow. The ONLY solution is for Apple engineering to do some magic at their server. You need to call Apple support and then you need to be very persistent and probably very patient. You also have to insist that it qualifies for FREE support because it's an account issue, not a hardware issue.

Hi,

Read my reply of the 17th April.

10:09 pm Wednesday; August 31, 2016

I've been in detailed discussions with Apple about this for a few weeks now and finally a solution has been found.

Problem description:

Mac fails to log in to Messages, FaceTime and App Store, with an error such as "an unknown error occurred". All other logins and iCloud functionality is normal - only these three items are affected.

Solution:

There is a known issue in which the Mac may fail to log in to the App Store if there is no "en0" Ethernet port present. I know it sounds weird but it is a fact. It can happen (not sure how) that a computer ends up with no "en0" assigned, which was my case - my WiFi had somehow become assigned to "en3" and no "en0" was present. Once this en0 issue is resolved, the App Store magically works again - and I found that the login issue with Messages and FaceTime was likewise resolved at the same time.

To resolve this issue, delete WiFi plist files in /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration. (Note this is at the System level, not at the User level). You can find the how-to with a Google search. Then reboot, whereupon the rebuilt plist file will properly assign en0. After that all these logins should start working again.

To find out what Ethernet port your WiFi is assigned to, go to Apple logo - About This Mac - System Report - Network/WiFi.

Hopes this helps somebody. It worked for me!

Hi,

If you look in System Info > Network > Locations you can see what the Ethernet and the WiFi cards have been given along with Blue Tooth (en3 for me) and the Thunderbolt bridge.

Also in Applications/Utilities and launching the Network Utility and then the Info tab the drop down also lists them.

However Blue Tooth does not appear here.

Having said that it does seem the sort of unlikely but odd thing that happens to the OS now and then.

I have been aware that it did not seem to be one model more than any other and that virtually every version since Version 7.0.1 has had this issue in some way.

Thanks for this info.

7:37 pm Tuesday; September 6, 2016

I have been fighting this for the past five months now. I took my MacBook Pro into the Genius Bar with no luck. I did every step Ralph suggested and more; from reinstalling the OS to deleting the com.apple.wifi.message-tracer.plist. I am at whits-end. The folks at the G-Bar sent a request for more advance follow up, not sure what they called it, but never heard a word from Apple since. This is not stopping me from working, but it is a major pain because I use iMessage from my MacBook A LOT!

Any other suggestions?

• MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2013)
• 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5
• 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
• Mac OS 10.11.6

Hi Mattbo:

Go to Apple logo menu... About This Mac... System Report...Network/Locations.

You will see a listing of all the network interfaces that are present.

Look for all the lines containing the words " BSD device name: en* " where " * " is a number.

What numbers do you have in your list, eg en1, en2, en0, en3 etc?

If there is an "en0", what interface is it associated with (eg Wi-Fi, Thunderbolt etc?)

If there is no "en0" that's important information too.

Howard

Thanks it read "en0". What does that tell us?

1. What service is the "en0" associated with? Wi-Fi, or USB Ethernet, or Thunderbolt etc...?

2. What other "en" numbers are in the list and what services are they associated with?

3. Did you say you've already tried deleting all the relevant plist files? If you do that it will re-assign the ethernet ports from scratch (amongst other things) and that's what fixed this issue for me. Even if you've already done this, I suggest trying it again, making sure you get all the files in the list below.

Those files are found in:

/Library/preferences/SystemConfiguration/

The files to be deleted (but save the old ones on your desktop just in case) are:

com.apple.eapolclient.plist

com.apple.captive.probe.plist

com.apple.accounts.exists.plist

apple.airport.preferences.plist

com.apple.wifi.message-tracer.plist

NetworkInterfaces.plist

preferences.plist

Settings.plist

I know it sounds weird that the port assignment can affect something like an iCloud login but this is a fact, double-confirmed with Apple.

Hi,

Brief history.

At OS X 10.8.2 which increased Messages to version 7.0.1 the Serial number of the Mac also started to be used to verify it was "you" logging in.

It makes the login Device Specific.

At the time if the Serial Number was not there you saw a larger Error Messages with a code Number and the instruction to Call Apple Support.

Whilst that Error message was Version 7.0.1 specific the problem of logging in to the server has continued to appear for some.

In Yosemite and El Capitan it almost seems to be triggered at Update and Upgrades (that's when you see rushes of reports of problems although there is no concrete proof).

A regular poster called Linc Davis has a list of about 16 things to try based on how the issue has seemed to develop since OS X 10.8.2

These include checking the Serial Number can be read from the Logic/Mother board. (Use the About this Mac item in the Apple Icon menu).

Resetting the NVRAM (Used to be called PRAM in not Intel computers due to the keys used How to Reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support)

Restart Messages

Try a Safe Boot

Either Enable Guest or create another Mac User in System Preferences > Users and Groups to test in another Mac User.

This will tend to prove whether it is your Mac User account or not.

Try another Apple ID in your regular Mac User Account.

This will prove it your ID and not the app.

At this point the option was to Call Apple Support

State you have an Apple ID problem

Get bumped up to at least Level 2 responder and insist they check the iMessages server and reset your Apple ID in relation to it's use by the iMessages server.

Since then we have plarbreeze1's post saying that Apple may have found it the en Network numbering system seen in System Info > Network > Locations (to see all of them) or in Network Utility in Applications/Utilities.

IF you have done all the checks and also the en number check then the ONLY option is to contact Apple Support (Apple care).

Apple ID issues are free to fix. (Level 1 responders use Script and have seldom heard of the issue - not all Level 2 have either).

7:23 pm Friday; September 16, 2016