You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

** Clean Install OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 -- iMessage/FaceTime Activation Doesn't Work

Starting a new thread here since it seems like the other one is getting cluttered up with keychain issues and such.


ISSUE SUMMARY:

There is an issue activating iMessage / FaceTime on a clean install of OS X El Capitan 10.11.4. Error message in iMessage when logging in is "An error occurred during authentication." FaceTime hangs and doesn't report an error. iCloud login works fine as does system login using Apple ID.


DETAILS & ATTEMPTED TROUBLESHOOTING:

  • I have tried this on several different iMacs/Mac Book Pros in our office AND I have tested used two unique apple IDs. None of this makes any difference: it doesn't work on any clean installations.
  • The obvious steps of formatting the drive and reinstalling OS X El Capitan has no impact.
  • The same Apple IDs can successfully login to iMessage/FaceTime on a clean install of OS X Yosemite machine. Updating a machine from OS X Yosemite -> OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 results in being able to successfully login to iMessage/FaceTime. (Note: I would follow these steps instead of posting here, but OS X Yosemite isn't compatible with iMac 5k Late 2015 models)
  • Followed steps in other posts to remove items from the keychain / change the keychain password. This did not make any difference. (Note: I wiped the machine and started over after this step so as to rule out further messing up the machine by tinkering with the keychain)
  • Tried the OS X El Capitan 10.11 installer followed by the 10.11.4 combo update. No difference.


So....Is there a BUG in OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 that is preventing iMessage activations on clean (aka non-upgraded) OS X installations? Does anyone else care to test what I'm seeing?

Posted on Mar 23, 2016 5:23 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 24, 2017 2:04 AM

Finally everything works like a charm 🙂

41 replies

Mar 31, 2016 7:28 PM in response to putnik

Same problem here still, also on iPhone. Apple finally acknowledged the issue with the following response:



" Alright, well, mixed news.


The engineer responded back verifying the information is received and being processed!


Because it’s being processed we don’t have much of an ETA for the activation issue to be resolved. And they have told me that this may be part of a wider investigation, and I should inform you that they are working diligently on it.


So, hopefully we’ll have good news, but we’ll see how fast we get it.


At least one issue seems to be in progress."

Apr 1, 2016 5:03 PM in response to bevnetcraven

Still an issue as of 4/1/2016 on a MBP 8,1 (Early 2011) running 10.11.4. Problem arose around the 10.11.4 El Cap update. All usual fixes (minus a re-install) fail. Other Apple devices log in fine under the same account. Network capture during authentication communicates and terminates successfully (HTTPS), but can't see into the SSL stream to debug any further.

Apr 2, 2016 3:12 AM in response to my_voice

Hi This issue that everyone is talking about on this post is this why this is happening to me and I just can't get it to work?? I am best to leave it along for a few days and see if things have been fixed??


I had an iphone 3 swapped to an iphone 5s, had a temporary number until my number came over with Telstra. Whilst the temporary number was in effect I had iMessages with my phone number, since my number came over I can't get it to activate at all. Tried: 24hrs, rebooted, put it in Airplane mode, done a reset, gone to Telstra, you name it I think I've tried it and still over a week later nothing. It started on Friday 25th March 2016. It's the only thing that won't work, and Facetime probably but I don't use that. I thought it might have something to do with the temporary number as when my actual number came active the temporary number was in the "Send & Receive" in iMessages greyed out and spinning, with the reset that went away but my actual number never appeared. Any suggestions welcomed.


With thanks

Apr 6, 2016 9:24 AM in response to Midorimum

This started happening yesterday on a Mac Pro 4,1.


Updated to 10.11.4 from 10.11.3 at the weekend and everything was fine.


I was able to use iMessage without any problems until yesterday around 12:30pm BST. Since then, keeps asking for my AppleID info and when entered, I get an "authentication server" error. I was actually using iMessage when it looked to "go offline".


I've enabled the guest account, logged in with that and tried iMessage - same problem.


This is in the console (removed the emails & phone numbers to stop spam) :


06/04/2016 17:04:28.869 identityservicesd[299]: [Warning] Registration failed for Registration info (0x7fec91846500): [Registered: NO] [Type: AppleID] [Device Name: David’s Mac Pro] [Service Type: iMessage] [Env: (null)] [Main ID: xxx@xxx.com] [Phone Number: xxx@xxx.com] [AppleID: xxx@xxx.com] [UserID: E:xxx@xxx.com] [C2K: YES] [Push Token: <4c167857 fab18282 933369a9 afdfbf7e 763b4d62 0bc94ec1 f738ecac eacc19e2>] [Region ID: R:GB] [Base Number: +440000000000] [URIs: ()] [Candidates: (+447429xxxxxx, xxx@xx.com, xxx@xx.com, xxx@xxx.com)] [Auth Cert: 0x7fec8b625470] [Reg Cert: 0x0] [Profile ID: D:1063239355] [Auth User ID: D:1063239355] [Heartbeat Date: (null)] (Error: 9)


Macbook Pro (also on 10.11.4) on the same network seems to be fine.


Any help appreciated!


D.

Aug 1, 2016 8:43 PM in response to bevnetcraven

I have the same problem. El Capitan 10.11.6. When I try to start Messages it says it can't log into iCloud because of "a problem with the iCloud account" Then it invites me to fix it in iCloud system preferences. However, when I go there it says my password "needs to be updated" and when I key in my correct password it says "an unknown error occurred".


I've been round this loop multiple times and I've even updated my password. I can log in to iCloud fine on both the iPhone and the Mac; however Messages and Facetime both refuse to accept my login credentials. iMessage and Facetime are both properly activated on the iPhone and I can make calls/messages with both of them on the iPhone.


I think this may possibly have started when I did an iPhone update to 9.3.3 but not 100% sure.

** Clean Install OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 -- iMessage/FaceTime Activation Doesn't Work

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.