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Cannot send iMessages on my Mac but can receive them

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I changed my main Apple ID email address yesterday, and also changed from my iPhone 5C to a iPhone SE.

Once I did changed my Apple ID email address, I had to sign out of all my devices, and sign back in with the new email cause I was getting error since the apps were trying to log in with the old email.

After that, everything was working on all devices except 1 thing. I cannot send iMessages from Messages on my Mac. iMessage is working on my iPhone correctly. I can receive iMessages on both Mac and iPhone. I can even send SMS (non-imessage) messages on my Mac. Really, all I can't do is to send iMessages from the Mac.

What I did :

- Restarted my computer
- Log out and back in of Messages on the Mac
- Log out and back in of iCloud on the Mac
- Deleted Messages related Preferences files
- Deleted Keychain passwords that were using the old email

Not sure what else to try. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I'm running El Capitan by the way (10.11.4) on a 2012 15 inches Macbook Pro.

MacBook Pro, iOS 9.3.1

Posted on Apr 11, 2016 6:18 AM

Reply
111 replies

Apr 15, 2016 11:49 AM in response to marclarin

Hi,


I would be tempted to try and exclude the iPhone from the picture.


On the iPhone in Settings Sign Out of the Apple ID in Messages > Send and Receive

Then slide the Messages active Button to Not active in the main settings page for Messages (which turns It off).


On the Mac if it showing two options in Messages > Preferences > Accounts > iMessages Account and the Receive At section then make sure the "Start Conversations From" drop down is selecting the Apple ID.


Now try and iMessages someone.

Does this work ?


If it does not work then open a Finder window and Hold the ALT key down whilst using the GO Menu and select the Library that appears

Navigate to the Preferences Folder.

Find the com.apple.ids.service.com.apple.madrid.plist file and drag it to the Trash.

This file holds the Apple ID and any Receive At alternatives.

Restart Messages and you will have to re-enter the Apple ID and password again.


Now try sending an iMessage again. (See Note 1 at the bottom)


If that works Enable the Messages app on the iPhone and wait until it says the Number has Verified.

When it has done that send a test iMessages to your Apple ID.

If that works reply and then if that has worked add back the Apple ID.


This will cause the Pop up to reappear on the Mac to say what the iPhone is using.

Accept this.


What this will have done is forced the Mac version to reconnect to the iMessages server as well as the iPhone to do the same.

In addition the iPhone will have been forced to redo the Sync link to the Apple ID. (which you then will have had to accept on the Mac)



NOTE 1

If the Mac fails in Messages at this point - either in Registering in the first place, not finding a contact and saying they are Not Registered or Saying the iMessages is not delivered - which are all symptoms of not logging in properly then the only recourse is to Contact Apple Support.


State you have an Apple ID issue (It relates to using iMessages only and also Only from your Mac).

Apple ID issues are free to fix.

The Apple care first level responders are Script Led trying to fix Apple Care issue. (They are trying to get to to test Hardware and Software and not deal with Apple ID issues)

Ask to speak to a Level 2 person.

These can still not know of the issue about some Macs triggering the Server to not use the Apple ID.

Others know but want to gather data so that the engineer can figure why this gets triggered.

Some of this is OK.

Updating, Upgrading or Reinstall the OS will not change things.

Be persistent in trying to get them to reset the server.


When people report back on this they say they are told it will take 24 hours


I can't say we have found a quicker way to get though the Apple Support team process or in trying to get them to speed up the reset process.



User uploaded file

7:49 pm Friday; April 15, 2016


 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (El Capitan)
 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

Apr 15, 2016 1:40 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Ok. I have disconnected my iMessage account on my computer and re-signed in.

I got an error saying that This computer could not sign in the iCloud account I want to use. It says I need to update the password in the System preferences window. I went there, it asked for my password, and I had to enter it 4 times.

Everytime I was entering my password, pressing "OK", the same password window was popping. 4 times. After the fourth time, my computer was correctly connected to iCloud.


Then I was able to sign in my Messages app with my Apple ID. But it's not working. Cannot send anything once again.


So yeah...can it be like my computer is trying to use multiple Apple IDs to connect to the online services like icloud and iMessages?

I don't get it.


Oh! Also, when I re-activated the SMS transfert on my iPhone so that I can send SMS from my Macbook, the little code window popped on my iPhone. Saying I should see a code on my computer that I must enter on my phone. But nothing is appearing on my computer. Looks like the phone is not connecting to the Messages app correctly.


Thanks

Apr 15, 2016 1:53 PM in response to marclarin

Hi,


The computer is unlikely to be using different IDs.

You can read the ID name in System Preferences > iCloud and again from iMessages in Messages > Preferences > Accounts > iMessages account.


Most people do use the same ID (they connect to different Servers - although there is away to check the ID and password to the Apple ID servers).


If the Mac is not singing in then it is not "registering" the fact it is using the same Apple ID as the iPhone which is why the forwarding is not working.

(Although to check and make sure the iPhone is on your LAN. i.e. it is using WIFI).


To be clear there is nothing in System Preferences> iCloud to enable the same ID in Messages for iMessages, FaceTime, App Store, iTunes and Developer and other less standard services.

This means the servers are separate.


This in turn means that one app can fail or be blocked when other work.


As a test create another Mac User as a test account in System Preferences > User and Groups

Login as this User and set up iMessages with your Apple ID.

Does it login here ?

If not then the issue is with your Apple ID at the iMessages server and it will be time for Note 1 from above.


It is late where I am and it will be some time before I am back.

User uploaded file

9:53 pm Friday; April 15, 2016


 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (El Capitan)
 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

Apr 15, 2016 3:59 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Thank you so much Ralph!

I managed to make it work by creating a new user on the computer.

when I opened the Messages app, logged in, I was able to send iMessages again!

So glad it's working again.


Do I really need to re-arrange everything? Preferences on all apps, passwords saved in the Keychain, and so on?

Or do you know what was wrong now that I know that switching user make it work?

Thanks again!

Apr 15, 2016 5:10 PM in response to marclarin

Please back up all data before proceeding.

Log in to the old account.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

~/Library/Keychains

Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select

Services Reveal in Finder (or just Reveal)

from the contextual menu.* A folder should open with an item selected. Move the selected item to the Desktop. Log out or restart the computer. Test.

Then put the folder you moved back where it was, replacing the new one that may have been created in its place. Log out or restart again.

*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select

Go Go to Folder...

from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You may not see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

Apr 16, 2016 11:15 AM in response to marclarin

Hi,


At this point follow Linc's Advice.


Essentially there are two choices now.

Move items to the new Mac User Account bit by bit in the hope that the corrupt item is not moved as well.

Or work on the old account and fix what is wrong.


Actually the second option can be a long haul but is does save moving Pictures, Movies, Documents let alone Passwords and Preferences fro all the apps you use and may have bought.





User uploaded file

7:15 pm Saturday; April 16, 2016


 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (El Capitan)
 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

Feb 2, 2017 5:50 PM in response to marclarin

Did you ever find a solution other than ditching your old user account? I'm seeing the exact same symptoms. Can't send imessage, but will send SMS. I even tried with different apple ID's. The only solution I found was to setup a new user, and all the problems went away. I just hate to go through the process of reconfiguring all my settings and preferences, but maybe that is the best solution...

Oct 20, 2017 7:26 PM in response to marclarin

Check the messages on your phone. I noticed that my MacBook was turned off to send messages but was turned on to receive them. go to settings, messages, Text message forwarding. This should show all devices that can send and receive messages. If the computer is in the off position click it to the so that the slide turns green.

Dec 7, 2017 4:47 PM in response to marclarin

This symptom is closer to what I was first experiencing. After going through the various "stop/start Messages" dances, the symptoms changed. What happens now is that messages I get seem to be showing up on different platforms (I think it's whichever Apple thinks I'm using) but not the other devices. Additionally, the messages I send don't get copied into the threads on the other devices. YET, all my devices are getting and sending messages in one form or another.


Notably, this all started with the most recent OS upgrades, which hit my Mac, iPhone, Watch and iPad on about the same week.

Cannot send iMessages on my Mac but can receive them

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