Cannot sign in to iMessage on iMac

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Cannot sign in to iMessage on iMac

Hi,

I cannot sign into iMessage on either of my iMacs. When I try to log in, iMessage tells me an App-Specific password is required (and I already generated one for both iMacs ages ago). I then log into my account, but it does not allow me to specify any new devices or generate any new passwords. What is going on? I am signed in on iCloud and on iCloud I also cannot add any new devices. How do I add my iMacs again? This bug seems to have appeared in April 2016.

Thanks!

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on May 4, 2016 1:41 AM

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Answer 1

jeffd55

Community Specialist

May 5, 2016 9:05 AM in response to deeptriest

Hello deeptriest,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

I see that you are having issues logging in to iMessage on your iMac because of issues with app-specific passwords. You may want to try to remove the related password and re-add it. This article addresses app-specific passwords:

Using app-specific passwords

This excerpt addresses managing them:

Manage app-specific passwords

You can have up to 25 active app-specific passwords at any given time. If you need to, you can revoke passwords individually or all at once.

Sign in to your Apple ID account page.

In the Security section, click Edit.

In the App Specific Passwords section, click View History.

Click next to a password you want to delete, or Revoke All.

After you revoke a password, the app using that password will be signed out of your account until you generate a new password and sign in again.

Any time you change or reset your primary Apple ID password, all of your app-specific passwords will be revoked automatically to protect the security of your account. You'll need to generate new app-specific passwords for any apps you would like to continue using.

Best regards.

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