Ginocasino

Q: Activation of iMessage and Facetime failed on El Capitan after Update

I've updated the OS X to El Capital, and ever since I can't activate iMessage or Facetime. They just keep trying to sign in and fail, or when iMessage logs in, I try to tick the "Enable this account" tick, it just keeps loading and nothing happens. I have attached a entry in the console app: http://pastebin.com/9sNL5hrv


Any help?

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.5), Macbook Pro 15 (late 2011)

Posted on Jun 28, 2016 3:36 AM

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Q: Activation of iMessage and Facetime failed on El Capitan after Update

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  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Jun 28, 2016 12:49 PM in response to Ginocasino
    Level 9 (72,994 points)
    Applications
    Jun 28, 2016 12:49 PM in response to Ginocasino

    Hi,

     

    The Pastebin stuff just confirms you are not logged in.

     

    Go to the Apple Menu top left and select "About this Mac"

    In El Capitan (And Yosemite) the Overview tab shows the Serial Number.

    Can you see yours ?

     

    In System Preferences > Users and Groups either Enable the Guest account option or create a "test" Mac User Account.

    Log out of your regular Mac user Account and into the other and set up Messages > iMessages account.

    Does this Log in ?

     

    If your have the Serial Number visible (present) BUT  both Mac User account cannot login then the Apple ID in  use has been blocked at the iMessages Server.

     

    Is there any chance you Migrated this Mac User from another Mac ?

    If so the Keychain could hold the info about the "wrong" Serial Number.

     

    Go to Applications/Utilities and open Keychain Access app.

    Have "Login: top left and "Passwords" lower left.

    Search the right hand pane for "IDS: YourApple ID-Auth Token" and delete it (the "your Apple ID" bit should be an email)

    Try Message again.

    It may not work because this Security feature may have blocked your ID (specifically from this Mac) on the iMessages Server.

     

    Report back your answers at this point

     

     

    3Sigcopy2.png

    8:49 pm      Tuesday; June 28, 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),
     iPhone and an iPad (2)
  • by Ginocasino,

    Ginocasino Ginocasino Jun 29, 2016 4:31 AM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 29, 2016 4:31 AM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)

    Hi Ralph,

     

    Both solutions doesn't work. I think my Macbook is blocked on the iMessages Server.

     

    How can i solve this problem ?

  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Jun 29, 2016 12:43 PM in response to Ginocasino
    Level 9 (72,994 points)
    Applications
    Jun 29, 2016 12:43 PM in response to Ginocasino

    Hi,

     

    So this is Not a Migrated Account ?

     

    You can see the Serial Number  ?

     

    The Apple ID did not work in a test account or  the Guest Login either ?

     

    The "Fix" I posted was about a Migrated Account  and the Deletion of an item in the Keychain.

    Can you say if you did this anyway please ?

     

    This may not solve it but Apple will only get you to do it anyway:-

    How to Reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

     

    Test Messages at this point.

     

    Follow with A Safe Boot

     

    Test Messages Again.

     

    The "Fix" by contacting Apple is slow and cumbersome but there is no way to reset things if the Server is blocking the use of the Apple ID for iMessages on that one device.

     

    Contact Apple Support (Apple Care)

    Level one people are Script Led and you will need to explain you have an Apple ID issue (free to fix).

    Most likely they will try to run through their Script including the things you should have done up to this point.

     

    Most likely you will have to ask to speak to someone higher.

    Level 2s used to be able to reset the Server but this no longer happens (based on what people are posting here)

    They will still want to do Data grabbing and other things to try and fix it without resetting the server.

     

    Updating (as in OS X 10.11.2 to OS X 10.11.3 for example) does not work.

    Upgrading (Yosemite to El Capitan fro instance) does not work.

    Reinstalling does not work.

     

    Ask them to check the server.

    Politely insist they reset it.

     

    At this point they are likely to involve the Engineers and tell you it will take anywhere between 24 hours and 5 days

     

    Basically since OS X 10.8.2 when the Serial Number was first used fro Messages and the iMessages Login the problem has appeared for a small but significant group of people.

    In Mavericks and Yosemite it seems almost random.

    In El Capitan it seems it is triggered at OS X 10.11 install, or the OS X 10.11.3 and 10.11.5 updates.

    Again this seems somewhat random as to who seems to suffer.

    Apple are aware of the issue but it seems it is so random that there is no consistent Answer to it yet - other than getting the server reset hence the endless checking and data grabbing when you just want it reset.

     

     

     

    3Sigcopy2.png

    8:43 pm      Wednesday; June 29, 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),
     iPhone and an iPad (2)