10.12.2 "Text Forwarding" & "calls on other devices" not working

HI,

Just to check.

Apple ID need to be the same on both devices.

iPhone needs the WiFi settings to be set to the same LAN as the Mac.

The Text Forwarding can be enabled and the Code Number should appear.

If it is not reset everything by Signing Out of the Apple ID on both devices, then Closing the App on the iPhone before restarting it and waiting for the number to Verify.

Then Send an iMessages from the iPhone as a test (Manually enter your Apple ID).

Add back the Apple ID.

Reset Wifi if required then Enable Text Forwarding.

8:40 pm Friday; December 16, 2016

Hi,

On the iPhone check that the your own iPhone number is not blocked.

In later versions of the macOS and the iOS the My Card in the Contacts app is not called when you try and enter to enter your own name.

I would also do a NVRAM reset on the Mac.

How to reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

If there happen to be two routers on your LAN then the two devices in question need to be in the same part

6:58 pm Sunday; December 18, 2016

Hi,

There are circumstances where the Mac that is involved is not logged in despite all appearances to being so in the app itself.

If that is the case there are normally three ways it tells you.

1) the App says when you Sign In or Enable the account that it cannot log in.

2) On trying to select anyone by Name in the "To" spot of a New Message they go Red and Say "Not Registered with iMessage"

3) You get to as far as the Send point when the individual message says "Not Delivered" with an Exclamation Mark next to it.

The Serial Number of any device is used to provide a Device specific login so this should be checked first.

If this is missing it will stop any Apple ID from logging in.

Use the Apple Icon Menu > About this Mac item.

In the panel that appears the Serial Number should be the last thing listed in the Overview tab.

if the account is not logged in then the link for Text Forwarding will not work and the Code Number will not appear.

If the Serial number is missing (or does not match the one on the back/bottom or in the battery compartment) then it needs to be replaced at a Apple Store (Or Apple Authorised Service Provider (AASP).).

7:47 pm Monday; December 19, 2016

Hi,

So Serial Number present.

No Luck with a different ID.

And with the regular Mac User Account the normal Apple ID appears to be logged in but is not delivering anything.

There is one "fix".

It takes longer to describe than the final step in the process.

However getting to that final step can be an fraught experience as well.

Basically you have an apple ID issue but with only one sever (iMessages) and due to the nature of the Device Specific Login it will appears as if only one device is effected.

Call Apple Support (Apple care).

Apple ID issues are free to fix.

However the Level 1 responders are there to solve simple problems under Apple Care fro at least the first 90 days.

This can mean they may not consider Apple ID issues at the first thing.

You are likely to have to ask to speak to someone higher.

Level 2s don't always know about the issue but some do.

It needs them to check the iMessages server and see if it is blocking the use of your Apple ID in relation to your Mac.

Apple know there is an issue and are trying to find out what causes it.

It effects a really low number of people in reality but they have all sorts of Mac models in all sorts of situation so at present there does not seem to be an obvious cause.

They are likely to ask if you have done certain things and want you to try others.

You have to make a decision on how much time you invest in this against getting the actual fix done.

NOTE a Reinstall will not fix this.

Once they have looked at the server and seen your ID is blocked for your Mac you need to ask them to reset it.

Most of the recent responses where people have come back to lets us know what happened this is now being passed to the Engineers.

They can then tell you it will take between 24 hours and 5 days to fix and sat they will call you back.

Most people writing back say they never get the call but the iMessages accounts starts working before the end of the time stated.

Summary.

Call Apple Support.

Be polite.

Insist they look at the Server logins.

Insist they fix it soonest.

Do NOT Reinstall to fix this.

Limit the amount on testing and Data gathering they might ask you to do.

7:26 pm Tuesday; December 20, 2016

Hi,

.plists

Anything containing "iChat"

Some are less important as deleting them changes nothing about logging in.

For instance the com.apple.iChat.StatusMessages.plist only hold the most recent Status Messages you have set in Account that Have buddy Lists (AIM, Jabber.Yahoo and Bonjour i.e. nothing for iMessages.)

You might see a LSSharedFile one which is now useless as you no longer have the Menu item for it. It holds a list of the most Recent Chats. (it used to be in the File Menu). How many is controlled in System Preferences > General along with the setting for Recent Severs and Apps. (the "Documents" refers to the Saved items of Any app).

The com.apple.iChat.AIM( or Jabber or Yahoo or Subnet).plist refer to the Buddy List accounts you may have started up.

Jabber includes Google. AIM includes some Apple ID names (you add them as if they are AIM but use the regular password as AIM and Apple have an Agreement that their ID will be recognised an AIM Screen Names).

Deleting the actual com.apple.iChat.plist can help if the issue is with the Preferences and some Menu item Settings (Mainly Sorting Buddies and Chats)

com.apple.imagent.plist effectively logs in the accounts in behind the scenes when you start up the computer and provides a listening service to the various servers for Off Line Messaging.

If it sees a chat item it will start up the app (unless you set the item in the General section of the Preferences about setting the Status to Off Line when Quit)

This item only works for Accounts with Buddy Lists.

iMessages ignores this and still places number on the Dock badge but does not start up the App.

This is because as you have found out the iMessage account has no Status.

Deleting this .plist tends only to work with the Buddy List accounts.

com.apple.ids.service.com.apple.madrid.plist holds the Apple ID and the Alternatives you may have linked to it (iPhone Number(s) and other emails).

The com.apple.imessages.bag.plist only hold the server you were last connected to.

The com.apple.imessage.plist holds info about whether the default font has been chosen for Previews and the Font for the text has been chosen.

There are then some in ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.soagent/Data/Library/Messages

You have some here that have "messageshelper" in the names.

Most of the info though is about Buddy Lists Accounts.

Back in /Library/Preferences and just below the madrid one there are many IDS items relating to the links between iPhone and Mac for both messages and the FaceTime app, depending how and which functions that are connected for.

Keychain Access will show you an IDS: yourAppleID-Auth Token This may have to be removed if the Migration has copied across one from another Mac.

It is this bit that holds the info used based on it's creation by having the Mac's Serial Number. That is to say that the ID and Password and the Serial Number are used to help create this token when logging in the first time.

Migrating the Keychain from another Mac brings a token with the wrong Serial Number in effect.

9:27 pm Saturday; December 24, 2016