Add iMessage account

Hi WilloW.O.

When you are trying to add the new messages account, are you following these steps below?

1. Open Messages;
2. Go to Preferences;
3. Go to Accounts Tab;
4. Click the Plus Sign +; and
5. Enter the email of the Apple ID & password, you want to use as the second messages account.

iMessage: Use iMessage to send unlimited messages to friends who use iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac. To use iMessage, you need an Apple ID. If you’ve made purchases from the iTunes Store or App Store or signed in to iCloud, you already have an Apple ID. If you don’t have an Apple ID, you can create one in Messages.

https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/messages/set-up-to-send-text-messages-icht e16154fb

Just remember to use messages (iMessage), the account needs to be an Apple ID.

Jabber is included for users who still use AOL (AIM) messenger, which uses the Jabber messaging protocol.

HI,

There can be one iMessages account but a second (or more) email can be added to that.

7:54 pm Friday; October 20, 2017

Hi,

Not sure what you mean.

When iCloud started up I linked my existing email that is my Apple ID to iCloud.

I was given an @me.com ending email at that time as well.

Both use the same Password and are interchangeable in many places.

In Messages as the ID in iMessages they act independently though.

Later in the iCloud launch they swapped to @icloud.com emails and I got one of those as well.

In Mail I can use either @me.com or @icloud .com and access the same iCloud mail.

In Messages on a second iPhone I used the @me.com ID along with the Number on that iPhone without linking it to a Mac version.

Later in a moment of madness I decided to try and use two phones using two IDs with one Mac version. (it does not work).

Since then the @me.com ID keeps getting added back to the Mac version even though I no longer use that iPhone (And removed from the set up. Deregister iMessage on your iPhone or online - Apple Support)

However the @Me. address used to pop up again and again. (You could "remove" it by deleting it from the madrid .plist item but this no longer exists). It seems it is linked at the iMessages Server end and there seems to be no way to delete email IDs.

Separately I do have different Cards in Contacts for the three Computers I have running each evening.

This was to have separate AIM names linked to those Cards (Or Apple IDs that worked as AIM Screen Names) so I could test 4 way Video calls that used to work in iChat and early versions of Messages.

I used to do the same with Jabber IDs including GoogleTalk as well.

I have never added an email that is not an Apple ID to iMessages on my Mac.

I don't see that this space was bigger in this Older version

8:24 pm Wednesday; December 13, 2017

From my understanding you can add an email address or phone number that you want to be able to reached at via iMessages.

Have a look at https://appleid.apple.com sign in with your current Apple ID and click the edit box on that screen, where it says REACHABLE AT.Here you can edit the email address or phone number you want to be reached at.

NB. It cannot be another Apple ID.

You’ll be promoted with an email with a verification code has been sent to your email address.

Enter the code here: you will see 6 (six) boxes

Then click continue. When you’re finished click Done and sign out of that page.

Then follow these steps

1. Open Messages;
2. Go to Preferences;
3. Go to Accounts Tab;
4. Sign out from current Apple ID
5. Sign in with Current AppleID & Password

You can be reached for messages at:

should now have the new email or phone number you added

Make sure the Start new conversations email or phone is selected correctly.

The number of addresses appears to have been severely cut in the latest system releases. I used to use a "+devicename" in my email for each machine I wanted to direct a message to. This is no longer the case.