Can send iMessages but cannot receive them

Question

Level 1

8 points

Can send iMessages but cannot receive them

I'm using iMessages on my iMac and my iPad. On my iPad, I can send and receive messages fine. On my iMac, however, something strange happens. If I open a new conversation, I send send messages to people and they will receive them, however, if they send a message back to me, not only will my iMac not receive it, but any message I try to send afterwards will be stuck in the "sending" phase with the blue loading bar at the top and it will never, ever complete and I have to just quit the application. I've tried restarting, updating, deleting iMessages related stuff out of my keychain, logging out and back in, changing password, etc to no avail. Also another issue is that nobody can FaceTime me. Help?

Posted on May 25, 2018 12:13 AM

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Answer 1

May 28, 2018 11:58 AM in response to ZimmoCrtr

Hi,

Test.

On the Mac version in Preferences > Accounts > iMessages account set the Apple ID as the only Active ID (Turn Off the iPhone and any other ID options)

On the iPhone in Settings > Messages > Send and Receive have only the iPhone Number active. (You don't have to log out of the Apple ID, just make it it inactive).

Back to the Mac and chose to start a New Message.

In the "To" spot enter your iPhone Number including the country code (It will not show you the My Card info from Contacts).

Send the iMessage.

If the iPhone does not see it then the Mac version is not logged in properly.

Other that this test or the app working there is no check if you are logged in.

Do this When the iMessages account will not Login

7:58 pm Monday; May 28, 2018

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (Sierra)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 iPhone 6 iOS 11.x and an iPad (2)

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Answer 2

Jul 8, 2018 11:38 AM in response to ZimmoCrtr

Hi,

The App reads several .plists in ~/Library/Preferences and an item in the Login Keychain.

Try repairing the Keychain first.

Repair the Ownership and Permissions of all the items in the Home Folder Resolve issues caused by changing the permissions of items in your home folder - Apple Support

7:38 pm Sunday; July 8, 2018

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (Sierra)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 MacBookPro 15" 2016 (High Sierra 10.13.x)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 iPhone 6 iOS 11.x and an iPad (2)

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Answer 3

sterling r

Community Specialist

May 25, 2018 3:40 PM in response to ZimmoCrtr

Hello ZimmoCrtr,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. It's my understanding that you're unable to receive iMessages and FaceTime calls on your Mac. You've done a great job trying to get this issue resolved. I'm happy to help.

I recommend testing the issue while in safe mode. Starting in safe mode allows your Mac to run certain checks, remove caches, and prevent login items from automatically launching. This can isolate possible third party issues. Use the steps and information in the link below for assistance with safe mode:
Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac

If the issue persists, test in another user account. This will help determine if the issue is user specific or system wide.
How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac

Let us know the results.

Have a fantastic day!

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Answer 4

ZimmoCrtr Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 7, 2018 2:34 PM in response to sterling r

I booted in Safe Mode and reset the NVRAM and nothing changed.

I created a new User, signed into Messages using the same iCloud account on the new User account, and it worked fine.

So now I know the issue with Messages is isolated to my specific User account. What can I do about this?

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Can send iMessages but cannot receive them

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