IChat + Google Talk: shrinks google's buddy icon. Any fix?

I use iChat for google talk. Unfortunately, every time I start up iChat, the buddy icon in iChat overrides the buddy icon on google's servers. iChat's icon must be smaller, because if i go to use google talk via web interface (in gmail, etc.), the buddy icon is very pixalated (as if google is trying to enlarge it).
Any way to stop iChat from overriding google's buddy icon???

Just sent this to the developer of Chax:
Kent,
First let me tell you that Chax is one of the best add on programs out there for the mac. I value your work and appreciate it.
An issues that's been around for a while, and one which I wonder if you can take care of in one of the upcoming releases.
Basically, the problem is using iChat for Google Talk. What happens is that your buddy icon in iChat ends up overwriting the buddy icon you have set on google/gmail/gtalk/etc. This is a problem because iChat's buddy icon is much smaller, pixel wise, and ends up making the icon on any of google's pages look absolutely terrible.
Is there anything you can do to prevent iChat from overriding google's icon, or to have allow iChat to use a larger size icon (probably much more difficult).
There have been many threads about this on apple's discussion forums and on gmail/gtalk google group forums. There is no solution.
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Similar Messages

Google talk video plugin does not work any more with Firefox 4. When clicking on the video chat icon, I am repeatedly asked to install the plugin, and it never works.

Google talk audio/video plugin used to work fine on Firefox 3, but does not work anymore on Firefox 4. Every time I click on the video chat icon on google talk, I am asked to install the plugin, even if I have already installed it before. The plugin works properly on the latest version of IE on the same PC.
Thanks for your help. I do not want to switch to Chrome or Opera, but if this bug is not fixed, I will have to.

Not sure if installing IE 9 did it or not but I now see the camera in IE, FF and Chrome. Could be Facebook fixed the problem also.
Thanks for the reply.
George

Why do i need three? - Google Talk Plugin, Google talk plugin video renderer and Google talk plugin video accelerator?

When I check my plugins, the following three, very closely related (in my mind) plugins are listed, and the "Renderer" still shows "Research" when checking to see if it is Up-To-Date. It seems to me I don't need all three. I tried removing the Renderer (yes, I know how to do that safely), but Google seems to continue to reinstall it (with one or both of the other two...?)...I'll ask this on a Google Forum too, since it's their product, but wondered if anyone has any insight. I obsess about plugins that need "Research" - Thanks!
Google Talk Plugin Video Accelerator version:0.1.44.24
Google Talk Plugin Version 3.15.2.12038
Google Talk Plugin Video Renderer Version 3.15.2.12038

Went to Google Talk Help and found advice to remove the "googletalkplugin_port file on [my] computer."
http://support.google.com/chat/bin/static.py?hl=en&page=known_issues.cs ... and click "Voice and video plug-in unrecognized" under "Currently Known Issues"....
Now, the only Google Talk plugin I have in Firefox is
Google Talk Plugin Video Renderer
Version 3.15.2.12038
...but it does indeed remain "Unrecognized" by Mozilla/Firefox...

IChat AV 4, can't edit buddy icons?

I don't know if apple either dropped the ability to be able to edit your buddys' icon anymore or if it's a bug. So I was wondering if someone else with leopard could try that out as well, Thanks!
The feature I'm referring to is on iChat AV is if you were to drag a photo onto the icon on your buddy's info section you could double click it and resize and scale it.

It's definitely not there, and seems like Apple dropped the option. I just dragged a photo I wanted to use for a friend into their picture bucket (when I chose to get info on them). And it will only drop the photo in without giving me the cropping tools still available to me when I want to edit my own buddy icon.

In Messages, is it possible to see when a person is typing for Google Talk account?

In Adium, when in a Google Talk account you can see when a person is typing with a little ... indicator, so you know to wait.
In Messages, that's also how it works with AIM chats - you see a chat bubble indicating the person on the other end is typing.
But in Messages, when in a Google Talk account I'm not seeing any such indicator, so I don't know whether to wait or if the person has simply gone away. Is it possible to get such an indicator in Google Talk inside Messages? If not, I'll just switch back to Adium.
Thanks,
doug

In Adium, when in a Google Talk account you can see when a person is typing with a little ... indicator, so you know to wait.
In Messages, that's also how it works with AIM chats - you see a chat bubble indicating the person on the other end is typing.
But in Messages, when in a Google Talk account I'm not seeing any such indicator, so I don't know whether to wait or if the person has simply gone away. Is it possible to get such an indicator in Google Talk inside Messages? If not, I'll just switch back to Adium.
Thanks,
doug

Isight works with photo booth but not in ichat or google talk or skype?

isight works with photo booth but not in ichat or google talk or skype?

Hi
Is this an Internal or External iSight ?
In iChat, in the Video Menu (This is to the right of Buddies and may read Audio) is Camera Enabled Ticked ?
If it reads Audio open the Connection Doctor from that same menu.
In the connection Doctor open the Capabilities tab
Does it say your Internet Connection is too slow ?
At this point I would need to know which iChat Version.
However also look in the View Menu.
Is Show VIdeo Status ticked ? (this shows green Icons next to your Buddy Pic and those of your Buddies
Next go to the iChat Menu > Preferences > Video Section
Do you see a preview here ?
Re: GoogleTalk
Have you enabled TALK on your Google Account Settings ?
You need to have a Google Mail ID (Not any other sort of Google ID)
Have you downloaded the Intel only Web Browser Plug-in to do Video in a Web Browser.
10:48 PM Tuesday; August 30, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Can we do a video from iChat to a Google Talk plug-in user

If a person I know is into using the Google Talk plug-in, which uses say [email protected] and I use iChat, can I Add Buddy entering [email protected] and invite that person to video chat?
There may be 2 parts to this:
1) From Leopard
2) From Snow Leopard
What I have seen so far:
A friend on Leopard cannot enter [email protected] and see my name in his Buddy List. Leopard wants .mac, .me or AIM in a popup.
In my own SL, I have entered an@gmail name in and see it appear with an AIM guy icon, but have not been able to try the chat.
Then, if iChat to GTalk can be done, can a 3-way chat be done this way?
I'm still trying to find someone to test with me but meanwhile maybe someone else has experience with it.
Thanks.
~Deb

What? I don't think that is correct (about the Codec). Both ichat AV and google talk video use H.264 and MPEG4 audio for their codecs.
"http://code.google.com/apis/talk/call_signaling.html"
"Currently, only Gmail voice and video chat supports sending and receiving video. At this time, the H.264/SVC and H.264/AVC codecs are supported. Other codecs may be supported in future versions."
And ichat A/V
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IChat
Additionally, video conferencing uses H.264/AVC
And finally...Google Talk Video most certainly does NOT use Flash
http://news.cnet.com/google-launches-video-chat-for-gmail/
"Unlike many current video chat products, Gmail Video and Voice uses a proprietary plug-in, not Flash. The small (2MB) download supports Firefox, IE, and Chrome on the PC, and Firefox on the Mac. Support for other browsers and platforms (Linux and mobile) may come later."
All that being said you are correct though about compatibility. Even though Apple and Google Talk videoconferencing use the same codecs for video and audio they cannot communicate with each other.

Ichat, google talk & parental controls

I need to be able to use ichat while homeschooling my children. But I also just recently had to turn on parental controls on my sons computer to limit the computer time. I found that ichat through bonjour will not work. I thought I had found a solution by signing up for a google talk account. I did all the these steps that WuzzyBoom posted a while back:
You can get GoogleTalk to work if you:
1. disable the parental controls on the desired user account*
2. log into that account*
3. setup the GoogleTalk connection and test.
4. log out of user account
5. log back into the admin account
6. enable parental control again
7. done.
This seemed to work except that when I turned parental controls back on and logged back into his account, there was no list of buddies online, just the chat windows showed up. Not a big deal because he is only allowed to chat with 3 people and we had left the chat windows open so we could chat after putting the parental controls back on. But when he closed his computer for the night, it logged him off of ichat and this morning when i tried to tell him something through iChat it says he is offline and the chat window will not open on his computer.
Has anyone been able to find a solution to not being able to use iChat when parental controls are on?
thanks in advance.

Hi,
I have tested this before in Leopard.
In Leopard (iChat 4.x.x) it is know that the parental Controls Limit iChat to just AIM Logins
I had heard and was convinced I had tested that Jabber worked in Snow Leopard (iChat 5.x.x) when Parental Controls were ON.
Currently I cannot get my Google Account to Login when Parental Controls Is On,
The Help in Lion says this (these two appear in the other order in Snow Leopard but say the same thing)
Pic
This would imply that Jabber as well as Bonjour is Still furned Off.
What is strange is that I run Little Snitch (it tells you ports and IP address of connections) and this says iChatAgent (The support app that does the Login ) is in fact Logging in to Google.
The iChat Preferences loses the option to Enable the Bonjour and Google account.
Nor does the iChat Menu > Accounts allow you to select/Tick Bonjour or Google.
And, of course, they don't appear in the Window Menu.
NOTE
WHen this was done in Leopard (iChat 4) with an AIM name any Buddies that were not allowed did not show Up if you left Parental Controls ON and returned to using your regular Mac User account.
That is to say if you tested with Screen Names and IDs (Accounts) you used in your regular Mac User Account and used those in the "test" account, as I did, then any Buddies not added to the AIM Allowed Buddies (in Parental Controls) restricts the Buddy List when you come back to your regular Mac User Account.
Based on thre Note above I notice that the AIM Account I used in both is restricted to the one Buddy that Is On line that I allowed in Parental Controls (I used an Address Book card and this listed Jabber and AIM Screen Names).
The Google account is uneffected by the fact I entered two Names/IDs via the Address Card pick and one Manually.
I double check things against the 7 step list you gave in the first post.
My "Test" Mac User Account was set up with the Google Account/ID and my AIM Screen Name as it's two Accounts (in addition to Bonjour) before I turned On Parental Controls.
I was in the Admin Mac User Account (my Regular Login) and set Parental Controls.
The Bonjour did not Log in ("known" Issue)
The Google one did not and could not be made to Login from thr Preferences . Account sub option in the iChat Menu or the DOCK Icon. The option to Show Jabber Buddies had also disappeared from the Menu Bar Icon drop down.
I have tried resetting this whilst the Test Mac User Account was Logged in (You have to enter the Admin's Name and password to Set Parental Controls)
I briefly managed to get the Google List to show but it was not restricted.
When I quit iChat and re-launched it the Google option was Off again.
I have spent some time trying different combos but on my Snow Leopard computer I cannot get Google/Jabber to display in any form when using Parental Controls.
10:54 AM Saturday; December 3, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

When I click on the icon in the dock, a message appears about not being able to verify google talk

I installed google talk as my main phone communications. Something happened when I was using firefox that took out my whole chat system on firefox, chrome, and safari. I am able to use it again on firefox after uninstalling and re-installing firefox. I have not had luck getting it to work on Safari or chrome again. When I click on the ichat icon in the dock, a message appears saying that Safari can not verify google talk. Does anyone have a solution?

Hi,
I take it you mean you installed the Intel Only Browser Plug-in to use the Chat Functions on the Google Mail Web Page in Video and Audio Chat ?
It now works in only one Browser which is Firefox.
The bit you post about using the iChat icon to launch iChat but get a message about Safari seems a bit odd.
iChat does not use Safari to check the password of Log In.
If you Click and hold the iChat icon in th DOCK and then select Show In Finder what app is then highlighted in the Applications folder ?
Have you tried deleting and reinstalling the Browser Plug-in ?
Also check the KeyChain and the Access Tab of the Google Talk info in there.
KeyChain Access is in Applications/Utilities.
Find your Google Talk info and double Click it
The new panel has an Access Tab
That can be set to allow only certain apps to use the info (Password).
8:28 PM Sunday; July 3, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.7),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Google Talk and iChat Simultaneously

I want to use Google Talk without losing my iChat A/V, ie; Jabber List plus Buddy List. I setup Google Talk in iChat via Jabber, and tried to run it beside my iChat account, but got locked out of AIM because I was 'overusing the server'. I had to deactivate the GT Account (Jabber) to regain my iChat account. Is it not possible to have both? Or is there another solution for VOiP with the Windows world?
IMac Intel Core Duo, Powerbook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Hi Joe,
Welcome to the Apple Discussions
Not quite sure what you mean here.
iChat has three Buddy Lists.
The AIM (Main "Buddy List")
The Bonjour one (if you have other Macs)
The Jabber one. (includes GoogleTalk as you say)
The AIM and the Jabber ones require that you log in to different servers.
The only problem I can envisage is if you have set the Jabber account up with using a Transport back to your AIM name.
Having said that you are in Abu Dhabi and this may be what the local ISP is saying about your usage.
The Middle Eastern ISPs have issues all of their own normally centered around "Security"
11:16 PM Monday; July 16, 2007

Ichat with google talk and others

Is there any way I can add yahoo..google talk and aim people and see them and speak with them just by using my @me name or my aim name on Ichat version 5.0.1?
if so how..its seems complicated to do all this

No.
You can have a Buddy list based an A Google ID
You can have a separate Buddy LIst based on your @me.com name
The people you know on a Jabber Server or with Google IDs can be added to the GoogleTalk Buddy list.
AIM (And Apple) Buddies can be added to your @me.com Buddy list.
AS Defcom pointed out there is a way with a Jabber server to Link to the AIM service (And therefore get AIM/Apple Buddies into a Jabber /Googletalk Buddy list (GoogleTlak is a Jabber server)
You can not get Jabber Buddies into the AIM list.
So with just an @Me.com Buddy list you can only add those other People that login to AIM.
9:15 PM Friday; December 11, 2009
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

Why is my iChat Google Talk sending html markup?

I am using iChat on my new computer and it automatically configured Google Talk when I put in my gmail address. Things looked great until I sent a message to a PC user with a Google Talk application - it arrived to him as
<html xmlns="http://jabber.org/protocol/xhtml-im"><body style="background-color:#fee32f;color:#000000;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica';font-size: 12px;">i'm on new computer</span></body></html>
instead of just my text - making conversation a little difficult! Is there any way to make sure I'm sending plain text, and lose all the html markup? My text shows up fine when I have Talk open in my gmail browser window, though I see the same thing he was in the transcripts archived in my gmail.

HI,
I have only heard of that in relation to iChat to IQC users.
ICQ was once owned by AIM and formed part of the same "Service"
That is to say it logged in to the same Servers and ICQ names could be added to an AIM Buddy list and vice Versa
ICQ has since been sold off to some Russians and has it;s own servers although can still be "AIM Buddies"
The point is though, that IQC users do not have stylised Balloons or Bubbles for their text Chats and cannot deal with the extra info that is sent.
Basically it is HTML to form the Balloon and colour it and the Font.
I have never seen a Post to say the the PC app called GoogleTalk had this issue
In earlier versions (iChat 4 and 5) there was an Add-on called Chax that could remove the HTML for ICQ chats but it does not work in iChat 6
Google and AIM have both added methods of "Automatically" adding Buddies from the other service to their Buddy lists
I am wondering if the GoogleTalk app has an "ICQ mode" that is enabled.
10:07 PM Friday; July 13, 2012
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Google Talk and iChat Snow Leapord

I am trying to find out if any other people can not longer video chat with a Jabber account using gmail account to anyone else that uses Google Talk. This set up worked fine before the upgrade to Snow Leapord and iChat 5.0
I have contacted Apple support and they will not offer support for setting up Google Talk.
I also have a Mobile Me account and still can not seem to video chat using a specific Apple test account.
So I looking for any help with that does use iChat and Google Talk

Hi,
Welcome to the  Discussions
In iChat > Preferences > Video section Set the Bandwidth Limit drop down to 500kbps
This may help with the Audio issue with iChat Buddies.
Jabber Buddies not using iChat may not even be able to Video as very few Jabber Servers do this. (And they are working on their own Protocols called Jingle)
GoogleTalk is a Jabber server but have chosen their own method to do Video (not the same Codecs as iChat)
The Web Mail page chat option uses Flash. This seems to be compatible with the PC based Googletalk App (but not with iChat)
These maybe more readily found solutions
Alternatives to iChat but Video chatting In a Web Browser
MeBeam. An option to use a Web site that create Private room for Video Chatting. Uses Flash to access your Camera and Mic.
iVideoChat Similar setup but a somewhat corporate type look to the site. Has Public rooms as well. Again uses Flash.
Googlemail/GoogeTalk now do a Version in a Web Browser
Tokbox A Site that can link your existing Buddy Lists that USes Flash to Video chat in a Browser.
From http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/page5.html#_other
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.
8:47 PM Wednesday; October 28, 2009
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

Google talk allows me to IM in iChat but not initiate or receive audio

I set up the jabber account as per the instructions here:
http://www.google.com/support/talk/bin/answer.py?answer=24076
Once in iChat, I can IM with other gmailers but the phone icon is greyed out. when my PC using friend tries to call me, he gets the following error message: "you cannot call because [[email protected]] is using chat in gmail or another chat program other than google talk"
So I logged out of all the other iChat accounts. that didn't help.
Logged out of gmail in my internet browser. That didn't help
I downloaded Adium thinking maybe it was just an iChat thing. But Adium does not give me a call button/option either.
I'm in Canada and my friend is in the US. Might this have something to do with it?
I'm sorry if this has been answered before. I tried to find the answer on my own and could not.
Thanks,
Sad and cold in Canda
macbook Mac OS X (10.4.8)

You currently are not able to initiate audio or video chats with anyone other than iChat users over XMPP/Jabber.
Google Talk uses a variation on the new Jingle standards for audio over XMPP.
When Apple first added audio and video to iChat over XMPP/Jabber there were no standards for doing it so Apple used their own custom method (they do it exactly the same way as when using AIM or Bonjour).
Jingle and Apple's custom method are incompatible, so you will only be able to initiate audio or video with other Mac users using iChat.
All we can do is cross our fingers and hope that Apple will update iChat to comply with standards in a future release (the CEO of Google was recently appointed to the Apple board so hopefully this bodes well for the future).

My google talk account will not work with Jabber on iChat.

I have an iBook G4, I know I know. But when I try using my google account in iChat it just doesn't work. I have tried deleting it from the panel and re-entering it but I get the same result: 'Connection not connect to host xmpp.l.google.com'. Everything is on default. I have a feeling that it may be my wireless connection with my wireless modem, but that is just a hunch.
Any info that you need to help I will try to provide, just please help!

Hi,
The Host is "wrong".
In OS x 10.5.8 you should have iChat 4.0.8 or 4.0.9 (it depends if you have done a particular Security Update and also where you look up the iChat details)
This means that in Adding a new Account In iChat Menu > Preferences > Accounts and clicking the + icon you should see several choices in the Drop down at the top item in the new pane that appears.
Above the line should be AIM, MobileMe and @mac.com
Below the line should be GoogleTalk and Jabber.
The reason GoogleTalk is separated like this is because Google do not conform to the Jabber Server naming method.
With all other Jabber server you create an [email protected]
So you would have [email protected] for example at Jabber Australia.
Your google ID could be [email protected] or username @gmail.com
Technically this could be two servers using the regular Jabber method.
GoogleTalk's server is talk.google.com
In iChat 3 when Jabber was added to iChat you had to set this manually.
From iChat 4 onwards the software sorted it for you.
Go to iChat menu > Preferences > Accounts
Highlight the Jabber/Google ID and then click the Server Settings tab
If you are logged out the text should be dark and editable.
Change the Server name to talk.google.com
Make sure SSL is enable and the port reads 5223
If in Doubt delete the Account (highlight and use the minus Button) and the re-add the account as GoogleTalk.
9:30 PM Thursday; February 28, 2013
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

IChat + Google Talk: shrinks google's buddy icon. Any fix?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for