IMessage - could not sign in please check network connection

Question

Hi,
I have 3 macs and a couple of iDevies. All was working fine... Suddenly iMessage does not work on my iMac. All other devices tied to the account have no problem with messages. At first it gave me: "could not send the message please check network connection". After tinkering and waiting a couple of days I then tried to log out and then log in again... Bad idea; I now it gives me a similar message but that it cannot sign in.
AIM and all other internet services work without an issue, no problem with other Apple ID services.
Thanks for any and all ideas.
Regards,
Philly

Answer 1

This could be a complicated problem to solve, as there are many possible causes for it. Test after taking each of the following steps that you haven't already tried. Back up all data before making any changes.
Before proceeding, test on another network, if possible. That could be a public Wi-Fi hotspot, if your computer is portable, or a cellular network if you have a mobile device that can share its Internet connection. If you find that iMessage works on the other network, the problem is in your network or at your ISP, not in your computer.
Step 1
Check the status of the service. If the service is down, wait tor it to come back up. There may be a localized outage, even if the status indicator is green.
Step 2
Restart your broadband device and your router, if different. You may have to skip this step if you don't control those devices.
Step 3
From the menu bar, select
 ▹ About This Mac
Below the "OS X" legend in the window that opens, the OS version appears. Click the version line twice to display the serial number. If the number is missing or invalid according to this web form, take the machine to an Apple Store or other authorized service center to have the problem corrected.
Step 4
Take the steps suggested in this support article. If you don't understand some of the steps or can't carry them out, ask for guidance.
Step 5
From the menu bar, select
 ▹ System Preferences ▹ Network
If the preference pane is locked, click the lock icon in the lower left corner and enter your password to unlock it. Then click the Advanced button and select the Proxies tab. If the box marked SOCKS Proxy is checked, uncheck it. You don’t need to change any other settings in the window. Click OK and then Apply. Test.
The result may be that you can't connect to the Internet at all. Revert the change if that happens, or if iMessage still doesn't work. Remember that you must Apply any changes you make in the preference pane before they take effect.
Step 6
Select from the menu bar
 ▹ System Preferences… ▹ Flash Player ▹ Storage
and click
Block all sites from storing information on this computer
Close the preference pane.
Step 7
Make sure you know the ID and password you use with iMessage. Launch the Keychain Access application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Keychain Access in the icon grid.
Use the search box in the toolbar of the Keychain Access window to find and delete all items with "iMessage" in the name. Log out and log back in.
Step 8
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
If iMessage worked in the guest account, stop here and post your results.
Step 9
Boot in safe mode and log in. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including Wi-Fi on certain iMacs.  The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
Test while in safe mode. After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and test again.
If iMessage worked in safe mode, but didn't work when you booted out of safe mode, stop here and post your results.
Step 10
Reset the NVRAM.
Step 11
Reinstall OS X.
Step 12
If none of the above steps resolves the issue, make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or contact Apple Support.