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Clover: iMessage/Facetime Fix for Yosemite

leodaniel

By leodaniel,
in Tutorials (The Genius Bar)

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holyfield
holyfield
Posted
Posted

According to Apple:

 
Set up Messages

You can send unlimited messages to friends who use iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac with iMessage.

For iMessage, you need an Apple ID. If you set up an iTunes or iCloud account, you already have an Apple ID. If you don’t have an Apple ID, you can create one in Messages.

If you have a message account with Google Talk, Jabber, or Yahoo!, you can add these to Messages too. See Add Internet accounts.

 

 

 

As we see, you need a valid Apple ID. Other internet accounts can be added without issues to Messages, but if you want to use Apple's service, you might encounter some issues, if your hardware id's does not match certain patterin.

 

I don't think that Apple especially is trying to avoid Hackintosh users from using the service. If you have a valid Apple ID, which is working for purchases on AppStore, your ID should be fine for Apple. I suspect, that's issue i s primarily related on keeping your session live on your computer. Hardware ID's are on certain way the part of session tokens. I don't think that they use some sort of database based validation to check for each hardware id on their database. I guess  that primary purpose is to avoid hijacking the sessions to avoid spying.

 

If you are using some random self generated hardware ID's, Apple's scripts fail to authenticate your session and your hardware gets banned.


Yess, i used rom and mlb from my macbook into my asus z97i (with wifi+combo) and run fine.

 

Do I understand correctly, that by using macbook id's you were logged in without any issues? Your are logged in both, on this hack and asus?

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UltraLaser
UltraLaser
Posted
Posted

According to Apple:

 

As we see, you need a valid Apple ID. Other internet accounts can be added without issues to Messages, but if you want to use Apple's service, you might encounter some issues, if your hardware id's does not match certain patterin.

 

I don't think that Apple especially is trying to avoid Hackintosh users from using the service. If you have a valid Apple ID, which is working for purchases on AppStore, your ID should be fine for Apple. I suspect, that's issue i s primarily related on keeping your session live on your computer. Hardware ID's are on certain way the part of session tokens. I don't think that they use some sort of database based validation to check for each hardware id on their database. I guess that primary purpose is to avoid hijacking the sessions to avoid spying.

 

If you are using some random self generated hardware ID's, Apple's scripts fail to authenticate your session and your hardware gets banned.

 

 

Do I understand correctly, that by using macbook id's you were logged in without any issues? Your are logged in both, on this hack and asus?

Yes
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C.44
C.44
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Thx ;)

 

Just for curiosity. If you open on both comps the  System Information app in the Hardware Overview, do you have exactly the same values for:

​  Boot ROM Version:
  SMC Version (system):
  Serial Number (system):
  Hardware UUID:

Do not post values here! Are all values identical or only some, which are the same, which are different?

 

Please can you run also iMessageDebug on both comps to compare which values are same, which aren't. 

 

 

Holyfield, I use the MLB and ROM from my iMac on my hackintosh as well. Those are the only values that are identical. SMC version, serial number, Hardware UUID and boot rom version are irrelevant.

 

I'm pretty sure Apple knows exactly which MLB values are genuine and I'm quite sure that as long as that value is genuine you can use just about any ROM value you want. Granted, if you do use a different ROM value you will end up having to call Apple with a Customer Code again but chances are that this time they will be able to actually unblock the account. I'm sure Apple can check the MLB against a database of genuine values much like the Apple Self Solve way of checking for a genuine serialnumber because the MLB are bound to the motherboard/logicboard. The ROM value however can be calculated from a myriad of diffferent mac addresses from either FireWire, Ethernet, Airport, etc. Since some of those parts are user-replaceable there's a good chance that with a genuine MLB and a generated ROM Apple will be able to unblock the account with a Customer Code.

 

For now, the only way to log into Messages for Mac without having to contact Apple, is to use a MLB and ROM from a genuine MacIntosh. You can use any SMBios you want, any serialnumber you want.

 

@teddybearapple:

In Clover Configurator go to the "RT Variables" tab and enter the MLB and ROM in the corresponding fields at the top of the screen (the two fields next to eachother). Disable all internet connections, reboot, check MLB and ROM values with iMessageDebug (repeat 2 or 3 more times) make sure the values are what they are supposed to be, enable internet connections, login, be happy.

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holyfield
holyfield
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Thank you C.44.

 

We just know at this point, that if you copy MLB - Main Logic Board (Board Serial Number) and ROM id, you will be able to log in without contacting Apple. It does not mean, that you couldn't use other values. We just don't know the pattern, which Apple uses. 

C.44, please  check this topic on Apples forum. How these people get iMessage to work? Of course this is an old post. But reveals something interesting. 

 

I guess, that with genuine Mac, there is a change to figure out by using various tools, what exactly Messages collects and sends to Apple's server.

 

Anyway, if you call to Apple support, they are asking your system serial and Messages case id and of course your Apple ID, Thats all.

 

So, I guess they don't retrieve actually your MLB/ROM values. It's probably Messages, which sends some sort of pattern based values?

 

For continuity they have to identify you hardware to send data between proper devices. So, whats done on inside Messages app, and what on server side.

 

Yeah I got the MLB n rom from a friends real mac when use the MLB n rom that I got from iMessage debug and tap calculate I see my old generated details

 

This reveals, that Apple allows log from same hardware without any issues for several users. Of course it's obvious, as you can create multiple accounts on same Mac. But.. I'm just curios, is there a limit, how many users can log in Messages from same device?

 

 

The reason why you need Hardware UUID, is very simple

Messages generates prefs file com.apple.imservice.ids.iMessage.<Your Hardware UUID here>.plist. It's the same   Hardware UUID, which you have on system information app.

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ckegman
ckegman
Posted
Posted

Hey All,

Just figured I post my soap opera with apple support. iMessage gets code to call support after upgrade to Yosemite. I have real mac mlb and rom my own, go thru all questions. 3 Security questions I set. He goes and sends code to reset my iMessage, try to login and get code again. I spent about 2 hrs with multiple support people with no resolution. I am now working with apple engineers to resolve the problem. He said I should from him in 4 to 5 days. So if there is some new info the are collecting I should find out shortly. Will post results as soon as I get them. Other wise everything works perfect on my hack.

 

PS. Only difference I see from mavericks to yosemite is that I don't have apple dir in efi, doesn't seem to be writing to it anymore. Running latest clover. my nvram works fine can write to it and results stay. Does anybody know if this is a problem or nothing to worry about? or did apple stop doing this?

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holyfield
holyfield
Posted
Posted

Hey All,

Just figured I post my soap opera with apple support. iMessage gets code to call support after upgrade to Yosemite. I have real mac mlb and rom my own, go thru all questions. 3 Security questions I set. He goes and sends code to reset my iMessage, try to login and get code again. I spent about 2 hrs with multiple support people with no resolution. I am now working with apple engineers to resolve the problem. He said I should from him in 4 to 5 days. So if there is some new info the are collecting I should find out shortly. Will post results as soon as I get them. Other wise everything works perfect on my hack.

 

PS. Only difference I see from mavericks to yosemite is that I don't have apple dir in efi, doesn't seem to be writing to it anymore. Running latest clover. my nvram works fine can write to it and results stay. Does anybody know if this is a problem or nothing to worry about? or did apple stop doing this?

 

Please note, you still need these values on your Clover SMBOS settings:

 

Some UUID as Hardware UUID and board serial number. MLB and ROM on Rt Variables aren't enough.

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ckegman
ckegman
Posted
Posted

Have all those settings. Complete SMBOS I have been using since I switched to clover. iMessage was working fine till upgrade to yosemite. No clover settings have changed at all. Thanks for input. When working with support everything  seems fine and they say it should work but is not. only time will tell if the engineers will find something.

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holyfield
holyfield
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Have all those settings. Complete SMBOS I have been using since I switched to clover. iMessage was working fine till upgrade to yosemite. No clover settings have changed at all. Thanks for input. When working with support everything  seems fine and they say it should work but is not. only time will tell if the engineers will find something.

 

I suspect that you have missed something. I believe that people shouldn't waste Apple's support time if they are using Hackintosh. There is very big change that you have missed something on importing those values and resetting your iMessage properly. I have seen this several times. People are telling, that they have done everything as supposed. But when you open some settings panel, you see that some checkboxes are unchecked, which should be, some checked, which shouldn't and so on. We humans, tend to make mistakes and the biggest one is thinking, that I did everything fine :D

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teddybearapple
teddybearapple
Posted
Posted

I'm trying to use my generated rom with a real mac MLB I noticed I got a new code I'm on hold now will update if that works for as I read it worked for someone in another forum

At long last this worked for now oh cool. I only changed MLB with a 13 characters from a real Mac used with my generated Ids it just worked after talking to this cute lady

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ckegman
ckegman
Posted
Posted

I suspect that you have missed something. I believe that people shouldn't waste Apple's support time if they are using Hackintosh. There is very big change that you have missed something on importing those values and resetting your iMessage properly. I have seen this several times. People are telling, that they have done everything as supposed. But when you open some settings panel, you see that some checkboxes are unchecked, which should be, some checked, which shouldn't and so on. We humans, tend to make mistakes and the biggest one is thinking, that I did everything fine :D

Dude not new to hackintoshing. I understand what you are saying but it is pretty cut and dry what I did. I am not wasting apple support time, I own real mac and pay for the service. I am a retired dev and I think I can handle transposing values from 1 config.plist to another. We r humans that is why I had other people look over what I have done.  To make sure I didn't miss something. I never assume that I am perfect I know {censored} happens as they say. :D

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teddybearapple
teddybearapple
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A user on the "other" forum removed the 4 middle digits from his old, generated MLB to make it 13 characters long and along with using his old generated ROM, reported getting a different Customer Error code ---> rang Apple support and claimed iMessage working again....

 

He may have accidentally created a "valid" MLB and his report (a single report, yet to be replicated) suggests that once you have a valid/genuine? MLB, then it is still possible to ring Apple support to fix iMessage while still having a random/generated ROM....

 

Having said that, I have tried, in the past, mixing a genuine MLB and genuine ROM from 2 different real Macs and placing those values in the config.plist of my hack ---> still get customer error code and failure to login. Not sure if ringing Apple Support in this scenario would fix the login failure but that experiment suggests that if there is any mismatch checking done by Apple at present, it is between MLB and ROM ie MLB & ROM work as a pair to unlock iMessage.

 

It would also be interesting to find out from Mac owners that lack an ethernet or firewire interface (eg MacBook Air owners) what their ROM values actually correspond to.....maybe Airport MAC address? Bluetooth serial?

Exactly what did and it works perfect now. I confirm that works
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ckegman
ckegman
Posted
Posted

going to restore one of my computers back to mavericks and do some testing to see if I can see any changes. Have two apple accounts, one for work and iMessage works on that one, the other is my hack for play. Lets see what I can find. All I have is time. keep u posted and thanks for all your input holyfield. 

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holyfield
holyfield
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going to restore one of my computers back to mavericks and do some testing to see if I can see any changes. Have two apple accounts, one for work and iMessage works on that one, the other is my hack for play. Lets see what I can find. All I have is time. keep u posted and thanks for all your input holyfield. 

 

Don't you have some extra HDD which one to use for play. 

 

ckegman, can you compare settings from genuine mac on your custom comp?

 

Please check this post for file locations. Can you grab these so you can run some diff utility against collected files to compare the content?

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holyfield
holyfield
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The only Mac model that uses a processor tray is the Mac Pro, the rest obviously don't have such a thing.

 

Cool, thank you. Wasn't aware.

 

About MLB and Serial Number

After digging a bit, I'm sure that system number and MLB are related by interesting pattern. System number and MLB  seems to be strictly related. You shouldn't use random string as MLB!! That's what causes the evil with iMessage for sure.

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holyfield
holyfield
Posted
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That said, anyone knows if the new MacPro6,1 shows the processor tray's serial in System Information? The few reports and screen caps I've seen don't have them so this one might be an exception.

 

Seems that Serial Number (processor tray) is not shown on books.

 

I found it on 6.1 too

 

Screen_Shot_2014_06_04_at_1_43_52_AM.png

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holyfield
holyfield
Posted
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Yo do you mind telling me your specs and the machine you use? You seem to have great specs right there envy lol

 

It's not mine. It's just a pic from internet.

Just one question:

The iMessage/FaceTime problems only happen on Yosemite but still work on Mavericks?

 

Thanks.

 

Edit: Got an answer: No

 

iMessage activation issue happens on Mavericks too. It was easier to fix earlier. 

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