Problem with iMessage and Face Time in Tahoe

[miliuco]

@arsradu

I asked about wifi to know if it is Apple compatible.

About ROM, do you have your real MAC address or a fake one?

Is Ethernet en0 in network adapters?

[arsradu]

11 minutes ago, miliuco said:

@arsradu

I asked about wifi to know if it is Apple compatible.

About ROM, do you have your real MAC address or a fake one?

Is Ethernet en0 in network adapters?

Yeah, it should be very much compatible.   At least up to Ventura. :)) After that, it does require some kexts and tweaks. But I'm having the same issue with all OSes (including Ventura).

About the ROM, I tried both...with the same result.
Yes, Ethernet is en0 (and built-in).

The only thing I'm not 100% sure of...but could be totally normal, is the way the ROM is displayed in nvram.

Edited April 7 by arsradu

[Max.1974]

@Miliuco @Arsradu and others friends! 

 

Hello my friends. I’m just joining the discussion briefly, without going too deep into it. I didn’t usually log into iMessage, and I still don’t use it much, but for testing purposes it used to work very well on any of my Hackintosh systems until some time ago. After the updates, however, it really stopped working on the hacks.

I ended up changing the SMBIOS because MacPro7,1 no longer validates the serial number. So I believe Apple may be doing this intentionally. In my case, on the Mac mini M4 Pro it works perfectly, sends messages normally and stays logged in.

So I don’t think it’s actually a Hackintosh bug. One detail though: I only managed to get it working again on the M4 after doing a clean install — going from Sequoia to Tahoe. When I installed Tahoe directly without updating, the same problem happened there too. That makes me think there may be some kind of information that remains stored in the system. Whether it’s in the cloud or locally, I’m not sure.

Since I don’t really use iMessage much, and on the real Mac it started working again after the reinstall, I didn’t investigate it further. But thanks for all the important information shared here.

😃

[notobo]

35 minutes ago, Max.1974 said:

@Miliuco @Arsradu and others friends! 

 

 

 

I ended up changing the SMBIOS because MacPro7,1 no longer validates the serial number.

That's the essence. I start having these  problems when I try MacPro7,1 SMBIOS just to test Tahoe like everybody else does. After that everything goes downhill.

 

iMessage fwd is very useful thing for someone who stronly rely on pure sms. With real Mac, FaceTime on Mac is excellent tool. I remember Snow Leopard and messaging from OSX...it was hilarious. 😀

10 hours ago, arsradu said:

Did that too. :)) Also, one of the apple ids i tried had another phone nr asociated with it. No difference whatsoever. :)) i don’t know what it is. Maybe nvram. Maybe keychain. I don’t know. But it doesn’t seem to work anymore. 

Last Tango is to buy real Mac m8. And if that doesn't fix, burn to the ground nearest Apple Store. 😂

 

[arsradu]

3 hours ago, notobo said:

That's the essence. I start having these  problems when I try MacPro7,1 SMBIOS just to test Tahoe like everybody else does. After that everything goes downhill.

 

iMessage fwd is very useful thing for someone who stronly rely on pure sms. With real Mac, FaceTime on Mac is excellent tool. I remember Snow Leopard and messaging from OSX...it was hilarious. 😀

Last Tango is to buy real Mac m8. And if that doesn't fix, burn to the ground nearest Apple Store. 😂

 

I mean, I am considering it. :))) I already have a MBP M1 Pro, had it for a couple of years now, and it served me very, very well, so...I am thinking about it. But I would just like to have everything working when retiring this system, which looks like it might happen sooner than anticipated.

 

I still don't understand why would not work on systems on which it previously worked before. I mean, ok, MacPro7,1 was probably raising a flag because it was one of the fewer models left with support for intel. But that would not explain why another laptop hack would not work anymore without touching anything. And still on Sequoia. 

 

So....I don't know... I can try upgrading...from Sequoia to Tahoe or from Ventura to Tahoe, especially since it's constantly nagging me about it. But...I don't know. Since it doesn't currently work on either one of them...I don't think it's gonna work after the upgrade.

 

I'm still wondering, do you guys see the same kind of weird looking value for ROM, when you do: nvram 4D1EDE05-38C7-4A6A-9CC6-4BCCA8B38C14:ROM in Terminal ? Does it look like what you actually set in the config?

 

It could be perfectly normal (chatgpt says it is...but he lied to me before), but at this point...I'm considering all possible causes for this issue.

 

Also, do you guys have multiple OSes installed? Do you think that would make any difference....?

 

Edited April 7 by arsradu

[arsradu]

Yep, I'm having the exact same issue...

Edited April 7 by arsradu

[arsradu]

On 9/21/2025 at 3:56 AM, fusion71au said:

Maybe review the trusted devices associated with your Apple Account and remove all the untrusted ones.  I am speculating here but guessing that Apple has a “trust score” on your AppleID to decide whether to allow use of their services (more likely to fail if you have multiple hacks/untrusted devices and don't maintain a consistent MLB/ROM/SystemUUID with each device). 

 

Of the 5 devices currently associated with my AppleID, 4 are genuine Apple devices while the iMac20,1 NUCintosh is also trusted after 2FA confirmation.  Also Apple has my credit card details in Apple Wallet.

In my case, they're all trusted. That's the funny part. Everything works, and can receive 2FA notifications. The only thing that doesn't work (anymore) is iMessage and FaceTime. :))

Do you use multiple versions of MacOS on your hack? Or just one of them that you upgraded over the years?

[carlo_67]

here I am with Thaoe, with iGuitar, intel wifi and BT and also in en0, I don't have Ethernet and as you see all the devices associated with my appleID, they are all hack and windows too and my iPhone and iMessage and facetime always worked

[arsradu]

9 hours ago, carlo_67 said:

here I am with Thaoe, with iGuitar, intel wifi and BT and also in en0, I don't have Ethernet and as you see all the devices associated with my appleID, they are all hack and windows too and my iPhone and iMessage and facetime always worked

 

Ciao Carlo!

 

That is amazing. My only question is: HOW? :)) What did you change or not change...? I don't get it. You have all the conditions for it NOT to work. And yet, somehow, it does! :))

Edited April 8 by arsradu

[arsradu]

This seems to be a hack-specific issue. I tried logging into iMessage on one of my older MacBook Pros (Intel-based), and it worked just like you would expect it to.

 

 

@Max.1974 I suppose you're on a laptop, right? Do you use SSDT-PMC.aml as well...? I know it's necessary for NVRAM to stick across restarts. But can it also interfere with iMessage/Facetime's functionality...? I don't know... This is so weird.

 

So far, everything seems to be pointing towards the device, not the Apple account. But I can't figure out what it is.

 

So far, I've tried:

1. same device, same /old Apple ID -> same issue
2. same device, new Apple ID -> same issue
3. other device, same Apple ID:
   if it's a real Mac -> no issues 
   if it's another hack (even older, not touched in a very long time, which used to work before) -> same issue.
4. new install with iCloud login -> same issue
5. new install without iCloud login -> same issue
6. new/current OS -> same issue
7. older OS (up to Ventura) -> same issue
8. different SMBIOSes, with or without logging out of iCloud (safest approach would be to logout) -> same issue
9. with or without the "Apple" folder in the EFI -> same issue

 

So, in other words, as long as it's a hack, it doesn't work. However, judging from other people's experiences on this...it also doesn't seem to be a general issue with all the hacks. Because it still works for some people.

 

I wonder what do all people having this issue have in common...? What are we missing?

Edited April 13 by arsradu

[Max.1974]

@Arsradu  Oh man, that’s the million-bitcoin question. 😀

I really have no idea, brother. Unfortunately, with my work tasks and college, I truly don’t have the time to dig deeply into it. But I believe it might be something on Apple’s side.

Our Hackintosh environment is open in many areas, so Apple could even send some kind of code that allows their technicians to access the machine — today there are technologies that exist for this, although they are beyond our reach. 

My guess would be using an EFI completely clean of hidden files and creating a new Apple ID without a phone number or with a new phone number. Doing this on a totally fresh Hackintosh with a compatible GenSMBIOS.  

[arsradu]

54 minutes ago, Max.1974 said:

@Arsradu  Oh man, that’s the million-bitcoin question. 😀

I really have no idea, brother. Unfortunately, with my work tasks and college, I truly don’t have the time to dig deeply into it. But I believe it might be something on Apple’s side.

Our Hackintosh environment is open in many areas, so Apple could even send some kind of code that allows their technicians to access the machine — today there are technologies that exist for this, although they are beyond our reach. 

My guess would be using an EFI completely clean of hidden files and creating a new Apple ID without a phone number or with a new phone number. Doing this on a totally fresh Hackintosh with a compatible GenSMBIOS.  

I might have found the answer myself. It’s the same as before: serials. Maybe more strict when it comes to coherence than before. So ideally all serials should match the same machine. But yeah, serials. With good serials, it works. So, problem is finding (since generated doesn’t seem to work anymore) valid, coherent, serials. Apple ID doesn’t seem to be the issue here (at least not in my case). And you could use a slightly different, invalid, system serial number. But i think most of the other ones should match.

Also, having a test Apple ID to mess with until you find the magic combo is definitely nice to have. 

Edited April 13 by arsradu

[Max.1974]

Hi @arsradu my ID Apple and iMessage and FaceTime works on my Hackintosh Raptor Lake with Monterey  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Max.1974]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will update from Monterey to Tahoe to check if will keep working

 

 

[Max.1974]

Works fine after update! 

 

🙂

 

 

 

Edited April 16 by Max.1974

[arsradu]

Yep. I think it's all related to the SMBIOS serials. Just like before, but...maybe with a stricter check from Apple, since it worked fine before, but recently it just stopped working. So...yeah, I think there might be a change on Apple side. I managed to get mine working as well, but yeah...we need valid serials.

I'm guessing yours aren't just generated, right? Cause those don't seem to work anymore. Or did you validate them with Apple Support or something? Good thing it works for you, too. I'm just curious what could have changed in the meantime.

[Max.1974]

14 horas atrás, arsradu disse:

Sim. Acho que está tudo relacionado aos seriados SMBIOS. Assim como antes, mas... talvez com uma verificação mais rigorosa da Apple, já que funcionava bem antes, mas recentemente simplesmente parou de funcionar. Então... sim, acho que pode haver uma mudança no lado da Apple. Consegui fazer o meu funcionar também, mas sim... precisamos de séries válidas.

Acho que os seus não são apenas gerados, certo? Porque esses parecem não funcionar mais. Ou você os validou com o Suporte da Apple ou algo assim? Ainda bem que funciona para você também. Só estou curioso para saber o que poderia ter mudado nesse meio tempo.

 

I created it a few days ago with GenSMBIOS, nothing special. I just dropped the plist and voilà, it worked. But one difference I noticed is that we either use an email or a phone number, and if you use a “burned” ID (one that’s been used a lot) it also won’t work. I know Apple must have a quantitative number of serials that it validates, and the iMac ones are still valid. I’ve never called Apple Support with a Hackintosh serial hahaha!!  

https://github.com/corpnewt/gensmbios 

 

One detail: I generate it with GenSMBIOS for OpenCore, then I “clone” the serial using OCAT to Clover, and after that I no longer use OpenCore because it doesn’t work (it has to be one or the other).

[arsradu]

6 hours ago, Max.1974 said:

 

 

I created it a few days ago with GenSMBIOS, nothing special. I just dropped the plist and voilà, it worked. But one difference I noticed is that we either use an email or a phone number, and if you use a “burned” ID (one that’s been used a lot) it also won’t work. I know Apple must have a quantitative number of serials that it validates, and the iMac ones are still valid. I’ve never called Apple Support with a Hackintosh serial hahaha!!  

https://github.com/corpnewt/gensmbios 

 

 

One detail: I generate it with GenSMBIOS for OpenCore, then I “clone” the serial using OCAT to Clover, and after that I no longer use OpenCore because it doesn’t work (it has to be one or the other).

Hmmm… interesting. So it works with Clover…? But it doesn’t work with OpenCore? Or you haven’t tested with OpenCore? Same serials, same id, same everything? It’s been a while since I used Clover. Not sure why there would be a difference for this, but it’s definitely interesting. So in your case you just got a new generated set of serials with genSMBIOS and used it with Clover, and it just worked? With the same Apple id as before? Did you remove all devices first or was it not necessary? In my experience, this doesn’t seem to make a difference. But starting with a clean slate is definitely a good thing. 
 

The only thing that doesn’t make sense to me is this: why on the same machine on which everything worked fine before, with no changes to anything, all of the sudden it just doesn’t work anymore..? To me this signals a change somewhere. And since nothing changed on my side…my guess is that something must have changed on Apple’s side. But now I’m confused. Cause it seems to work fine for you. So…is it a Clover thing? Is it OpenCore..? I’m confused. :)) 

Edited April 17 by arsradu

[LockDown]

@arsradu clover user here. all my serials are just auto generated by macserial. If i recall (that worked for me), having a valid BoardSerialNumber what made my iMessage & Facetime problem free since high sierra i think. That goes for my OpenCore too.

All my setup from signatures have the same BoardSerialNumber

Edited April 17 by LockDown

[XanthraX]

I use opencore. Still use OCAT (Opencore Auxiliary Tools) , where I also generated my serials. I have no problem with iMessage, Facetime and Appstore. On both hackintoshes.

[arsradu]

47 minutes ago, LockDown said:

@arsradu clover user here. all my serials are just auto generated by macserial. If i recall (that worked for me), having a valid BoardSerialNumber what made my iMessage & Facetime problem free since high sierra i think. That goes for my OpenCore too.

All my setup from signatures have the same BoardSerialNumber

Yeah, for some reason, none of the generated serials worked for me. Even with real MLB...as long as the other serials were not valid (or coming from the same machine)...it didn't work for me. Either the secret is Clover here, or...I'm lost. :)) I don't know what's going on anymore.

For the OpenCore builds, did you start with OpenCore directly or first used Clover, and then switched to OpenCore? I wonder if there's some magic that Clover does to make this work. And probably after that, no matter what boot manager you use, it will still work cause Apple will somehow see them as valid.

You have no idea how many generated and even valid MLBs I've tried, in my attempt to fix this thing. Nothing worked. The only thing that worked was having all valid numbers (except for system serial).

Thank you so much for your feedback.

 

Now I'm wondering if all users experiencing this issue are OC users, and if they also previously used Clover, or still using Clover. Weird thing nonetheless. :)) I've been following all the guides I could find, done everything by the book, clean installs, old installs, new ID, old ID, everything I could imagine. Nothing worked.

Thanks to you guys, and this community, I learn something new every day.  

[arsradu]

1 minute ago, XanthraX said:

I use opencore. Still use OCAT (Opencore Auxiliary Tools) , where I also generated my serials. I have no problem with iMessage, Facetime and Appstore. On both hackintoshes.

Yeah, but that's just the config editor, right? It doesn't have any "special sauce" (as far as I know) or something to make iMessage/Facetime work. :)) And you started with OC only, right? Not transitioned from Clover to OC.

Also...if I'm not mistaken, all of them are based on the same thing: macserial, which is now part of OC. So...the generation process should be identical between OCAT, OCC and GenSMBIOS, cause they're internally using the same thing. I've also tried both OCC and GenSMBIOS, with no success. I doubt using OCAT specifically will make a difference. But....who knows...?

[XanthraX]

It is a database for OCAT to start with. Unzip config_templates.zip, and chose your model. Also check this button  (upgrade opencore and kexts) to get the last version of opencore. It makes you all EFI folder. Then you need to add your specific kexts and bootargs (depend of sound, ethernet, videocard etc.) and make your very specific features. Go in PI (in the left panel) and chose your Mac model. Import SMBIOS from Clover or make your own, based on the Mac model, then generate your serials. I never failed with this. I attach the config_templates for who still likes to work with OCAT. 

Config_Templates.zip

Edited April 17 by XanthraX

[LockDown]

24 minutes ago, arsradu said:

For the OpenCore builds, did you start with OpenCore directly or first used Clover, and then switched to OpenCore?

it didn't matter which bootloader i started with

Btw, your rom is generated too?

Edited April 17 by LockDown

[arsradu]

7 minutes ago, XanthraX said:

It is a database for OCAT to start with. Unzip config_templates.zip, and chose your model. Also check this button  (upgrade opencore and kexts) to get the last version of opencore. It makes you all EFI folder. Then you need to add your specific kexts and bootargs (depend of sound, ethernet, videocard etc.) and make your very specific features. Go in PI (in the left panel) and chose your Mac model. Import SMBIOS from Clover or make your own, based on the Mac model, then generate your serials. I never failed with this. I attach the config_templates for who still likes to work with OCAT. 

Config_Templates.zip 187.8 kB · 0 downloads

Many thanks for this!  

 

Last time I used OCAT I was like: "why is it still on OC 0.8.8 or something? Is it safe to use with newer OC? Will it mess up the config if it doesn't support all the features of newer versions?" So I kinda dismissed it and only used it as an alternative, and only for config editing. But reading more into this (thanks to your comment above) I understood how it's actually supposed to work.

 

So, once again, thank you!