Set up iChat
Mac Tip #277/21-Feb-2007
If you followed last week’s Tip, Chat around the World, and signed up for an AOL screen name you’re ready to chat. Every new Mac comes with iChat in the Applications folder.
Start up iChat. If you’ve never used it before a Setup Assistant appears to help you through the set up process. Read the information and click Continue. On the next screen enter your name, choose AIM as the Account Type, enter the screen name you signed up for and the password you chose, then click Continue.
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Unless you know what Jabber is, ignore that screen for now and click Continue.
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Bonjour messaging is useful if you have other computers nearby, as the next screen explains. Make a choice and click Continue.
If you have a modern Mac with an iSight camera above the monitor then the next screen may take you by surprise as you should suddenly see yourself. A green light beside the camera will be lit too.
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A final screen tells you how you can get underway and how to change the settings you’ve just chosen. Click Done to quit the Setup Assistant.
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Two windows appear: the Bonjour window shows computers nearby that have chat available, while the Buddy List shows a list of people whose chat address you have saved on the Instant Messaging server.
To add a new buddy make sure the Buddy List window is active (click on it once, if necessary) then go to the Buddies… menu and choose Add Buddy…. A window into your Mac’s Address Book appears.
If your new buddy is already in your Mac’s Address Book select their name from the Address Book list. Otherwise, click New Person, choose their Account Type, enter their screen name, then click Add. Their screen name is added to your Buddy List. The name is dimmed in your Buddy list if they’re not online, or are online but don’t have their chat software running.
If they come online and start up their Chat software their screen name will appear in black in the Buddy List. Double click their name and you can start chatting.
You can sometimes find me available on iChat as mirazmac@aim.com.
See also: Chat with iChat.
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is jointly authored by Miraz Jordan and Maria Langer.
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Great tip!
I have a question. I set up my jabber account in ichat and was able to import all of my MSN friends. Above my online status, my name appears as I would like it to be. However, when I am typing to friends, they see the yahoo email account name that I used to set up the jabber. I can’t seem to get this email account name to go away so that my friends just see my name when I type to them. I have tried everything! Any suggestions? Thank you!!
my daughter and i have set up iChat but can not get audio or video. Neither of us are wireless and both have the same type modem. We have checked all of the settings sound on etc. but still can not get either of the above. Any suggestions and help would be appreciated.
thanks
Michael: try showing the Buddy List and click on the triangle below your username. Choose Edit Status menu.
You’ll probably find something in there.
Richard, if you have a modem that suggests you’re on dial-up. Video may not work.
Look in iChat preferences under video and see what the Bandwidth limit is set to. Perhaps changing that would help?
Otherwise try the Apple support forums. Start here:
http://www.apple.com/support/ichat/
I have anew Imac with Leopard and am trying to use Ichat. My account is set up and when I open Ichat the top of the window says Bonjour, it shows my name and picture and says “available” like it should. Now, how do I add a Buddy? When I click the Buddy tab at the top of the page all my choices are grayed out so I can’t select them. Any ideas? No matter what I try, I can’t seem to add any Buddies.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Joyce, go to the Window menu and choose to display the AIM Buddy List. Then click the + at the bottom of that window to add a buddy.
When I set up the ichat I accidently skipped the step where I could sign up for an imac name or jabber account. Now I can’t seem to get back to it?
Find out about Jabber and how to sign up here:
http://www.jabber.org/user/quickstart.shtml
Find out about and sign up for .Mac here:
http://www.apple.com/dotmac/
Just started trying iChat. No prob with chat, but cannot connect using audio or video. When either my friend or me accept a call from each other it stops and gives a message (can’t recall what it says right now).
Stephen: note that error message and then try the Apple support forums. Start here:
http://www.apple.com/support/ichat/
Hy!
So I’m trying to add a buddy. When i do, his name will flash three times, then stop. About 3 seconds later, his name disappears completely from my list.
Now we can IM each other fine, so I don’t know what the problem is.
Hi H. Peet. It seems you’re not the only one with this problem. There seem to be answers here:
http://www.google.co.nz/search?q=ichat+add+buddy+flash+disappear
Cheers,
Miraz
Solved! Delete this: “com.apple.iChat.plist”
But now i have a another probelm.
I can delete the appleu3test03 AIM from my buddy list?
When i delete it’s always disappears and after always coming back.
New to ichat. Have version 4.0.5/ Don’t understand how to add buddies. Everything is dimmed in the pull-down menu under “buddies” so I can’t access any of the features. What am I doing wrong??
Doug: are you actually online when you try to add a buddy? I notice that everything in the Buddies menu on my machine is dimmed until iChat has actually completed its online connection. Then Add Buddy becomes available.
Most of the other items on that menu are only available once you select a buddy in the Buddy List.
I have been fidding with ichat for hours and I am finally available online but the buddy menu list is dimmed and i can not add buddies. My boyfriend sees that i am online and had added me and started a chat but i am not getting his messages because i don’t have him added. There is no ‘+’ sign at the bottom of the Aim Buddy list either. I don’t know what i am doing wrong ??
Hi Haley,
see if this thread in the Apple Discussion Forum helps:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2517746