iMac Pro 2017 iMac Pro FaceTime major issue

[ysuee]

I just went through the process of:
1) Creating a new admin account on the iMP
2) Created a new iCloud account at Apple (new email) along with a different, unused phone number for TFA
3) Logged in to FaceTime, but not iCloud

Still no changes on FT.

 

[powerslave65]

I just went through the process of:
1) Creating a new admin account on the iMP
2) Created a new iCloud account at Apple (new email) along with a different, unused phone number for TFA
3) Logged in to FaceTime, but not iCloud

Still no changes on FT.

One thing I just discovered. I can call my iMac Pro with my wife's phone using cellular only no problem on the the test user account.

However I can not call from my iPhone using cellular only to the iMac Pro and get a picture on the iMac. Only audio.

 

[ysuee]

Thanks @powerslave65

It seems reasonable that the T2 chip and iCloud have something to do with this. I remember a few weeks back an Apple employee got the ‘test’ ID to work.

Personally, I have only been able to get any of the iMPs to behave correctly via one method - that is, by keeping the iMPs and the devices they connect to on the same network. (Eg. same Apple Store network, same Microcenter network, same home network)

This defeats the purpose for the majority usage of FaceTime for me.

I’m amazed not only by this iMac Pro FaceTime issue, but at the plethora of other issues this device is having.

 

[ysuee]

Update. I installed the Skype app and everything works fine (audio, visual). So now it seems to be a pure software issue with FaceTime. I'm not sure why.

Is there anyway to remove and re-install FaceTime?

Any recommendations?

I still have time to take the iMac Pro back, so that's an option too. I'm just happy there's a glimmer of light here.

thanks All.

 

[RyanXM]

Update. I installed the Skype app and everything works fine (audio, visual). So now it seems to be a pure software issue with FaceTime. I'm not sure why.

Is there anyway to remove and re-install FaceTime?

Any recommendations?

I still have time to take the iMac Pro back, so that's an option too. I'm just happy there's a glimmer of light here.

thanks All.

Being that there isn't a standalone installer for FaceTime, outside of the one released for 10.6.8 or 10.7 - can't remember which, you will have to do a complete macOS reinstall over your current installation. If you want, I can walk you through doing a complete erase of the SSD, including wiping the GUID Partition Table.

 

[RyanXM]

https://help.apple.com/configurator/mac/2.6/#/apdebea5be51

Have you attempted that? I wonder if there is some odd corruption in the T2/iBridge Device causing these issues. It think it's worth a shot.

 

[ysuee]

Thanks Ryan. Very interesting. I may try that, although I have restored the iMP probably 5-6 times. I think there is definitely something to the T2 chipset (and maybe iBridge), as all other iMacs without the T2 have worked perfectly for me regarding FaceTime.

 

[dng]

I haven't had T2 FaceTime issues, but volume is awfully low for conversations. End up boosting volume and then forgetting to lower afterwards

 

[ysuee]

So I thought I’d share. I finally gave up the fight and returned the iMP to Microcenter.

• 3 months since I made the initial purchase
• 3 trips to the Apple Store
• 8 hours+ on the phone with Apple Support,
• 3 trips to Microcenter,
• 15-20 reformats
• 5 iMac Pros tested
• And countless hours of my life spent diagnosing, reading, asking for help, fighting with Apple, forum posting, etc

Almost sounds like the 12 days of Christmas....”Five iMac Proooooos”

I finally took the $4K plus refund and called it a day.

Best of luck to everyone who takes the dive into the first iMac Pro.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

So I thought I’d share. I finally gave up the fight and returned the iMP to Microcenter.

• 3 months since I made the initial purchase
• 3 trips to the Apple Store
• 8 hours+ on the phone with Apple Support,
• 3 trips to Microcenter,
• 15-20 reformats
• 5 iMac Pros tested
• And countless hours of my life spent diagnosing, reading, asking for help, fighting with Apple, forum posting, etc

Almost sounds like the 12 days of Christmas....”Five iMac Proooooos”

I finally took the $4K plus refund and called it a day.

Best of luck to everyone who takes the dive into the first iMac Pro.

Oh man, I am sorry to hear about all of the trouble you have gone through! A few weeks ago, I told you that I would check out FT on my new iMac Pro and let you know how it goes. I'm sorry for just now getting back to you. I was on the road for the last two weeks and just got back this morning.

Unfortunately, I am in the same boat as you. When calling someone on FaceTime that is not connected to my home network, I can hear them, but I cannot see them (there is no incoming video feed). The other person can see and hear me just fine. On the other hand, if the person is connected to me home network, then everything works just as it should. These are the same symptoms that you had as well.

Yet another iMac Pro bug. This really bums me out as I often use FaceTime for business calls. I wonder if Apple is going to address this relatively soon, or will it be broke for months and months to come. I really am left wondering because there is an extensive list of iMac Pro bugs and we're 120+ days into the release of the hardware but have not seen much from Apple yet nor do we have any idea of what they are working on/trying to fix...

 

[RyanXM]

Oh man, I am sorry to hear about all of the trouble you have gone through! A few weeks ago, I told you that I would check out FT on my new iMac Pro and let you know how it goes. I'm sorry for just now getting back to you. I was on the road for the last two weeks and just got back this morning.

Unfortunately, I am in the same boat as you. When calling someone on FaceTime that is not connected to my home network, I can hear them, but I cannot see them (there is no incoming video feed). The other person can see and hear me just fine. On the other hand, if the person is connected to me home network, then everything works just as it should. These are the same symptoms that you had as well.

Yet another iMac Pro bug. This really bums me out as I often use FaceTime for business calls. I wonder if Apple is going to address this relatively soon, or will it be broke for months and months to come. I really am left wondering because there is an extensive list of iMac Pro bugs and we're 120+ days into the release of the hardware but have not seen much from Apple yet nor do we have any idea of what they are working on/trying to fix...

I went out and bought an iMac Pro over the weekend.

I didn't open it until yesterday, early evening. I did some exploring in the firmware updates that happen during the updates, from 10.13.2 (17C2120) which is the factory install, all the way up to 10.13.4 (17E202) which was released yesterday as Security Update 2018-001 for High Sierra.

After seeing Bryan's reply, I thought I would FaceTime someone who was outside of my home network....

All went well. Video and audio was clear on both ends. The person whom I called is on Verizon (DFW, TX) and I was on wired ethernet to Suddenlink. All worked well.

I will be producing a thread shortly with my findings in the various updates. I did do the updates one by one and then once I was at 10.13.4, I did a fresh install from a USB drive.

 

[ysuee]

@Bryan Bowler - That's it exactly! Unfortunately you won't be able to enjoy the visual part of a FaceTime call.

@RyanXM - I'm glad everything worked out for you. I wasn't able to get any of my iMPs to boot from USB (I had downloaded 10.13.4 and created a bootable USB flash drive). Every time I tried to force the iMP to boot from USB it just went to Internet Recovery mode and reinstalled from there. Would look forward to reading your 'how to' guide.

thanks guys

 

[Bryan Bowler]

I went out and bought an iMac Pro over the weekend.

I didn't open it until yesterday, early evening. I did some exploring in the firmware updates that happen during the updates, from 10.13.2 (17C2120) which is the factory install, all the way up to 10.13.4 (17E202) which was released yesterday as Security Update 2018-001 for High Sierra.

After seeing Bryan's reply, I thought I would FaceTime someone who was outside of my home network....

All went well. Video and audio was clear on both ends. The person whom I called is on Verizon (DFW, TX) and I was on wired ethernet to Suddenlink. All worked well.

I will be producing a thread shortly with my findings in the various updates. I did do the updates one by one and then once I was at 10.13.4, I did a fresh install from a USB drive.

Wow, thanks for not only the feedback, but the extensive testing you're doing. Much appreciated!

So it sounds like Apple did in fact fix this one. I'm still sitting on 10.13.3 since the 10.13.4 update introduced new bugs. I need to investigate which bugs I can live with and then decide if I want to upgrade...

 

[ysuee]

I did upgrade to 10.13.4 and it still did not fix FaceTime for me...

 

[Bryan Bowler]

I did upgrade to 10.13.4 and it still did not fix FaceTime for me...

If I remember correctly, I think you may have made your final return before the Security Update for 10.13.4 came out. If the Security Update did in fact fix the bug, then you would have not had the opportunity to see it.

I have work deliverables to take care of today on my iMac Pro, but if I finish early enough, I may upgrade all the way through and see if it fixes the problem for me. In the meantime, if anyone else can confirm that the recent Security Update fixes this FT issue, do let us know!

 

[ysuee]

See post #7 (near the bottom of the post). @Mac32 had alerted me to the update and I definitely installed it soon after. In fact, I installed this on the last 2 iMPs I received from Microcenter. Honestly I hope it works for most - but unfortunately it didn't resolve my FT problems. Hopefully there will be an announcement at WWDC where iMacs receive a 1080p camera. I'll probably go with a standard iMac if that occurs since I use FT frequently, and I know the standard iMacs have that piece working. I'll sorely miss the iMP, though. It ran so quiet!

 

[Bryan Bowler]

See post #7 (near the bottom of the post). @Mac32 had alerted me to the update and I definitely installed it soon after. In fact, I installed this on the last 2 iMPs I received from Microcenter. Honestly I hope it works for most - but unfortunately it didn't resolve my FT problems. Hopefully there will be an announcement at WWDC where iMacs receive a 1080p camera. I'll probably go with a standard iMac if that occurs since I use FT frequently, and I know the standard iMacs have that piece working. I'll sorely miss the iMP, though. It ran so quiet!

ysuee,

I'm only mentioning this to eliminate any potential confusion for anyone else reading this, but you are referring to the 10.13.4 update that you installed on April 2. What Ryan and I are referring to is the 10.13.4 Security Update 2018-001 that was released just two days ago. They are two separate updates. And Ryan is indicating that the Security Update released two days ago may have resolved the FT issue. Of course, since Apple never publishes what it is they are fixing with their updates, we're left trying to figure it out ourselves.

I'm bummed by everything you had to go through and I wish you were able to stay on-board with the iMac Pro, but I also know the next regular iMac will likely serve you well!

 

[ysuee]

Thanks for clarification Bryan. My apologies. I misunderstood. Now I'm bummed since the belief is the security update will resolve the FT issues... I 'just' returned it last week. I'm glad I'm not a stock picker.