iChat lets you chat with folks thousands of miles away in a full-screen personal video conference over any broadband connection. Thanks to the advanced graphics built into Mac OS X, they'll truly look like themselves, instead of strangers made of children's building blocks. And if you use a wide aspect ratio screen, iChat AV uses patented anamorphic resizing techniques so that the video of the person you're chatting with fills the entire screen without distortion. iChat AV also lets you size your video window to whatever size suits your style - from the large default of 352 x 288
What's New
Version 6.0.1:
This version of iChat is part of Mac OS X 10.7 and can be updated via Software Update.
i never used ichat until this last lion version. as far as i can tell, msn support through jabber depends a lot on the msn gateway you're using. right now, i'm using "msn.jabber.belnet.be" and it displays msn avatars and file transfers do work. video/audio chat are the only understandable limitations.
there are plenty of protocol-through-jabber tutorials out there so i'm just gonna add that instead of installing psi to register gateways, you can do it through the jabber web client jappix.com.
contact managing (add, remove, rename, authorize) is easier if done on jappix, with ichat closed but if you're adding contacts through ichat, don't forget they must follow the following format: name%service.com@msn.jabber.belnet.be.
correction: actually, managing contacts is easier on ichat (jappix doesn't allow drag and drop, for example) but if you're noticing contacts coming back after you remove them or contacts not showing up, doing it through jappix is definitely more stable, just because it's a native jabber client.
Go a notice today in my email that iChat had been upgraded to version 6.0.1. Does'nt show up on your lists or on Mac Update. Did the pull it or was this a mistake?
Has always been the red headed step child of a one trick pony product.
Only connects to other MS users. Has marginal interface. Does not support the functions built into iChat (iChat Theater, compatibility with open standards Jabber system, ability to connect to GoogleTalk).
This product needs to be deprecated on both Windows and Mac. It is not Microsoft's area of expertise to have it's own IM system and servers.
Go Standards! http://www.jabber.com (still unsettling that Cisco bought Jabber Inc…)
iChat is the best only if you live in the USA where everybody has AIM, out of the States, in Europe and the rest of the American Continent, the most popular IM server in the world is MSN. You can get iChat to work with MSN, but it's simply pointless coz it's good for NADA. No file transfers, no audio/video conference, you can't even see the display picture of your contacts. Definitely not good at all if you have ppl from all over the world in your IM program.
MS's stuff is proprietary. AIM has a corporate license program so organizations can either have their own AIM server at AOL or have an AIM server behind their firewall.
Jabber is the open standard IM system (Google, US Government, many organizations). iChat supports Jabber in spades… is almost all I use now.
Moving to open standards Jabber (and easily to Google) is simple. Most people have GMail or a Google account. Simply get yourself in there as a leader and people will follow.
PIRX I understand what you mean, but it isn't apple's fault. Microsoft and Apple have been in some "software war" for quite some time. Microsoft really doesn't want iChat to have Msn support. This is the same reason why XBOX can't play iTunes purchases.
I think different. These good ratings are not justified, as I completely fail in understanding the near total lack of audio/video support for major networks.
If it ain't AIM, it ain't working on iChat. This is not acceptable. If AIM is the answer, then it must have been a silly question.
Mac users can rightfully can expect a working audio/video iChat supporting mainstream networks on OS X.
You might want to run iChat through Koingo's Amnesia uninstaller. Let it clean out all the associated files, but tell it not to actually delete the iChat app itself. Then set it back up again.
Or, you might have a Firewall or filter (LittleSnitch) set up that is blocking connections to oscar.aol.com ...
I love iChat, I couldn't live without it. I would like to see a better way to export logs (so I could give them to PC users too) though. For the most part it's pretty stable and it has a gorgeous interface!
[Version 4.0.5]
There are currently no troubleshooting comments. If you are experiencing a problem with this app, please post a comment.
Please login or create a new MacUpdate Member account to use this feature
Watch Lists are available to MacUpdate Desktop Members Upgrade Now
Download and auto-install
using MacUpdate Desktop. Save
time moving folders and cleaning-up.
iChat lets you chat with folks thousands of miles away in a full-screen personal video conference over any broadband connection. Thanks to the advanced graphics built into Mac OS X, they'll truly look like themselves, instead of strangers made of children's building blocks. And if you use a wide aspect ratio screen, iChat AV uses patented anamorphic resizing techniques so that the video of the person you're chatting with fills the entire screen without distortion. iChat AV also lets you size your video window to whatever size suits your style - from the large default of 352 x 288 pixels to full screen. In fact, iChat AV is so advanced, you can even resize a window during the middle of a conference, as it effortlessly adjusts images on the fly without affecting video and audio quality.
+79
there are plenty of protocol-through-jabber tutorials out there so i'm just gonna add that instead of installing psi to register gateways, you can do it through the jabber web client jappix.com.
contact managing (add, remove, rename, authorize) is easier if done on jappix, with ichat closed but if you're adding contacts through ichat, don't forget they must follow the following format: name%service.com@msn.jabber.belnet.be.
+79
-117
-1
-1
Ladyland reviewed on 09 Jan 2012
-3
-1267
-3
+70
Cerniuk reviewed on 28 Feb 2011
Only connects to other MS users. Has marginal interface. Does not support the functions built into iChat (iChat Theater, compatibility with open standards Jabber system, ability to connect to GoogleTalk).
This product needs to be deprecated on both Windows and Mac. It is not Microsoft's area of expertise to have it's own IM system and servers.
Go Standards! http://www.jabber.com (still unsettling that Cisco bought Jabber Inc…)
+3
+70
+2
+2
UlisesMontreal reviewed on 08 Feb 2011
+1
+70
Jabber is the open standard IM system (Google, US Government, many organizations). iChat supports Jabber in spades… is almost all I use now.
Moving to open standards Jabber (and easily to Google) is simple. Most people have GMail or a Google account. Simply get yourself in there as a leader and people will follow.
+1
+33
+2
+52
Pirx reviewed on 24 Nov 2009
If it ain't AIM, it ain't working on iChat. This is not acceptable. If AIM is the answer, then it must have been a silly question.
Mac users can rightfully can expect a working audio/video iChat supporting mainstream networks on OS X.
+28
ClauClau reviewed on 05 May 2009
10.4: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.4.1: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.4.2: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.4.3: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.4.4: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.4.5: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.4.6: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.4.7: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.4.8: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.4.9: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.4.10: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.4.11: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.5: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.5.1: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.5.2: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.5.3: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.5.4: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.5.5: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.5.6: iChat error -7, -8, -20
10.5.7: ????
+2
+915
You might want to run iChat through Koingo's Amnesia uninstaller. Let it clean out all the associated files, but tell it not to actually delete the iChat app itself. Then set it back up again.
Or, you might have a Firewall or filter (LittleSnitch) set up that is blocking connections to oscar.aol.com ...
+15
JrWho reviewed on 13 Feb 2009
-6
TripHHH rated on 05 Feb 2012
+13
Quiiick rated on 13 Jan 2012
+5
Macsimm rated on 13 Dec 2011
-2
Rickysubero rated on 06 Jul 2011
+3
Lookky rated on 28 May 2011
+2
Rosita Steenbeek rated on 24 Mar 2011
+15
Jack75 rated on 25 Feb 2011
Piterson Ferdinand rated on 02 Dec 2010