Updated about 15 yrs, 9 mths ago (February 20, 2009). Know a better answer? Let me know!

How to fix Windows Live Messenger for Mobile problems

I recently had a problem with my Windows Live Messenger for Windows Mobile account. I spent some time looking around for solutions, and could not find any, so for anyone else who may have experienced a similar problem – here is the email trail of the solution for my particular problem. Kudos to Microsoft for promptly providing support for what is a free product.

1. Initial Email to Microsoft
2. Initial Response from Microsoft
3. Second Email to Microsoft
4. Final Solution from Microsoft

Initial Email to Microsoft

From: Me
To: Microsoft

Windows Live Messenger for Windows Mobile account does not work in Windows Live Messenger for Mobile, as of two days ago. Prior to two days ago, service worked correctly.

Windows Live Mobile client signs in, displays contacts, gets contact information such as display pictures, but no messages can be sent or received. “An error stating Unable to start a conversation with <Contact>. The following message could not be sent: <Message>”

Account works without problems in the desktop version of Windows Live Messenger.

Problem replicated on multiple mobile devices and via multiple networks: HTC Touch Pro, HTC TyTNII, using 3 Mobile Australia, Telstra Australia and Wi-Fi connections. The same devices have no problem when using a different account to sign in.

It would appear that the Windows Live account can function without problem using desktop versions of Windows Live Messenger, but cannot function correctly using mobile versions of Windows Live Messenger, and this does not appear to be linked to any specific device or network.

Initial Response from Microsoft

From: Microsoft
To: Me

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Mobile Support. My name is ... and I understand that you are unable to send or receive messages on your Windows Live Messenger account using Windows Live for Windows Mobile client software on your device. I appreciate the time you have taken to advise us of your experiences and I hope to offer as much assistance as possible.

We have received reports from other customers experiencing similar issues. Based on our investigation, this issue occurs when the Windows Live application in the device is having trouble synchronizing with the Messenger servers.

They were able to resolve this issue by doing the steps below:

A. Change your saved Windows Live Messenger display picture.

Errors appear during synchronization when the server is experiencing difficulty getting your saved Messenger display picture. To avoid this from happening, change your display picture to a default picture. To do this:

1. Sign in to Windows Live Messenger using a computer.
2. Change your display picture to a default picture.
3. Try to sign again on your mobile device.

B. Re-synchronize your account.

You may also need to reset your Windows Live account on your Windows Mobile-powered device by signing out and signing in again.

To sign out, please refer to the instructions below:

1. On your mobile device, tap “Start” and then select “Windows Live.”
2. Tap “Menu” and then “Account Options.”
3. Tap “Switch account.”
4. You will be prompted to confirm account switching as this action will sign you out of Windows Live, preventing you from seeing your e-mail inbox. Tap “Yes” to continue.
5. You shall be redirected to the Terms of Use screen, an indication that you are already signed out of Windows Live.

To sign back in:

1. Tap “Start” and then select “Windows Live.”
2. Tap “Sign in to Windows Live.”
3. Tap “Accept” on the Windows Live Terms of Use screen.
4. Enter your MSN or Hotmail e-mail address and its corresponding password.
5. Tap “Next.”
6. Choose if you wish to have the Live Search bar or Windows Live services on your device’s “Today” screen and tap “Next.”
7. Choose if you wish to sync either Contacts and Messenger contact or e-mail (or both) with your mobile device then tap “Next” to continue.
8. Wait as your mobile device syncs with your Windows Live account. Tap “Done” when sync is complete.
9. Open Windows Live Messenger and check if your online contacts now appear as online.

The steps above should help you fix this “all contacts offline” problem. If the issue persists, we want to continue assisting you until this is resolved. In order to investigate on this further, please reply with the following information:

Please give the exact Web address (URL) or the site that you used to download the Windows Live for Windows Mobile Client software on your device.

Do you have a Windows Mobile 6 or Windows Mobile 5 OS (Operating System) on your phone?

What is the exact version of the Windows Live application on your device?

To get the version, please do the following:

1. On a Windows Mobile device, tap on “Start”, and then select “Windows Live.”
2. Once the Windows Live application opens, tap on the “Menu” (found at the bottom-right side) and the select “About.”

You will be prompted with information similar to this:

Windows Live for Windows Mobile
Version:
10.6.0026.1400
Microsoft

We appreciate your continued support as we strive to provide you with the highest quality service available. Thank you for using Microsoft Mobile.

Second Email to Microsoft

From: Me
To: Microsoft

I have attempted the fixes you said, but this has not changed the problem, unfortunately.

The version of Windows Live Messenger on my phone was provided by my phone company with the phone. However, after this problem occurred, I have upgraded the version. Upgrading the version did not fix the problem. The version currently on the phone is 10.6.0048.1500. The previous version was 10.6.0048.1500. Both versions exhibit the same problem.

I changed the display picture for my account on my desktop, and the changes were seen by other people. I could chat to other people. I signed in on my phone. My phone had the new display picture. I changed the display picture on my phone, and people could see the new display picture. I signed in on my desktop, and my desktop still had the old display picture. Contacts displayed on my phone, and I could send messages to them, but the messages did not arrive and eventually my phone would receive the error “The following message could not be sent”. Also, no messages sent to my phone by other people were received.

So still, I can use my account on desktop Windows Live Messenger without problem, but when I use it from a mobile device, I can sign in, I can view contacts, but any messages I send to those contacts are not delivered, and any messages contacts send to me while I am using a mobile device are not delivered.

Final Solution from Microsoft

From: Microsoft
To: Me

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Mobile Support. My name is ... and I understand that you are unable to send or receive messages on your HTC Touch Pro device. I know how vital it is to resolve this issue.

This issue has been identified by the product team as high-priority and we want to assure you that we are working seriously to have this feature back as soon as possible. Due to the complexity of this issue, we currently project 1 or 2 weeks of testing for our engineers to narrow down the exact server and resolve the issue. 

In the meantime, I have formulated a workaround for this problem. Please follow these steps:

1. Login to Windows Live Hotmail account, and go to “Options” on the top right corner.
2. Under “Customize your contacts”, click “Export contacts.”
   This action will allow you to save WLMContacts.csv file (save it on desktop).
3. After saving the csv file successfully go to Contact list and select all and delete all the contacts.
4. Once all the contacts are deleted log in to Windows Live Messenger for Mobile and syncing the contacts.
5. When synced successfully. Go back to “Options” in Hotmail and under “Customize your contacts” click “Import contacts.”
   This will give you options to import contacts from various sources, selects “Choose the file to import” and select the saved WLMContacts.csv file on the desktop.
6. Once imported successfully, try to sync Windows Live Messenger for Mobile this should go fine.

I would like to sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has brought and we would like to thank you for your patience in the matter.

Updated about 15 yrs, 9 mths ago (February 20, 2009). Know a better answer? Let me know!

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