Can't See Text in Pidgin

In addition to chat services, Pidgin utilizes webcam support.

The multi-platform chat client Pidgin can simplify the management of your online contacts by merging all of your instant message, email and social networking contacts into one program, but it is not without bugs. Not being able to see the text in your conversations can occur from errors in coding, updates from the client-side that are not yet accounted for in Pidgin or your personal settings.

Upgrade Pidgin

Pidgin releases new versions and update patches periodically to correct problems as they occur and to meet the demands of the different venues that the program connects to. Bugs causing the text of your conversation to disappear or appear as unreadable may be corrected by updating to the newest program release. As of this publication, Pidgin 2.10.1 is the most current form of this program and may be downloaded at Pidgin.im.

Plugins

Pidgin is an open-source chat client that allows developers to create customized updates and add-ons for the program. Some plugins, like the transparency plugin, can alter how your text appears in your chat window. A known bug with the transparency plugin has caused text to shift from being transparent to completely invisible while in use. Disable or uninstall any plugins running with Pidgin to solve this problem.

Client-Based Problems

Known bugs have been reported when connecting to contacts on AOL Instant Messenger and iChat that cause the text of your conversation to appear black or grey, making it unreadable when using Pidgin. Try connecting to the proprietary program used for your chat client to determine if this is a problem with Pidgin, or an error that a specific chat service is experiencing.

Personal Settings

Pidgin allows you to alter the color of your chat's text and the background color. This feature is available in a number of other chat programs as well. If your personal settings display your background and contacts as a lime green color, you may not be able to read the conversation. By resetting the colors of your background and text to the default setting, you may be able to read text that was unreadable due to your color choices.

References

• Pidgin: IM All Your Friends in One Place
• Pidgin: Text Spontaneously Disappears When in IM and Using Transparency Plugin
• Pidgin: When Talking to People on iChat Their Text Goes Black
• Pidgin: Pidgin Crashes when Connecting to iChat User with XMPP
• Pidgin: Text Color Should Change with Background