Messages on Macbook can't sign in
I just created a new Apple ID about a month ago. I have a macbook air that is about 4 years old. I had been using an Apple ID on the macbook and really had no important information linked to it so I decided I would log in to the new Apple ID I created. I was able to link my Apple ID just fine for most of the services but when trying to sign in to messages or facetime, it gives me an error and says it couldn't sign me in.
Specifically it says "Could not sign in to messenger. An error occurred during activation. Try again."
The error is identical on messenger and facetime.
Roughly a hundred tries later, no success.
I've tried many things to resolve this, most of which I got from this website.
I've attempted every suggestion there and none have worked. This included a software update from El Capitan to Catalina. I've also ensured the settings on my phone for iMessage are what they need to be.
My next step is to actually contact apple support. I honestly haven't done so because I don't have much time to get it done during the day lately. If anyone has any advice or possible solutions to this I would GREATLY appreciate it. I would love to be able to respond to messages without having to look down from my computer.
Thanks
MacBook Air 13", macOS 10.15