Sims 3 "Connecting" & Downloads Tab Error

I forgot to include I have a Mac. I thought I read somewhere that it might have to do with system updates?

goofygirl02​  The issue with launcher downloads is this:

Launcher crashes when I open the downloads tab in Sims 3 | EA Forums - 12167613

And there's no fix for it other than reverting to an older version of macOS.

For the connection issue, please open Keychain Access, in Applications > Utilities, search for sims3 , and delete any entries you find.  This should reset the infinite connecting.  It doesn't mean you'll be able to connect going forward though.

I did delete the sims 3 in Keychain Access and it did stop the infinite connecting when opening my game, but when I log in again, it just pops up again. I also tried logging in via the launcher (i even deleted the special characters and changed my password) but it just says "null" when I try and log in there. Not sure what the deal is, this only started recently after the downloads thing. I can log in just fine on the sims 3 website, but logging in on the game just hasn't been working for some reason. I can play fine without logging in on the game, I am just not able to download any content into my game.

goofygirl02​  Try deleting the Keychain Access data, all Safari data (cache/cookies/history, and make sure you remember or have access to any passwords saved there), and the file labeled [your email].bin in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3 > Downloads, all at the same time.  This file may not exist since you removed the old Downloads folder and haven't been able to sign in since, but please check anyway.

If this doesn't help, try playing in a new admin account on your Mac.  Don't link it to your Apple ID—you can skip that step—and repair the game in the EA App before you launch it.  The idea is that if there are hidden files getting in the way of your login, they may be local to the main account, and this is a good test.

Thank you so much for your suggestions. After trying everything, the "connecting" loop vanished, but the "error" I now get is a popup that says my email and password are invalid when I know FOR SURE that they are correct! I tried logging in after all of these and now I just get that pop up. :/

Hi there goofygirl02​ 

This sounds like the live support team will need to check over your account and be sure everything looks correct there- here on the forums we aren't able to access your account details to take a look.

Please submit a help request here so live support can look into this further. 

I just now tried logging in and it finally logged me in somehow!

For downloading CC, is there any way to do this without using the launcher since it crashes? I see you can convert .sims3packs to .packages, but is there a way to do that on Mac? Or is there another go around? Thanks!

goofygirl02​  The standard way of converting .Sims3Packs to .package files doesn't work in macOS, and it also doesn't work on Store content, which is encrypted.  But maybe you're now able to download content from the Downloads Dashboard at the Main Menu, so please try that.

For custom content, many creators upload .package versions of their files too.

I was able to download content from the downloads dashboard, thank you! I just realized all my cc cannot be downloaded through there though unfortunately... 

goofygirl02​  That's to be expected, but at least your Store content works, and some cc comes in .package form as well as .Sims3Pack.  You can also convert it to .package form yourself on a Windows PC if you have at least temporary access to one.  Since cc isn't encrypted, it can be moved between computers, including between a Mac and a Windows PC, without breaking it.