Many Message threads, same group of people

MESSAGE FEATURE IS ACTUALLY A BUG

===============================

With group messaging, I am learning that if an email address is used by one person and a phone number is used by another to address the SAME PERSON in Messages (even though Apple knows it is the SAME PERSON), then, by design, Messages will consider this a different group and create a separate thread! Wow. Really?!?

That is silly and confusing and unnecessary. The first work-around we tried was to turn iMessage OFF because we are missing each others’ communications as they became scattered in multiple places for this family group of 5 people.

However, Messages has a second feature-bug where it will still create 2 threads for the same group: One with myself included in the address list and one without my address in the group. Really? Why?!?

The only work around we have found is WhatsApp.