How do you combine iMessage sent to phone number and email?

This is possible and you can also send and receive iMessages to your MacBook from one phone number without having to use any email address whatsoever. This also means you will have one chat thread with all of your messages not two.

Anyone will tell you that I am a hardcore Apple Fan, however, sometimes they lack in the instructions area. For a while now I have had a problem with iMessages being sent from my MacBook. I could send an iMessage from my phone with no problem and my friend would receive it from my phone number however, the problem would arise when I would send a iMessage from my MacBook to to the same friend and a new thread would be created, so in essence she would have two different messages for me, one from my phone number and one from my email. After numerous attempts of contacting Apple Customer Service with no avail, I eventually figured it out on my own. I did aggrate some friends because I had to send messages relentlessly. In the end I found a solution and here are the instructions.

You’re going to go into iMessage on your computer, go to messages in the top left, click on preferences and then click on accounts. Look under “you can be reached for messages at” you should see your email and or your phone number.

If you do not see your phone number you need to add it to your account at this site. “https://appleid.apple.com/” click on manage your Apple ID and then sign in. After you sign in you will go to another screen and on your left you’ll see a list of choices click on phone numbers. Add your phone number and click save changes. It usually takes a few seconds for your iMessage account to update. Completely quit iMessage in the toolbar and then reopen it and go back into messaging preferences and then accounts.

After that has been done your phone number should now be added to the “you can be reached for messages at” section. Click on your phone number and then uncheck your email address.

Then go into your iPhone settings, messages, then scroll down to send and receive. Uncheck any email, only your phone number should have a checkmark, if your phone number does not have a checkmark... check it. You should receive a pop-up on your iPhone saying so-and-so’s MacBook is now using “insert phone number here” for iMessages.

ideally id like to write a message to that contact and it would go to both their ipad and iphone...

My response was in regard to this. Prior to iOS 6, in order for an iMessage to be received by both an iPad and iPhone required addressing the iMessage to the recipient's registered email address. With iOS 6, you can address an iMessage to a person's cell phone number and if they have an iPad as well, the iMessage will be received by the iPad also.

If someone has your cell phone number and a registered email address, if they address an iMessage to your registered cell phone number, the iMessage will be received by the cell phone number on both your iPhone and iPad. If they address an iMessage to your email address registered and selected on both devices, it will be received by the email address on both devices but in a separate conversation or thread.

I don't believe the change with iOS was to combine a cell phone number with an email address for one conversation or thread on each device. This won't make one thread go away combining it with another.

I tested this today among our iPad 3rd gen., our MacBookAir and our iPhone 5. Each of the devices can have multiple email addresses and also a phone number that will allow any messages to be received by the device. If someone sends me an iMessage, it will indeed arrive at my iPhone and my MBA (for example) because both devices currently have the same email address and phone number in the settings for iMessage.

So the issue of multiple threads for the same contact is just an iOS/Apple issue then? Ideally, messages should be sent and received by contact, not by device. So if my sister messages me from her iPad, it should appear in the same iMessage thread as from her iPhone. But that's not the case. I really can't believe there isn't a solution for this.

It isn't going to combine existing threads that are already created. Why is she addressing/sending an iMessage to your cell phone number in one instance and to a registered email address in another?

Prior to iOS 6 there was no way to address an iMessage to a cell phone number to be received by an iPad or Mac. For someone like me with an iPhone, iPad, and Mac accessing iMessage, I was using my registered email address with all 3 to send and receive so I could have the same thread on each. With iOS 6, I can send and receive with my cell phone number on my iPad and Mac but it won't combine an existing thread that was exchanged with my registered email address.

If you want all iMessages exchanged with you cell phone number, remove the email address or addresses available under you can be reached for iMessage At.

I don't even know. I am so confused. So if I change my messages settings on my iPhone to send and receive from only my phone number, when I go to message her on my Mac it will send in a different thread?

I'm just trying to make it so that no matter which device I iMessage somebody from, it pops up in one, unified thread.

Yep, that's exactly how I did it. I just don't understand the point of using your e-mail in the first place then. Does it add any benefits whatsoever? I guess somebody without an iPhone would be able to iMessage somebody with one.

Thanks so much for this advice. I am going to try it out. To my knowledge iMessage to email is a legacy feature no longer needed since iOS 6. I have had this problem since my daughter got an iPad and now the same issue since my wife and I upgraded to iOS 6 on our iPhones. We don't have iPads. The problem has therefore gotten worse / more prevalent in iOS 6 because of the added functionality of adding iMessage to / from phone numbers. If I am in 3G or on wifi it will use my email to send iMessage and if I am in 2g only eg on the train it will use my phone number. Hence the issue is more frequent. Now they added phone number in iOS 6 apple should have removed the email addressing functionality and made everyone switch to phone or applied a bit of intelligent design and unified the thread. I mean who cares which address or phone was used. Apple really surprise me sometimes.

Email is needed for exchanging iMessages for those without an iPhone. You could send and receive iMessages with the cell phone number on an iPhone prior to iOS 6, but if you had an iPad and/or Mac wanting to keep iMessages synced on all devices and the computer, you needed to use an email address registered with iMessage with all.

What is the purpose or what do you think you are gaining by sending an iMessage with the email address when connected via wi-fi or 3G and sending an iMessage with your cell phone number when connected via EDGE or 2G?

iMessage is similar to exchanging email. It makes no difference sending an iMessage with your cell phone number vs the email address regardless your internet connection at the time. The same data is required with an iMessage regardless if the email address or cell phone number is used to send an iMessage.

I've never sent iMessage to people without iPhone (to my knowledge). All my mates that have android etc just show as green message boxes so I think they are just text messages which is fine on my plan as I have plenty. So I only have blue message boxes (iMessage) with other iPhone users.

I assumed sending iMessage via email used Packet Data rather than SMS which uses the control channel of the network. Hence why previously it always said unable to send if you didn't have a packet data connection and gave the option to send as text.

I've never sent iMessage to people without iPhone (to my knowledge).

You haven't done so which is impossible. iMessage can be exchanged with Apple iOS devices running iOS 5.0 or later or with a Mac running an OS X version that supports iMessage only.

I assumed sending iMessage via email used Packet Data rather than SMS which uses the control channel of the network.

An iMessage can be addressed to an email address that is registered with iMessage on an iOS device or Mac, and/or to a recipient's cell phone number with an iPhone with iMessage enabled, but either way uses data no different from exchange email. If your iPhone is connected to an available wi-fi network when exchanging iMessages, the iMessage data received and sent on your iPhone is exchanged via the wi-fi network. If your iPhone is connected to the cellular network when exchanging iMessages, the iMessage data on your iPhone is exchanged via your carrier's cellular network. It doesn't matter if a received iMessage is addressed to your registered iMessage email address or to your iPhone's registered cell phone number with iMessage, and the same when sending an iMessage addressed to an iPhone recipient's cell phone number or registered email address. The data is the same regardless.

You said this.

If I am in 3G or on wifi it will use my email to send iMessage and if I am in 2g only eg on the train it will use my phone number.

In regards to iMessage, it makes no difference whatsoever. If you don't have internet access with your iPhone via an available wi-fi network or your carrier's cellular network, you can't send or receive iMessages. If you don't have internet access via an available wi-fi network or your carrier's cellular network with Cellular Data turned on and due to not having cellular reception, you won't be able to send an iMessage or a text.

I have the same exact problem. No matter what I do.

I need the conversations of:

1. All SMSs to and from contact e.g. John Smith on his mobile number(s)

2. All iMessages to and from contact John Smith on his mobile number(s)

3. All iMessages to and from contact John Smith on his email address(es)...

...TO BE MERGED IN THE SAME THREAD!

SMS Messages and iMessages should be grouped BY CONTACT; NOT ungrouped to as many threads as mobile numbers and/or email addresses the contact has! Otherwise continuity of the conversation is completely lost!

Ideally iOS should go back to my message archive and combine the previous SMS messages and iMessages into one thread, sorted by their timestamp.

And ideally iOS should be able to merge more such conversations, from the moment that a new number or email address is added to the contact!

“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” - Steve Jobs

So do it Apple!

Not possible - not at the present time. This is based on how the sender addresses the iMessage.

This will be addressed with iOS 6 to be released this fall.

It doesn't seem like iOS 6 solved this issue. Has anyone found a fix? Multiple threads for the same contact is really bugging me.

- reposting elsewhere in the thread...