Why is iMessage combining two contacts into one thread. I can only text back the last one that messaged me. This started with iOS 12
Two contacts merged into one thread
Apple has NEVER supported ID sharing.
Question marked as
Possible fix?
Apologies if someone's already pointed this out, but I wanted to pop back into the thread to update on a fix that, for now, seems to be working.
Recap:
1. I have six family phones on my account, each logged in under its own unique Apple ID for quite some time before IOS 12 and the cross-texting issue. The "get your own Apple ID" suggestion was not a solution for me.
2. Only three of the six lines in the family were having an issue.
3. We discovered that, despite the affected three phones displaying a unique Apple ID (Settings>>select Apple ID under the picture on the first screen), when looking at the "Send & Receive" screen in the iMessages app (the screen that allows you to select the phone numbers used by the phone), the three impacted phones were all still displaying the same primary Apple ID (the one on my phone from back in the pre-Family Sharing days when we all shared one Apple ID).
4. The other three non-affected family phones correctly displayed the user's unique Apple ID inside the iMessage app.
5. From the iMessages setting, we logged out the two affected phone and re-logged them in under their correct Apple ID.
6. The problem seems to have resolved itself for now.
So, even if you switch your phones to unique Apple IDs (or already had them set that way before IOS 12), try double-checking:
Settings>>iMessage>>Send & Receive. Make each phone is in fact on its individual Apple ID inside the Messaging app.
Hope this helps.
p.s. When we switched to unique Apple IDs some time ago, none of us individually set the iMessage "Send & Receive" screen. For some reason, two of the six phones didn't switch over (mine never changed as it was the original primary/shared Apple ID).
683 replies
Well this guy is writing about message merging and other iOS 12 and iPhone X issues...
A factory reset is not going to do anything useful until a fix is released for the underlying problems.
Vandy5111 wrote:
***** I too like to share our ID with our kids so we can follow their Texts,
And I'm sure your kids like the fact that they can follow your texts also.
You don't use an email, use the pull-down next to "Helpful" and select "Report Post". The Hosts are quite responsive.
I am having this same issue as well since upgrading to IOS 12. I am using a 6S+. I did report last night to CS and they couldnt fix and are supposed to have a tech call me today. It has not happened to others in my family yet, but I am waiting for it to.
This was happening with messages from my other family members. We are on the same Apple ID and since this started happening i created a new apple ID and changed my phone to start using the new ID. This DID NOT solve my issue.
When others have this happen are they family members texts that are merged together or others. Are those individuals using the same apple ID?
From everything I've read, this is not a bug. This was advertised by Apple as a new feature so that all devices on a particular Apple ID would be synced for messages. If this new feature is not popular, which is what everyone here is saying, you need to post this feedback to Apple's feedback page. Feedback - iPhone - Apple
This is helpful. Please clarify. Are you suggesting that you tried creating separate apple id’s for each family member but ios12 somehow still recognized an association and combined the messages?
Or... are you merely saying that you deleted each affected conversation, created new messages which worked a few times but then found IOs12 combined them again?
Grrrrrrr...
I’m at a loss. I spent hours yesterday and today with apple techs trying to troubleshoot. Despite giving them the benefit of the doubt and patiently tolerating their iMessage 101 lessons, they confidently told me the solution was multiple apple id’s. It appears this is not so. You have saved me a trendies amount of time and, I believe, heartache. For that I say thanks!
After the battery fiasco, this problem has me wanting to dump IOS devices altogether.
So question:
What is the most appropriate and productive channel for raising this issue with apple?
How can we standardize the reporting of our issue so that apple can more easily / quickly aggregate the incident reports? (Ie see them as the same problem, determine customers affected and hopefully raise severity level)
Sorry for the confusion, they both still have same Apple ID and have always had separate phone #s. On their devices they are only using #s for iMessage, the Apple ID is not checked. I just deleted their info in my contacts and readed them. Problem still persists.
They aren't sharing an apple id... they used to be, but I gave them all new apple id's and just didn't format their devices. Yet it still is combining them, even after they were separate on my phone for a couple days. All of a sudden, with new separate apple id's they have combined the messages.
Sorry to reply to this particular message but I couldn’t easily or quickly find a way to just generally add my feedback.
Here is the way it is happening on my family’s phones:
Phone 1 = iPhone 7, ios 12.0
Phone 2 = iPhone 7, ios 12.0
Phone 3 = iPhone 6s+, ios 11.2.6
All are on same Apple ID account.
Messages from phone 1 and phone 3 are combined in one thread to phone 2. Phone 2 does not combine with either of the other two. At least not yet. It combines whether iMessage is turned on or off (restarted with it turned off and it combined before it was turned back on). I believe it also impacts the Airdrop feature. I have tried most, if not all, of the possible or suggested fixes mentioned above (restart, delete threads, etc.). We have a group text between the three phones in which they all show up as a work-around for the moment. I understand if the problem is that Apple wants me to create more Apple IDs, but I do not want to do that. If, in the near future, there is not an option to turn this feature off, I will find a different way to communicate between the phones. Even if that means switching brands of phone. If the product is superior to the competition, there should be no need to try to prevent me from using a competitors product.
I think I included all the pertinent info. I just wanted to put it here so people can compare it to what else is going on and stuff like that. 😁
Thanks for the suggestion but people have said this does not solve the problem. Frankly, I don’t care to delete years worth of text threads either.
The so called solution of using separate apple id’s is simply not acceptable.
Busby.p: Can you please share with us the link or text where apple has acknowledged this is a bug? I was under the impression they are still arguing that this is the user’s fault/error. Thanks in advance!!!!
tinker6700 wrote:
Sorry to reply to this particular message but I couldn’t easily or quickly find a way to just generally add my feedback.
Here is the way it is happening on my family’s phones:
Phone 1 = iPhone 7, ios 12.0
Phone 2 = iPhone 7, ios 12.0
Phone 3 = iPhone 6s+, ios 11.2.6
All are on same Apple ID account.
Don't. Do. That.
I'm done. You people don't want to hear the answer. it doesn't matter how many times you're told, you refuse to accept reality.
Best of luck.
Why is iMessage combining two contacts into one thread. I can only text back the last one that messaged me. This started with iOS 12