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

So basically, you are saying that you consciously have chosen to ignore the way Apple designed iCloud to work and how Apple advised on how to use it. Years ago your approach worked because Apple IDs did nothing more than manage purchases and downloads, so you got away with ignoring Apple's design and advice. But as Apple added features to iCloud the concept of "one person, one iCloud ID", when violated, caused more and more problems. Apple realized that this could happen, so they created Family Sharing, which provides all of the benefits of shared Apple IDs with none of the downsides. But it's just going to get worse. Apple is not going to provide support for users who don't use their products and software the way it is designed to be used. You can choose to ignore Apple's design intent, but you do it at your own peril.

I noticed this started once I got the new iPhone last week. Only occurs on my new iPhone and only with the members on my Apple ID. After you text 5-6 times, it combines the messages into someone else in the family and does it with everyone logged into that Apple ID. Very odd. I too find the temporary fix is to delete the conversation. But after a few texts, it starts to combine them again. Doesn’t do this with anyone else not on my Apple ID. I have reported this to Apple as well.

Because the devices have not yet been set up properly.

For each person with a new iCloud account, follow the procedure here, then have them set them up from scratch using their own account.

What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

KiltedTim wrote:

Because the devices have not yet been set up properly.

For each person with a new iCloud account, follow the procedure here, then have them set them up from scratch using their own account.

What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

That's ridiculous! My family members have tons of information that they can't lose! Apple must fix this or to Android it is!

GoDawgs1994 wrote:

I have a question for the people that suggest everyone has their own apple id. I am fine with this if it works but then as a family we can't use Find My iPhone. For Find My iPhone to work everyone needs to be on the same account. As a parent I like being able to see where my family is. If Apple says that each person should have a separate apple account why do require all users to be on same apple account to use Find My iPhone?

Not true.

Share your location with your family - Apple Support

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

I have this issue also and it started after the iOS 12 update. I'm using an iPhone 6+.

I have one message thread where I receive messages from both my daughter and my husband.

When I reply it goes to the last person that sent me a message in that thread and not the other person (so not to be confused for a 'group message').

To get a message to the intended recipient, I create a new message with the correct contact. Once the message is sent, it joins up with the combined message thread.

I've tried a full shut down and restart, but it didn't fix it. We are all on the same Apple account (if that means anything), but there are additional devices and people on the account that don't seem affected, yet.

In case Apple is reading this, since the iOS12 update:

• images and video weren't showing up on Facebook and Instagram. A full shut down and restart fixed it.
• since Westpac updated their app, the logo and app plugin doesn't work in iMessages. A full shut down and restart didn't fix it.
• and the above-mentioned issue of one message thread shared between two contacts (not a group message).

Do their contacts share any information in common (e.g. address, home phone number)? If so, try deleting that common data.

Philly_Phan,

I would love you to point out Apple's specific instructions on use of an Apple ID. First of all, I started sharing an Apple ID well before Family Sharing came out. Saying this is a user's issue is asinine. Family Sharing has many drawbacks over just sharing and Apple ID, especially for families with younger users. I have total control over purchases and I can use Find My iPhone for location tracking. It has helped me locate a lost phone in more than one instance. Also, it seems like the issue is more deep than just moving to Family Sharing because people are experiencing the issue with separate Apple ID's, which you refuse to acknowledge. Please stop your criticism of these users, when they had no issues until the update to iOS 12 and Apple's flawed implementation of unified threads.

This is still an issue for a lot of people. I have not used my Apple ID incorrectly and yet my phone is still merging conversations of people who do. This has made iMessage unreliable for me and NOT the people who are keeping this practice.

Responding to certain individuals who cannot see the potential for this to be a problem is causing many posts to be deleted and therefore unhelpful to the people who are experiencing this issue and negating the impact this is having on users to Apple.

Prior to IOS 12, IOS 11 was capable of listing to user's settings on where and how to send and receive iMessages. Why can't Apple let these settings dictate how messages are delivered or at least provide an opt - out of the merge? Why can't my phone ask me if I want to merge these two messages?

Extremely glad I found this thread. I was driving myself crazy. We have this happening on my wife's phone. We are a family with many Apple devices. For individual's phones, we have separate Apple ID's. However, for iMessage on Macs, iPads, and iPods, they are signed in under one Apple ID that then has about 6 aliases/sub accounts (forget the terminology Apple uses) to differentiate each device. In the past, this worked flawlessly and correctly. However, now when any one of the devices messages my wife's phone, it creates the scenario others are describing. The messages all come through in one thread and the displayed contact changes to whichever the last message came from. I spent an hour or two checking that each device only had the check mark by its correct account, all had iCloud syncing for messaging turned off, and all were correctly listed in the contacts. Even after signing out of the Apple ID on all, deleting all contacts and re-adding, the problem still happens. Really hoping there's a fix for this soon as it has completely broken my system. And if this was an intended feature as some have pointed out, there should be a toggle or way to not use it.

It is now January 3rd 2019!! Time to get it together Apple, and I am asking nicely. I have been dealing with this situation since your update of iOS 12 and now it’s iOS 12.1.2 I’m not really sure what’s been changed but this hasn’t, and a lot of people are very unhappy that they cannot use their phones the way they used to and that’s not right. A lot of us have tons of information saved that we absolutely cannot lose and that needs to be considered. I am on a completely different Apple ID than my child and messages between me and his father are going to his account which is completely uncalled for and personal and should never happen to anyone. These kind of problems never happened before. There is nothing but constant problems happening and it’s tiring honestly, but this one is huge for me. I cannot understand either why something like this hasn’t even been resolved yet, and if it isn’t I’ll be happy to move to somewhere else with less headaches. I’m beginning to wonder if Apple reads these.

a lot of people are very unhappy that they cannot use their phones the way they used to and that’s not right.

I am SO UNHAPPY that I can't use my 1980 IBM PC to run Windows 10! Time marches on. Your choice is to accept change and adapt to it or never get a new product.

Apple isn't going to change anything, so base your future plans on that assumption. Ranting to other users in this user-to-user forum accomplishes nothing except to make you look foolish.

I’m beginning to wonder if Apple reads these.

If you had bothered to read any of this thread you would know that Apple does not read these. This is a user-to-user forum. Apple does not participate. To make your views known to Apple-->https://apple.com/feedback. When you use the link it pays to be polite and provide a reasonable argument. Rants probably just go into the bit bucket.

I’ll be happy to move to somewhere else with less headaches

By all means! You should buy whatever product best meets your needs. No one here cares how you spend your money. However, finding something with less headaches will be a challenge. You can find other headaches in other platforms, but not less headaches.

Apple has never supported sub IDs under an Apple ID, so they haven't discontinued anything. That is your invention. Probably 99.9% of all Apple user use the same Apple ID for everything. A few may have used a common Apple ID for the iTunes & App Store to share purchases, but even that became unnecessary after Family Sharing was introduced 5 years ago. But there also was no real harm in continuing it.

Sor of reminds me of the IBM 1401 computer, which users discovered had some assembly language operations that were undocumented, but were useful. When IBM discontinued the 1401 they accommodated programs written for it in an emulator on the 360, but the emulation did not include those undocumented instructions, which broke a lot of stuff. But the programmers had to rewrite their code anyway.

It's my invention? It's been on every Apple device I've used for years, was first suggested by an Apple store employee, and then more recently supported by Apple phone tech support 3 days ago. It currently is in place on the 19 Apple Devices I personally own as well as the 54 employee iPads I provide tech configuration and repair to. I would consider that a supported feature. This isn't some hidden, undocumented script written into an assembly language. I believe it's in part what's become a contributing factor to both miscommunication and a flaw in the current iOS. I was trying to see if I could help intelligently sort out anything about this issue. I thought you seemed like a user who may be able to be helpful, but hearing your made up statistics of "99.9% of all Apple user", condescension, and reference to old IBM technology that has no bearing or help in the current situation I don't think you have any value in the conversation.