iMessage combines 2 phone numbers

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troy113 Author

Level 1

5 points

iMessage combines 2 phone numbers

My family is using 3 iPhones under the same Apple ID. It has been this way for years. All running iOS 12.

I have never seen this problem. I am truly baffled.

I text my daughter, she texts back, we exchange a few texts

.....a little while later, I text my wife, she texts back, we exchange a few tests.

.....a little while later, my daughter texts me but it's in my wife's text thread. My daughters' text thread is gone!

I text my wife and it shows up in that thread with her picture now at the top of the app.

Basically, 3 people texting, 2 text threads is combined to one thread. It's like my wife and daughter suddenly have the same number.

I checked the "Send & Receive" option in message settings and each person has their respective phone number checked with no other phone number is checked.

Any help would be appreciated.

iPhone 8, iOS 12

Posted on Oct 3, 2018 6:14 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

ckuan

Level 10

120,776 points

Oct 3, 2018 6:19 PM in response to troy113

The issue you have comes from sharing Apple ID.

Apple ID is never meant to be shared.

FAQ on Apple ID

How many Apple IDs do I need?

Just one. Use the same Apple ID everywhere you sign in to ensure that all your Apple services and devices work together seamlessly and you can access your personal content from all your devices.

Can I share an Apple ID with someone else?

Your Apple ID should not be shared with anyone else. It provides access to personal information including contacts, photos, device backups, and more. Sharing your Apple ID with someone else means you are giving them access to all your personal content and may lead to confusion over who actually owns the account. To share iTunes & App Store purchases, photos, a calendar, and more with someone else, try Family Sharing, iCloud Photo Sharing, or other easy-to-use sharing features.

Post back when you are ready to change.

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Answer 2

ckuan

Level 10

120,776 points

Oct 3, 2018 6:36 PM in response to troy113

Apple ID was never meant to be shared since day one.

Maybe iOS security is tightening and closing loopholes.

You create more problems with sharing Apple ID than it's worth, see below for sharing without sharing Apple ID.

To share iTunes & App Store purchases, photos, a calendar, and more with someone else, try Family Sharing, iCloud Photo Sharing, or other easy-to-use sharing features.

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Answer 3

Oct 3, 2018 6:48 PM in response to troy113

Hi Troy,

It did change with IOS 12. While many people have shared Apple ID for years with no problems, Apple now combines telephone numbers that are logged into the same Apple ID on the backend. This effectively no longer lets people get by with sharing an Apple ID since it creates havoc on their phones.

It's not difficult to create Apple ID's for everyone and manage all of the things you used to with Family Sharing.

Hope this helps you as it was extremely frustrating for me as well.

Have a great night.

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