One thread from one contact in iMessages?

[thuchu1]

To set up the situation, my friend in china has an iPad and an iPhone, while I have the same devices. When I message him from my phone, it goes to one thread on his phone from my phone number. When I send him a message from my iPad it goes to another thread from my email address. Messages to my phone number only go to my iPad, and same to his.

Is there a way to make these conversations flow between all devices and only show up in one thread short of only using the email address? I like the send as SMS feature.

I understand not getting phone number messages on the iPad (although being able to enter a forwarding email address would be nice), but is it possible for messages from both email and phone numbers from the same contact show up in one thread?

 

[hwojtek]

I tried just that and it doesn't work. Even though the OS X new messages.app correctly recognizes the person (my address book contains both the proper phone number and @me.com email address) and shows the proper photo, it doesn't glue the threads together, just as the messaging app of the iPhone and iPad doesn't either.

 

[TLewis]

Is there a way to make these conversations flow between all devices and only show up in one thread short of only using the email address? I like the send as SMS feature.

No, not in the way you want. See the third and fourth items under, "issues", in:

http://guides.macrumors.com/iMessage
​

 

[Arelunde]

Not positive on this, but I think you would have to set both devices to use email - the same email for both devices on the sender's side and both devices on the receiving side.

To explain: You would receive iMessages from your friend on your iPad and iPhone via your email (me.com account, I believe??, but maybe others). Your friend would receive iMessages from your devices on his email.

Perhaps if ALL devices were on 3G connections, that would also work.

 

[TLewis]

Not positive on this, but I think you would have to set both devices to use email - the same email for both devices on the sender's side and both devices on the receiving side.

It's a bit more complicated than that: not only do you need to configure all of your iOS devices to accept iMessages from the same email address, but the sender has to send his message to that email address. If they send iMessages to your iPhone's number, the message will go only to your iPhone.

In other words: it's the sender (not you) that ultimately controls to which of your devices the iMessages go.

 

[thuchu1]

i guess we will wait and see then.

this turns iMessages just a bit into what I hated about bbm, where I have conversations in two places with one person. Thanks for the info.

 

[mattkowalski]

I've also thought along the same lines. I'd rather have a single thread per contact, after they've got themselves a new phone number.

Although - imagine you open the thread, type a message, and press send. Which number would it go to? You'd probably need the ability to set up a default number per contact...

 

[Arelunde]

It's a bit more complicated than that: not only do you need to configure all of your iOS devices to accept iMessages from the same email address, but the sender has to send his message to that email address. If they send iMessages to your iPhone's number, the message will go only to your iPhone.

In other words: it's the sender (not you) that ultimately controls to which of your devices the iMessages go.

So ... it would seem using the phone number is NOT advisable. Rather, email addresses ensure all devices receive ... ?? Seems logical, but not obvious.

 

[SAD*FACED*CLOWN]

You both need to change your iMessage call id to the email address and not the phone numbers...this will eliminate the send as SMS option though

 

[Zcott]

You both need to change your iMessage call id to the email address and not the phone numbers...this will eliminate the send as SMS option though

This is the best option. Caller ID of an email address is seamless throughout all devices.