Separate text thread for multiple numbers on one contact

After reading through some discussion threads, it seems like others have had the problem of having multiple phone numbers being linked to one text thread from one contact. For example: if I have a married couple, each with their own phone number on a text thread it is impossible to decipher who is sending the text message unless you dig down into their contact info to see who the recent phone number was. definitely don’t want to separate my thousands of contacts into individuals. Is there a way to fix this or an app that can fix this problem?

iPhone 14 Pro Max

Posted on Dec 15, 2022 07:27 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 18, 2022 07:50 AM

Hello RE-Ace,


That's a great question! If the contacts are stored on the same contact card, the message thread will show the same contact information regardless of which phone number it is received from. To resolve this, you will need to separate them into individual cards.


There is a feature to link contact cards to allow you to keep the relationships linked. For example, if you have a married couple you will create two separate contacts. To link them, either when creating the contact or after it's created you'll choose to edit, add the field "add related name", if it isn't there already. This will allow you to choose labels such as "mother, father, spouse" and choose the contact it relates to. A bit more information on contacts can be found in the iPhone User Guide here: Edit contacts on iPhone - Apple Support


Thanks for using Apple Support Communities. Take care!

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 18, 2022 07:50 AM in response to RE-Ace

Hello RE-Ace,


That's a great question! If the contacts are stored on the same contact card, the message thread will show the same contact information regardless of which phone number it is received from. To resolve this, you will need to separate them into individual cards.


There is a feature to link contact cards to allow you to keep the relationships linked. For example, if you have a married couple you will create two separate contacts. To link them, either when creating the contact or after it's created you'll choose to edit, add the field "add related name", if it isn't there already. This will allow you to choose labels such as "mother, father, spouse" and choose the contact it relates to. A bit more information on contacts can be found in the iPhone User Guide here: Edit contacts on iPhone - Apple Support


Thanks for using Apple Support Communities. Take care!

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Separate text thread for multiple numbers on one contact

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