Modern Messenger View: Group conversations by contact with WhatsApp-style history

[Oneal85]

Description: I would like to propose a new view option for messaging and email handling: a modern, contact-based conversation view similar to instant messengers like WhatsApp or Signal.

Current Problem: The current Thunderbird conversation view and tree structure can be very confusing when communicating back and forth with the same person. If the subject line changes during an ongoing discussion, thread grouping often breaks. This splits conversations with the same person into different threads and makes it difficult to follow the full history.

How it should work:

Contact-Based Grouping: Instead of displaying single email threads, subject-based trees, or folder lists, all messages are grouped directly by contact.

Dynamic Sorting: The contact list automatically updates so that the contact with the most recent activity (incoming or outgoing message) is always placed at the very top.

Chat History Layout: Clicking on a contact opens a unified message history showing all exchanges with that person in chronological order, regardless of subject line changes.

Why this would be useful: Many users are used to modern messaging apps and find traditional email thread trees cumbersome. A streamlined, contact-first view would eliminate fragmented threads and make ongoing communications much more intuitive and readable.

[Jon]

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