Is there any way to merge conversations when people don't click Reply?

ChrisHoardMVP  The main thread of conversation on UserVoice about the more general issue of replies and threading is this one: https://microsoftteams.uservoice.com/forums/555103-public/suggestions/19224826-better-visual-delineation-between-reply-and-sta

It has over 4000 votes and is over two years old. The same issue keeps recurring, the new threads get merged, and nothing happens.

This is a very common request, and is caused by the chat UI not conforming to the standard conventions. In every other chat program, the text box at the bottom of the screen is the thing you use to continue the current conversation.

This actively works against the ingrained muscle memory of everyone except people who have only ever used Teams. Microsoft's response appears to be to make the "reply" buttons more prominent.

It is a bit like creating a car with the brake and accelerator pedals exchanged. It does not matter how many brightly colored stickers you put on the dashboard saying "Accelerator over here!", it will still lead to accidents because every other car in the world ever works a different way.

As UI Guru Bruce Tognazzi puts it:

"It doesn’t matter how fine a logical argument you can put together for how something should work. If users expect it to work a different way, you will be facing an uphill and often unwinnable battle to change those expectations. If your way offers no clear advantage, go with what your users expect."

Judging by the amount of traffic on that UserVoice thread, the way users expect is that the bottom box should continue, not start, a conversation.

There is also no way to merge threads back into a conversation when mistakes inevitably occur, which is the actual subject of this conversation.

About 10 months ago Microsoft claimed that they had started "iterating on different designs". Sorry, but I for one don't believe them at all. In the intervening time they have not shared any of those designs with us? Not even a photo of the paper napkin with a rough sketch on it.