This disclosure provides a communication method and apparatus. The method includes: receiving first indication information indicating a quantity R of data streams and an index of a first-type data stream, where the first-type data stream is a same part of data streams included in a first data stream subset and a second data stream subset; determining the first-type data stream based on the first indication information; and processing the first-type data stream. In the technical solution of this disclosure, a transmit end can flexibly adjust the first-type data stream as required, and can accurately indicate the index of the first-type data stream to a receive end. In this way, the transmit end can flexibly perform precoding processing and control the first-type data stream, so that the receive end correctly merges the first-type data stream, ensuring data stream detection performance.