The online chat service Discord said Wednesday that it will ask all users to change their username in the coming weeks. The service also said usernames will look different moving forward.
Each new username will be preceded by an at sign, and can include lowercase letters, numbers, a period or an underscore, Discord said in a blog post. No other special characters will be allowed, and the new usernames will drop the four-digit number attached to the end of usernames, like #1337. The changes will result in usernames resembling those from other social media sites, like Twitter and Instagram.
Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord’s co-founder and chief technology officer, wrote online that the changes are meant to make it easier for people to find and connect with each other.
“Our current usernames can often be too complicated or obscure for people to remember and share easily,” he wrote.
You can’t change your name now, though. You’ll have to wait for Discord to prompt you in the app to change your username, and it’ll start with older accounts first. The app will also walk you through how to change your username.
Discord will walk you through changing your username when it’s your turn.
You will still be able to set a unique display name separate from your username.
“Your display name is how you will primarily appear across Discord,” the service wrote. “It is how other users will see you in DMs where a friend nickname is not set, in servers where a server nickname is not set, and in other places like friend requests.”
For more on Discord, here’s what to know about the service’s overhauled Android app and Discord chats on PS5 and Xbox.
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