The Discord usernames are evolving! The names are changing the format from Razzem#1234 to @Razzem.
In an effort to make it easier to connect with other people, Discord is removing the four-digit suffix from its usernames. The VoIP platform will no longer have the discriminator (as they call the four-digit number) that distinguishes one person with the same username from another, as mentioned on their official page. As a result, the majority of users will have to change their usernames and think of something unique for their new Discord handle.
Your username will now contain the @ sign in front of a distinctive alphanumeric string rather than the four-number differentiator. Additionally, the platform will allow you to select a non-unique display name that may contain special characters, empty spaces, emojis and non-Latin characters, making it similar to other popular social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram.
And yes, this actually means that everyone will need to change their Discord usernames. But don’t worry about it, it’s not a negative change, we promise!
When do we need to change the Discord usernames?
Discord states that you can progressively change your username in the following weeks when the service will let you know. Long-time members of Discord shall be given priority, according to the company, so the more years you’ve been using Discord, the sooner you’ll be allowed to select a fresh username.
Why will this be implemented?
The most common issues that brought this change are the following, exactly as stated on the Discord blog:
- You try to share your username outside of Discord. Unfortunately, you either can’t remember the discriminator, have to explain which letters are uppercase and lowercase, or have to try to specify which special characters your name uses.
- You meet someone IRL that you want to talk to on Discord, and they say “I’m Phibi Eight Nine Three Six!” You go home and add “phibi#8936” only to find out you added the wrong “Phibi” because your new friend’s username is actually “PhIBI#8936”.
- You want to use a common name like “Mike” or “Jane” but there are already 9,999 Mikes or Janes so you’re blocked from that name altogether.
- You like to change your username a lot and get rate limited.
- Your friend says they changed their name to “vernacular” but actually it’s “𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖓𝖆𝖈𝖚𝖑𝖆𝖗” and you have trouble finding them.
The users, however, don’t seem really happy about this change:
"we know this is kinda like other apps, but that's the point"
aka
"we don't like being unique, and we're also really looking forward to the incoming black market for Discord usernames."@Discord, backpedal on this. Seriously. pic.twitter.com/ghDjePEzs4
— AntVenom (@AntVenom) May 4, 2023
But after all, we all tend to be sceptical about new things, but they usually get in place and in a few months nobody will ever talk about this change again. I, for example, really understand the situation and agree that this is nothing but a positive change. That being said if you’re a Discord user, you can now get in on your console (since March 8) and you can enjoy the best PS5 multiplayer games while chatting with your buds!
