Discord has decided to remove the four-digit code that appears after usernames in order to “make it easier to connect” to other users. wrote in a blog post on Discord that this change would force users to change their names, since Discord no longer has the four-digit tag that differentiates between people with the same name.
You will no longer have to add a four-digit discriminator to your username. Instead, you’ll get a unique and alphanumeric username that has the “@”. The platform will also allow you to select a non-unique name, which can include emojis, special characters, spaces and non-Latin letters. This makes it more similar to other social networks like Twitter and Instagram. This also makes the platform less like the gaming service it was originally, as it uses suffixes like those used by services like Steam.net, Battle.net and Xbox.
This process will force all users of Discord to choose a new user name.
Discord says you can change your username “in the weeks to come” and will let you know when it’s possible. According to the company, it will give priority to long-time Discord users. This means that the longer you have been using Discord, you’ll get a chance at a new username.
Discord also notes that after Discord removes the numerical tag, your old username and discriminator can still be used as an alias. Your friends will still be able to find you using your old username.
Discord claims that its initial goal was to let users choose any name they liked. However, it later “became a technical debt” it did not “adequately address,” noting usernames that are “too complex or obscure” for people to remember and share with their friends.
Stanislav Vischnevskiy, Discord’s co-founder, writes on the blog: “We acknowledge that this is a major change.” There may be some hiccups in this process and it might be difficult to say goodbye to that ‘#0001″ that has meant so much to you for years. We will do everything possible to make the process as smooth as possible.
