Discord is removing the four-digit tag it puts after its usernames because it makes it “easier to connect” with other users. As mentioned in a post on the Discord blog, this change will force most users to change their usernames, as Discord will no longer have a four-digit tag that distinguishes a person with the same username from another.
Instead of adding a four-digit distinguisher to your username, you’ll now have a unique alphanumeric username with the “@” symbol in front of it. You’ll also be able to choose a non-unique display name that can include special characters, spaces, emoji, and non-Latin characters, making the platform more like other mainstream social networks, such as Twitter and Instagram. It also makes it less like the gaming platform from which it started life, with suffixes similar to those used by services like Steam, Battle.net, and Xbox.
Unfortunately, this process is mean everyone On Discord he will need to select a new username.
According to Discord, you can gradually update your username “in the coming weeks,” and the platform will notify you when you’ll be able to do so. The company says it will prioritize longtime Discord users, which means the longer you use Discord, the faster you can pick up a new name.
In addition, Discord notes that your former username and unique username will continue to function as an alias after it begins to shed its numeric tag. This means that your friends can still find you under your old username.
While Discord says it was initially launched with the goal of letting users choose whatever username they wanted, four-digit tags “eventually became a technical debt” that it didn’t “adequately address,” noting that usernames are often “too complex or ambiguous.” To save and share with friends.
“We realize this is a big change,” Discord co-founder Stanislav Vishnevsky wrote in the blog post. “There can be bumps in the process, and it can be hard to let go of the ‘#0001’ that has meant so much to you over the years. We will do everything we can to run things as smoothly as possible.”