Discord usernames are changing to be more like Twitter
The final countdown.
Discord has announced changes to usernames, after taking feedback on their format.
At present, usernames are case sensitive and have a four digit identifier, called a discriminator, appended to create a unique username.
The new changes will remove the need for the discriminator, meaning you don't have to remember the random number combination when trying to add friends.
Usernames will now need to be unique and can only contain lowercase letters, numbers, full stops and underscores. Usernames can be changed but will be subjected to "relaxed" rate limits. Display names will be the way you primarily appear and can contain any characters. They can also be changed without any rate limits.
When the changes are rolled out, display names will be your old username without the discriminator by default. All users will be asked to choose a new username.
Discord shared a handy image of what the updated version of usernames will look like. This example uses the username "PhiBi#8936".
The new usernames are being rolled out gradually, with users slowly being given access to the update. Users will be shown an in-app prompt when they can change their username, so keep an eye out for that in the upcoming months.
Here's Discord's blog post on the changes where you can find full details of what to expect.
This is the latest update to Discord, following last month's voice messages and increased file size limit.