Starting in April 2024, Playback users are required to have unique usernames for their account. While we originally designed usernames to be “community-first”, e.g. to allow everyone to have their very own “Joe”, we’ve come to realize that this approach is unsustainable and not in users’ best interests. ****Usernames are foundational for identity, helping address issues like impersonation and paving the way for profiles and trusted relationships.
New users will choose their username when they register an account. Registered users can update their username from profile settings.
Username requirements:
Old names on Playback were not unique, so returning users will need to choose a unique username the next time they login.
Playback users with valid and unique usernames will automatically retain their existing username. All users will be prompted to either confirm their existing name, if valid, or claim a new username. To claim their old name, returning users can login and confirm the reserved name as their new username.
After April 22, 2024, existing invalid and duplicate usernames will automatically be updated to a valid and unique name. For example, “Joe” might become “Joe12” or “Warriors Fan #1” might become “Warriors_Fan_1”.
If multiple returning users had the same old name, the name will be reserved for one user based on the following criteria (in order):
For the time being, usernames will function as display names everywhere a user appears in a Playback room.