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Facebook now lets you create up to four additional profiles
Meta announced today that Facebook users can now add up to four additional profiles to their primary account.
Discord will force you to update your username
Discord is making "big changes" to how identities work on the platform, a move that will force you to change your username
Snapchat will let you change your username starting February 23rd
No longer will users need to be stuck with a terrible name they picked as a young teen.
Twitch policy update bans usernames that reference sex and drugs
Twitch wants everyone to have nicer, more family-friendly usernames.
Xbox Live ID numbers let you choose a Gamertag that's already taken
As Microsoft makes Xbox Live an entertainment service that spreads across more platforms (including Switch, Android and iOS), it's also relaxing the naming scheme. Since it's been in operation since 2002, many commonly-requested aliases are already taken, but now users can grab pretty much any name they want, even if someone else already has it. Now, it will still let you create a new user name even if someone else has it, but it will auto-assign an ID number after it to make yours unique. Other services like Steam and Discord already use a similar setup, and it should mean an end to purging old, abandoned usernames or forcing them to expire so that new users can get a crack at them. Of course, if you've been around for a while, everyone will know you are the original CheeToMan247 given your lack of an add-on ID number.
Snapchat now lets you tag other users in Stories
It's usually the Facebook-owned Instagram aping Snapchat, adding features like Stories and face filters from the social selfie platform to the photo-sharing one. This time, however, it's Snapchat that's "borrowing" a hallmark from Instagram: now you can add @ replies to your Snaps and make it easier to tag your friends in posts.
You don't need to sign in to use Skype anymore
Unless you have Skype configured to boot-up when you start your computer, starting the program, logging in and connecting to a call can be mildly tedious. It's not anymore -- Microsoft just announced a new 'Guest' mode for Skype that makes user accounts almost completely optional. Now if you want to join a Skype call, all you have to do is click a link and enter your name.
Oculus Social launches on Gear VR, Facebook tie-in coming soon
Following the lead of nearly everything else on the internet, Oculus has announced it's adding social features to the company's VR platform. Starting tomorrow, Gear VR owners will be able to create a profile of their own, and then search for others by their real name or username. Social hooks aren't that unexpected for a company owned by Facebook and of course, tie-ins for that are coming as well. We reached out to Oculus and the company says linking your account with Facebook will be completely optional, but for those who want it, it's coming next week.
Yik Yak 'Handles' finally attach names to posts
Since it launched, Yik Yak has allowed users to anonymously post messages and pictures viewable by others within their local area. Popular among students, the service has been controversial and considered by some as a vehicle for cyberbullying, and threats of violence, but now for the first time it's letting users attach their nicknames to posts. If you choose to grab a "Handle," it will be on by default for new posts afterwards, but you can choose to post without it, or continue using the service without one.
Claim your Nintendo account username now
Nintendo's new cross-console (and phone) account system is live. You can register with your existing Nintendo Network ID, or with Facebook, Twitter and Google login details. While this is where Nintendo's debut smartphone game, Miitomo, will debut, there's not much else to do until it launches sometime next month. (Well, you can assign your Mii as your profile pic, but that's no great shakes.) The most important part: land grab that username, before it's too late. (Update: and pick up a Platinum coin bonus in the process, by signing for Miitomo updates!) The service is now live, globally.
Mozilla makes it a lot easier to sync Firefox bookmarks and passwords
Firefox users keen to keep their browsing data up-to-date across devices will soon have one less headache to worry about. Mozilla, makers of the popular open-source browser, has decided to do away with synchronization keys for its Firefox Sync service, opting instead to utilize a simple email and password combo similar to Google Chrome accounts. The change comes after users were forced to store an auto-generated authorization code, which, if lost, would render their bookmarks, passwords and browsing history inaccessible. While it means Sync accounts are a little more traceable, in that Sync data will be directly linked with a user's email address, the new process will enable Firefox users to quickly restore their browsing data in the event of a catastrophe like a hard drive failure. Mozilla is currently testing the new version of Firefox Sync in Nightly browser builds, meaning you'll need to install a beta version of Firefox to try it, but we expect it to make its way to a public release in the not-too-distant future.
Snapchat database leak claims to contain 4.6 million phone numbers and usernames
Last week security researchers published a way to skim Snapchat's full database, and it appears someone did it before the vulnerability -- which, according to those researchers had been known for months -- was addressed. A website called SnapchatDB! has appeared posting SQL/CSV files that it claims contain the username and associated phone number for a "vast majority" of the service's users, with the last two digits of the numbers obscured. Snapchat eventually admitted that such a hack was theoretically possible, but said additional countermeasures and safeguards it's implemented would make that harder to do. That amounts to 4.6 million pairs, although actually downloading the files to actually use them or verify the claim seems impossible, presumably due to an overload of traffic. We don't know who is behind the website (its WHOIS record is hidden by WHOISGuard), but the homepage claims this release is happening to "raise awareness" of the fact that companies should be more careful with the private information of their users. As the site mentions, even the info included could be enough to figure out someone's phone number from their username (if it's also used publicly on Twitter, for example), especially problematic for those with unlisted numbers. They also have not ruled out releasing the uncensored database "under certain circumstances," so if you've ever used the service this may be something to keep an eye out for. Update: Developers Robbie Trencheny and Will Smeindlein have worked up a searchable database to see if your info is among those captured. It's accessible here, and searches by username, apparently based on the SQL file uploaded. Our friends at TechCrunch apparently found at least one writer's info in the database, although a Reddit user who grabbed the file suggests only certain area codes are affected.
Yahoo doling out inactive usernames to new owners, opens a Watchlist for $1.99
Yahoo users eager for a name change began logging their interest for inactive usernames in mid-July, and now Mayer and Co. are finally ready to re-assign dormant email addresses. Messages from the search giant are going out to folks who applied for a new identity, notifying them if one of their screen names of choice is ready for the taking. Those who struck out on desired account names will automatically have their choices added to a "Watchlist," and will be alerted if and when they're freed up. While keeping tabs on preferred monikers via the Watchlist is free for those who registered their interest in snapping up handles, it'll cost others the princely sum of $1.99 to monitor availability for three years. Click the neighboring source links to stake out a maximum of five names you're partial to.
Yahoo launches wish list for requesting inactive usernames
If you're itching to shed that old, embarrassing Yahoo username in favor of something a little more age appropriate, we've got good news. Mayer and Co. have just opened up a wish list to request inactive usernames. Plug in your five moniker requests (in order of preference) by August 7th, and if you're first in line for an account that hasn't been used in over a year, it'll be yours by the middle of the month. Once the search giant sends a message to your inbox, simply click the included link within 48 hours and the re-purposed account will be yours. After the initial period, folks will be able to add usernames to a watch list, and will be alerted when they become available. Worried that password recovery messages sent from other services to reused addresses could be a security issue? Yahoo is too. The firm's leaning on an email header dubbed "Require-Recipient-Valid-Since" that will only allow missives to be delivered if the recipient has confirmed that email with the sender after the date of the account transfer. While Facebook's already onboard with the solution, other parties will need to bake it into their existing systems. Click the second source link to toss your hat in the ring for the perfect email address.
Yahoo to free up old usernames after a year of inactivity
Unless you're quick to sign up with new services, snagging a simple user ID with your name, or just about any word from the English dictionary, can be unlikely. If you're only first joining Yahoo today (for one reason or another), however, registering any account without a handful of random numbers tacked on at the end is downright impossible. That'll soon change. The internet giant has announced on Tumblr that come July 15th, IDs that have been inactive for more than a year will be released to the public, giving shoegurlmary1992@yahoo.com a chance to snag mary@yahoo.com, for example. The decision seems perfectly reasonable to us. We only hope that other sites (Twitter) follow suit.
PSA: PSN accounts changing to Sony Entertainment Network accounts Feb. 8
As part of Sony's efforts to phase out the Qriocity brand and replace it with the all-encompassing Sony Entertainment Network, Sony will be phasing out the term "PlayStation Network account" and will instead be using "Sony Entertainment Network account," beginning next Wednesday, February 8.The change, however, is purely cosmetic. Your account will still function in an identical fashion and it will not be necessary to change your username or password; the PSN itself remains unaltered."The goal is for there to be one networked log-in for all Sony services," a Sony spokesperson told us after news of the switch made its way to neoGAF. "Changing the name 'PlayStation Network account' to 'Sony Entertainment Network account' helps clarify the unity between PSN and other Sony Entertainment Network services." The change does not apply to the PSP, so users will still see "PlayStation Network account" when logging on with that device.
Phishing attempt targets EVE Online subscribers
They're baaack. The phishing emails targeting EVE Online players, that is. While you're sound asleep dreaming of your next Machariel, or thrashing about in a nightmare about that last pod killing, there are legions of very bad men seeking to crack open your EVE Online account and liquidate your assets. Of course, they need your help to do so. The phishing attempt has evolved to its next genius incarnation... no wait... it's exactly the same as last month. They haven't innovated at all! They're just plowing ahead with it, regardless. They pretend to be CCP Games and email you, stating that they're EVE Customer Support. Of course, they're emailing you to let you know about their latest database issue, and that they'd like you to log in and verify that everything's OK. They're even kind enough to provide you with a convenient link that brings you to "your account", where the phishers log your username and password, and proceed to rip you off as thoroughly as possible.
LotRO in-game help demands extra login credentials
Reports are coming in on the award-winning Lord of the Rings Online's official forums that players are being prompted to enter their username and password when trying to use the in-game help facility. This thread contains posts from some people worried about security issues, some saying that in-game help has always asked you to login, and others disagreeing with them.It is all cleared up, however, on the second page, when Turbine's Community Manager makes a post confirming that it should not be happening. The quote from CM Patience: "it's definitely borked, and we'll get it fixed as quickly as possible". So if you're worried about entering your login details twice, hopefully there will be a fix going live soon. Just add the name of that annoying gold spammer to your list, and start a voodoo ritual fire the whole thing off when the issue is resolved.
