Please 6 months till inactive users to become redeemable, I had wait for an account be deleted that I know no one is using but twitch hasn't done anything to it.

I would love the username Lxcid but the username is taken a an inactive account it would make my day to have that username

For the record, I submitted a ticket about this issue with the following explanation:

"The 'Username Rename and Recycling policy' doesn't provide strong enough guarantees about whether or not certain accounts are inactive, and is not predicated on a strong enough definition of an active account. This is either an oversight, or indicates that the policy does not actually reflect the process for determining which accounts are inactive and may be recycled."

"Active accounts are currently defined as 'having logged in/visited the site' and 'having viewing activity' in a 12-month window. However, these are the only two actions which do not require an account. Users who want to use Twitch for solely viewing channels can simply browse to a channel without creating an account."

"The qualifications for an active account 'ought to rely on whether or not users have recently taken advantage of the features that actually require an account (i.e. interacting with other users, using the chat, following channels, subscribing to channels, etc). There is no reason for an account to be 'active' if none of these features are used, because any 'use of the platform which doesn't involve these features' is indistinguishable from 'use of the platform without an account.'"

"This is a serious issue for individuals who are actually invested in using the platform beyond simply 'browsing to the site and viewing a channel,' because usernames are most important to those people. In the same sense, it also puts an unfair amount of 'power' in the hands of people who may register an account but do not actually use the features that are offered by registering an account (in the sense that, if the current policy is truly accurate to the process used, it would be trivial for unfaithful users to park accounts with desirable usernames, among other things)."

A simpler way of putting this is that the qualifications for an inactive account are *not strict enough.* In fact, they're so lax (or at least, *appear to be*) that it's hostile to people who actually have a reason to use the Twitch features which actually require an account.

The whole service benefits from stronger guarantees (which Twitch should *communicate* to users) about whether or not accounts are active-enough for Twitch to not deactivate and recycle, so much so that it's hard for me to believe that the current policy tells the whole story.

I've been waiting on an inactive Justin.tv username from 2007 for as long this account has existed (since 2013), and it's frustrating because the policy and process for username recycling does not reflect any actual guarantee that certain accounts are inactive.

If the current username recycling process depends on other factors, Twitch should make this clear. Otherwise, the current definition of an active account is very confusing.

"Log-in activity and viewing activity every 12 months" does not adequately capture whether or not a real human being uses the service, and does not capture whether or not someone uses the service in a way that's substantially different from not having an account at all. Those requirements are two things that you do not need an account for: visiting the site, and watching video.

The requirements for an active account should depend on parts of the service that one actually *needs* an account for, i.e. chatting, following accounts, interacting with other users, etc. That way, Twitch provides an *actual guarantee* that seemingly-inactive accounts are being used by actual human beings.

Well I also find this policy terrible as well. Because I accidentally changed my username recently, and even though I didn't click on "Save Changes"... My username still got changed.

I heard that it will take a minimum of 6 months for the username to be back on the "pool of available usernames". Which is weird. Because can't it be like on (most) social medias, where if you change your username. And you felt like you shouldn't have. You could just immediately change it back to the way it was. Because the username that was previously used, would be immediately be marked as a available username.

I agree, because recently I accidentally changed my Twitch username (and I didn't even click on "Save Changes"). And I feel like it should be more like other social medias, where if you change your username. The username that was previously used will be directly be sent into the pool of available usernames.

Edit: So that if you accidentally changed it, you can just go back and chnage it back. Without needing to wait so long to change it back.

im the only HoboUnderwear in the world and I'm forced to put an underscore in my name HoboUnderwear_ <------------------------

Yeah I agree with this. My twitch username is , well, MekeruTTV, but there is a channel that is just named "Mekeru" with no following at all. I feel like if I could get this username, me having the username "MekeruTTV" in games would help me out more, since people would probably search up Mekeru.

plox

would be nice if those usernames that no one is using and you cant change to them is being fixed

I deleted an old twitch account of mine before April of 2019. After nearly two years, that name is still unavailable (well past the 6 months Twitch claims). I know the account was in good standing, wasn't banned, wasn't a partner, etc. because it was my account that I deleted, yet it is still unavailable...

I deleted my old account before April of 2019. I know the name isn't active, wasn't banned, wasn't a partner, etc. because it was my account. After almost two years, that name is still unavailable and who knows why...

This. I deleted an account before April of 2019 and that username has still never become available. Nearly two years so far is much longer than just the six months they claim.

I deleted my old account nearly two years ago and the name still has not been recycled. Many people I have seen online share similar experiences with a very sub-optimal recycling system. A system that automatically recycles any usernames from accounts deleted by their owners would be very nice.

It's a corporate identity issue, and accounts that really want to actively stream and launch their careers are deprived of that identity by having brandable names taken by "account corpses" that are never removed due to Twitch's lack of recycling system.

It is absolutely necessary that this system is revised or even made to work.

Even at the end of 2020 Twitch does not put any visible effort to finally solve this long overdue problem in the account management system.

There are plenty "dead" Twitch account with brandable names, that are just waiting for someone to claim them...
But without a proper working recycling process, these names are just ... there. And the ones who want to make their career (including me) have to use a variation of this name, which is less brandable and viewer-unfriendly.

Please, just finally fix this long overdue thing. It is nevertheless alone already a substantial relief of the support inquiries, since I can think that hundred other users ask daily whether one could not get the one or the other name...

I have found the account waves is inactive since 2017 and i want to get the name but this recycle name is terrible

Anyone with an account that’s inactive for more than 6 months should have the account deleted because it’s honestly just a sad thing when you can’t have a name you want because someone made a pointless account that they won’t use and let’s be honest, if you were done with twitch you wouldn’t delete your acc you would’ve just left it there and the people that would want that name wouldn’t be able to have it, I’m not saying they have to stream everyday to keep it all they have to do is get on the account at least once and there 6 months will start over.

Is there a plan for username names that are inactive? For example, I want to put a specific username, but it is already chosen and it seems that the person using the account is inactive. Will you have a system that after so long the name will be available and if chosen by someone else the inactive person has to enter another username when entering the account due to inactivity? It would be great