Kik is one of most popular communication platforms in the world, and millions of people from all walks of life use it every day. The flexibility to customize your options in hundreds of ways means that each user can create his or her own unique personality (or multiple personalities!) to traverse the mobile and online social world. This article will show you how to change your Kik username, and what benefits come with doing so.
Since the world is getting metaphorically smaller every day due to the fact that we can immediately contact people that live on the other side of the globe by using apps like Kik, some people are of the opinion that we are losing some of our anonymity. That is one of the reasons why it is a good idea to learn how to change your username. You might, for instance, want to stop another user, or many users, from being able to contact you.
While there are some great block functions on Kik to blur out or remove messages from users that you don’t want to deal with, a better idea is simply changing your username so that those users don’t even know where to find you. Today you could be “BobRossHappyLittleCloud”, and tomorrow you could be “PaintingIsForPansies1234”. You may piss off some of your artist friends, but hey – that’s your right!
Can I Really Change My Kik Username?
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.- William Shakespeare
The following fact might make you think that the title of this article is a misnomer, but stick with me. When you create a Kik Messenger account, you will choose a username, which you cannot actually change from your account settings. However, your username is not the same thing as your display name, which is what other users see when they are communicating with you. We will go over how to change your display name in a little while. Your username is what you use, along with a password, to sign in to your account. This is why we and the Kik staff advise folks to create usernames that are easy to remember. Most people will simply user their email address or their real names, but you can pick anything that you can retain easily.
There are two ways to change your actual username (consider it your login information, since no one else will see it) if you want. You can either delete your Kik account and create a new one, or simple create a new one so you will have multiple accounts. This is simply done by just going to your account settings tapping “reset”, or creating a new account with a different email address, just as you did when you set up your first one.
Since other users do not see your username, I can only suggest doing this if you want to create multiple Kik Messenger accounts. Many users will create “social” and “business” accounts to compartmentalize their contacts, and this is the only reason why I could see creating multiple accounts to be beneficial.
Changing My Kik Display Name
Now that you know the difference between a username and a display name, let’s get on to how to change the latter. First, you will need to open Kik Messenger by tapping (or clicking if you’re using a PC or Mac) on the Kik icon. Once you are logged in, click or tap on the circular gear icon on the top-right of the screen, and then on “settings”. This will take you to your account settings, where you can manage just about everything. This is also where you can reset service, cancel it, or alter your login information if you so desire.
Here, you will see a list consisting of your username (see the “Can I Really Change My Kik Username?” section for more on this), your email information, and your display name. You can also reset your account on this page if you want. Tap or click on “Name”, which will show your current display name. This is where you can change it to anything you want. There is a line for first and last name, but you can type in anything you want. Let your imagination run free!
After you confirm your new display name that is what your friends will see you as from then on (or until you decide to change it again!). All of your contacts will remain as long as your username hasn’t been reset, so you won’t have to go hunting for all your Kik peeps again. They will see that your display name has changed, so expect some congrats/jeers depending on what you decide to go by. Welcome to the new you!
Top Reasons Why People Change Their Kik Names
- Anonymity
The main reason why most users will change their display names (or usernames, in extreme cases) is to retain a certain amount of anonymity. When you join Kik, you are in control of who you add to your circle of friends and acquaintances, but anyone can send you a message or try to befriend you. Some users find that, after a year or two of using Kik, they have a whole bunch of contacts that they don’t know (or have forgotten who they are). Instead of taking the time to go through and purge your contact list, it is much easier to change your display name, reset your account, or create a fresh account to re-establish who you want to talk to (and more importantly, who can see and talk to you).
Kik Messenger offers an unparalleled amount of anonymity to its users by not requiring a phone number or even a real name to activate an account. The team behind the technology believe that collecting your information without your permission, or allowing other users to have access to it without asking you first, are both unconstitutional. By being able to change your display name or reset your account, you are able to keep your identity as hidden as you want, and this is one of the many reasons why Kik is the best social app in existence.
- Simple Fun
Alright, that last section (while important) was quite heavy. Let’s get to the other reason why Kik user change their display names – for the fun of it! One of the best things about the internet in general is that we can put on any persona we want at any time. Why choose to go by the name you were born with (not that there is anything wrong with it), when you could be known as “Josh ’Danger’ LightningSurfer”! Or “Marcy FangToothThe3rd”, or even “Princess KittenWhiskerMcMuffinPants”?
The answer is: there is absolutely no reason why you can’t be known as whatever you want! Just like Facebook, Kik allows you two create as many accounts as you have email addresses, so you can chat with family or business associates using your “normal” name, and friends or freaks with your “made up/crazy” name. This is the fun and the freedom that comes with Kik technology combined with the lightning fast speeds that users get.
Be Who You Want To Be
Learning how to change your Kik username is an important part of managing your account, so make sure to go back and read over the steps and the different definitions that we have covered. There are basically two avenues that you can take if you want to change the way people see on Kik. You can change your display name, which doesn’t involve resetting your account or creating a new one. This will allow you to create a new name that your friends and acquaintances will see when they chat with you.
Changing your display name will not affect your contacts or make you invisible to anyone. It will, however, change how you can be found within the search function, so strangers that know your current name will not know that you have changed it to something else if they are not already in your contacts list.
Changing your username (aka, your login information) involves resetting your account or creating a new one with a different email address. This will allow you to purge your contacts and start from the ground up. If you want to completely revitalize your online persona, or start from scratch, this would be the way to go. You do have the option, if you decide to reset your account, to keep any contacts that you already have (so it isn’t an automatic blank slate kind of deal). If you create an entire new account with a different email address, you will be starting from square one.
Fortunately, Kik makes it easy to import contacts from your email or alternate account. Whether you want to start fresh with a completely anonymous account, or simply spice things up by creating a fun/stupid/cool display name, Kik has got you covered. Here’s to you, whatever your real name is.
Feel free to leave a comment with your awesome Kik username or a name that you’re thinking of switching to. Also, share this post on Facebook or Twitter!