{
  "generatedAt": "2026-10-09",
  "maintainer": "https://namesniper.org",
  "platforms": [
    {
      "platform": "telegram",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-10-01",
      "facts": [
        {
          "label": "Rename frees old name",
          "value": "Not documented",
          "note": "Telegram doesn’t say how soon a changed-away username can be claimed by someone else. Saving an empty username removes yours from search.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Inactivity recycling",
          "value": "Squatted names only",
          "note": "Telegram reserves the right to recall usernames of unused bots and channels and openly squatted names - no blanket sweeps of personal handles.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Deletion frees name",
          "value": "Likely, undocumented",
          "note": "Accounts self-destruct after 18 months offline by default; Telegram doesn’t document when the username returns to the pool.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Rename cooldown",
          "value": "None published",
          "note": "Telegram publishes no waiting period or fee for changing a basic username.",
          "tone": "neutral"
        },
        {
          "label": "How we check",
          "value": "Taken is proven",
          "note": "A visible profile or a Fragment listing proves a name is taken. Free and hidden look the same from outside the app, so we say so instead of guessing.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Drop outlook",
          "value": "Most ways to get a name",
          "note": "Changed-away names can return, Fragment (a third-party marketplace on the TON blockchain) sells collectible names, and you can make an offer on some taken ones.",
          "tone": "open"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "Telegram FAQ - Usernames and t.me",
          "url": "https://telegram.org/faq#usernames-and-t-me"
        },
        {
          "title": "Telegram API - account.updateUsername",
          "url": "https://core.telegram.org/method/account.updateUsername"
        },
        {
          "title": "Telegram API - Collectible usernames (Fragment)",
          "url": "https://core.telegram.org/api/fragment"
        },
        {
          "title": "Fragment - About",
          "url": "https://fragment.com/about"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "platform": "twitch",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-10-01",
      "facts": [
        {
          "label": "Rename frees old name",
          "value": "After 180+ days",
          "note": "Usernames abandoned by non-Partnered accounts take at least 180 days before anyone can reclaim them through self-service. Partner usernames are never released.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Inactivity recycling",
          "value": "Not released",
          "note": "Twitch’s account help now says it \"does not release inactive usernames.\" The 12-month inactivity recycling announced in 2017 is gone from its policy pages, though one help page still mentions accounts \"recycled due to inactivity\".",
          "tone": "locked"
        },
        {
          "label": "Deletion frees name",
          "value": "After 6+ months",
          "note": "A deleted account’s username takes a minimum of 6 months to be recycled. Usernames of channels banned by Twitch stay permanently unavailable.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Rename cooldown",
          "value": "60 days",
          "note": "One username change per 60 days - blocked during an active broadcast or while a VOD upload is pending; verified email required.",
          "tone": "neutral"
        },
        {
          "label": "How we check",
          "value": "Clear, with one caveat",
          "note": "Taken means an account holds the name. A name inside Twitch’s hold, or one from a banned channel, can read as free before anyone can claim it, so an alert can mark the start of a hold rather than the release.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Drop outlook",
          "value": "Renames and deletions",
          "note": "Drops come from renamed and deleted accounts, each on a clock of 6 months or more. Inactive names are not released.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "Twitch Help - Username Transfer Policy",
          "url": "https://help.twitch.tv/s/article/username-rename-and-recycling-policies?language=en_US"
        },
        {
          "title": "Twitch Help - Creating an Account with Twitch",
          "url": "https://help.twitch.tv/s/article/creating-an-account-with-twitch?language=en_US"
        },
        {
          "title": "Twitch Help - Deleting your Twitch account",
          "url": "https://help.twitch.tv/s/article/delete-twitch-account?language=en_US"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "platform": "instagram",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-10-01",
      "facts": [
        {
          "label": "Rename frees old name",
          "value": "After a short hold",
          "note": "Instagram publishes no hold length, but its help center confirms recently freed usernames are temporarily blocked from being claimed by others.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Inactivity recycling",
          "value": "No program",
          "note": "Dormant accounts keep their handles - Instagram documents no reclaim program or claim path. Its terms let it change a username when it believes that is necessary, for example for intellectual property or impersonation claims.",
          "tone": "locked"
        },
        {
          "label": "Deletion frees name",
          "value": "After ~30 days",
          "note": "Instagram says you can re-register the username after the 30-day deletion window (it varies by region) - if nobody else took it first; full data deletion can take up to 90 days.",
          "tone": "open"
        },
        {
          "label": "Rename cooldown",
          "value": "None published",
          "note": "Instagram publishes no limit on username changes; accounts that reach a lot of people may need a review before a change applies.",
          "tone": "neutral"
        },
        {
          "label": "How we check",
          "value": "Verified before alerts",
          "note": "Instagram limits logged-out viewing, so a single look can be ambiguous. An unconfirmed result is labeled as one, and only confirmed changes trigger an alert.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Drop outlook",
          "value": "Continuous, contested",
          "note": "Handles come back through renames, deletions and removed accounts, and short or dictionary handles are contested by automated watchers.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "Instagram Help Center - Change your profile information",
          "url": "https://help.instagram.com/583107688369069"
        },
        {
          "title": "Instagram Help Center - Reusing a username you had before",
          "url": "https://help.instagram.com/876876079327341"
        },
        {
          "title": "Instagram Help Center - When a username is claimed but seems inactive",
          "url": "https://help.instagram.com/513717858639392"
        },
        {
          "title": "Instagram Help Center - Delete your account",
          "url": "https://help.instagram.com/139886812848894"
        },
        {
          "title": "Instagram - Terms of Use",
          "url": "https://help.instagram.com/581066165581870"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "platform": "twitter",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-10-01",
      "facts": [
        {
          "label": "Rename frees old name",
          "value": "Immediately",
          "note": "X states a changed-away username is immediately available for someone else - no hold period at all.",
          "tone": "open"
        },
        {
          "label": "Inactivity recycling",
          "value": "Paid marketplace",
          "note": "X says it \"cannot release inactive usernames\" on request, but since October 2025 it reassigns select inactive handles through its Handle Marketplace to Premium+, Premium Business and Premium Organizations subscribers. Many are included free; invite-only handles start in the five figures (USD).",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Deletion frees name",
          "value": "After deactivation",
          "note": "Once the 30-day deactivation window passes, the account is deleted and the username becomes available to others.",
          "tone": "open"
        },
        {
          "label": "Rename cooldown",
          "value": "None published",
          "note": "X publishes no rename limit. On a checkmarked Premium account, changing the username removes the checkmark until X reviews it.",
          "tone": "neutral"
        },
        {
          "label": "How we check",
          "value": "Verified before alerts",
          "note": "X often shows logged-out visitors a login wall, so a single look can be ambiguous. We only call a handle available, or send an alert, once the result is confirmed.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Drop outlook",
          "value": "High competition",
          "note": "Renames free a handle instantly and deletions after 30 days, so short and dictionary handles are a race between automated watchers.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "X Help Center - Help with username registration",
          "url": "https://help.x.com/en/managing-your-account/x-username-rules"
        },
        {
          "title": "X Help Center - How to change your X handle",
          "url": "https://help.x.com/en/managing-your-account/change-x-handle"
        },
        {
          "title": "X Help Center - Inactive account policy",
          "url": "https://help.x.com/en/rules-and-policies/inactive-x-accounts"
        },
        {
          "title": "X Help Center - X Handle Marketplace",
          "url": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/x-handle-marketplace"
        },
        {
          "title": "X Help Center - How to deactivate your account",
          "url": "https://help.x.com/en/managing-your-account/how-to-deactivate-x-account"
        },
        {
          "title": "X Help Center - X's username squatting policy",
          "url": "https://help.x.com/en/rules-and-policies/x-username-squatting"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "platform": "tiktok",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-10-01",
      "facts": [
        {
          "label": "Rename frees old name",
          "value": "After a short hold",
          "note": "After a change, TikTok blocks the old username from every account \"for a short period of time\" - it publishes no exact length.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Inactivity recycling",
          "value": "180-day policy",
          "note": "Official inactive-account policy: after 180 days without activity, an account’s username may be reset to a randomized numeric one - discretionary, with no timetable and no claim process. A valid trademark notice can also reset a username.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Deletion frees name",
          "value": "Undocumented",
          "note": "TikTok publishes no rule on when, or whether, a deleted account’s username is released. Deactivating is an open-ended hold the owner can reverse.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Rename cooldown",
          "value": "30 days",
          "note": "One username change per 30 days. The nickname (display name) can change once every 7 days.",
          "tone": "neutral"
        },
        {
          "label": "How we check",
          "value": "Verified before alerts",
          "note": "TikTok makes single checks ambiguous. An unconfirmed result is labeled as one, and only confirmed changes trigger an alert.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Drop outlook",
          "value": "Terminations, rebrands & resets",
          "note": "Drops come from bans, deletions, the 30-day rename cycle, and 180-day inactivity resets - dormant handles can genuinely return to the pool.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "TikTok Support - Changing your username",
          "url": "https://www.tiktok.com/support/faq_detail?id=7581821550156962315"
        },
        {
          "title": "TikTok Support - Inactive account policy",
          "url": "https://www.tiktok.com/support/faq_detail?id=7543597460359420422"
        },
        {
          "title": "TikTok Support - Changing your nickname",
          "url": "https://www.tiktok.com/support/faq_detail?id=7581821550014388748"
        },
        {
          "title": "TikTok Support - Deleting an account",
          "url": "https://www.tiktok.com/support/faq_detail?id=7543538137965058566"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "platform": "youtube",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-10-01",
      "facts": [
        {
          "label": "Rename frees old name",
          "value": "After 14 days",
          "note": "YouTube holds a changed-away @handle for 14 days (both URLs keep working), then releases it for anyone to claim.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Inactivity recycling",
          "value": "No handle program",
          "note": "YouTube runs no handle-recycling program but reserves the right to reclaim handles. Google may delete accounts unused for 2 years, and has said it has no plans \"at this time\" to delete accounts with YouTube videos.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Deletion frees name",
          "value": "Undocumented",
          "note": "YouTube says permanent deletion \"may take some time\" and publishes no rule on when a deleted channel’s handle is released.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Rename cooldown",
          "value": "2 per 14 days",
          "note": "YouTube allows two handle changes, and separately two channel-name changes, within any 14-day window.",
          "tone": "neutral"
        },
        {
          "label": "How we check",
          "value": "High-confidence results",
          "note": "YouTube gives clear answers for most handles, so verdicts here are among the most reliable we publish.",
          "tone": "open"
        },
        {
          "label": "Drop outlook",
          "value": "Datable drops",
          "note": "A renamed handle comes back on a fixed 14-day clock, which makes YouTube one of the few platforms where you can date a drop.",
          "tone": "open"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "YouTube Help - Learn about YouTube handles",
          "url": "https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/11585688"
        },
        {
          "title": "YouTube Help - Change, view, or hide your handle",
          "url": "https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/15920820"
        },
        {
          "title": "YouTube Help - Manage your channel name",
          "url": "https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2657964"
        },
        {
          "title": "YouTube Help - Delete your channel",
          "url": "https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/55759"
        },
        {
          "title": "Google Account Help - Inactive account policy",
          "url": "https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/12418290"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "platform": "roblox",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-10-01",
      "facts": [
        {
          "label": "Rename frees old name",
          "value": "Held by the owner",
          "note": "Past usernames stay on the account’s history and the owner can switch back to one (paying Robux again). Roblox doesn’t publish whether anyone else can ever claim them.",
          "tone": "locked"
        },
        {
          "label": "Inactivity recycling",
          "value": "None published",
          "note": "Roblox publishes no inactivity recycling for usernames.",
          "tone": "locked"
        },
        {
          "label": "Deletion frees name",
          "value": "Undocumented",
          "note": "Roblox publishes no rule on what happens to a deleted account’s name - no documented hold or release. Treat deleted-name drops as unpredictable long shots.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Rename cost",
          "value": "Costs Robux",
          "note": "Renames carry a Robux fee (widely reported as 1,000, though Roblox no longer publishes the amount); display names change free once per 7 days.",
          "tone": "neutral"
        },
        {
          "label": "How we check",
          "value": "Definitive results",
          "note": "Every Roblox verdict is definitive: taken, available, or not allowed under Roblox’s username rules.",
          "tone": "open"
        },
        {
          "label": "Drop outlook",
          "value": "Hunt, don’t wait",
          "note": "The namespace only fills up. Snipe unregistered combinations now; keep a watch as the long shot.",
          "tone": "locked"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "Roblox Support - Changing Your Username",
          "url": "https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/203313130-Changing-Your-Username"
        },
        {
          "title": "Roblox Support - Username rules (Xbox Error 901)",
          "url": "https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/4412614080532-Xbox-Error-901"
        },
        {
          "title": "Roblox Support - Changing Your Display Name",
          "url": "https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/4401938870292-Changing-Your-Display-Name"
        },
        {
          "title": "Roblox Support - How do I deactivate or delete my account?",
          "url": "https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/203313050-How-do-I-deactivate-or-delete-my-account"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "platform": "kick",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-10-01",
      "facts": [
        {
          "label": "Rename frees old name",
          "value": "Undocumented",
          "note": "Kick publishes no rule on whether a changed-away username returns to the pool - one of several gaps in a young platform’s policy surface.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Inactivity recycling",
          "value": "No published policy",
          "note": "Kick publishes no inactivity policy. Its terms reserve the right to move or transfer accounts for any reason, so activity is your strongest claim.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Deletion frees name",
          "value": "Undocumented",
          "note": "Account deletion goes through Kick support; no published rule on whether the username frees up afterward.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Rename cooldown",
          "value": "60 days + 2FA",
          "note": "One self-serve username change per 60 days, and two-factor authentication must be enabled first.",
          "tone": "neutral"
        },
        {
          "label": "How we check",
          "value": "Definitive results",
          "note": "A present name reads taken and an absent one available, both at high confidence.",
          "tone": "open"
        },
        {
          "label": "Drop outlook",
          "value": "Land-grab phase",
          "note": "A young namespace: the brandable middle is still open even though common words are largely claimed. Claim first; watch the taken one as the backup play.",
          "tone": "open"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "Kick Help Center - How to update your profile",
          "url": "https://help.kick.com/en/articles/7120563-how-to-update-your-profile"
        },
        {
          "title": "Kick Help Center - How to enable Two-Factor Authentication",
          "url": "https://help.kick.com/en/articles/7120898-how-to-enable-two-factor-authentication"
        },
        {
          "title": "Kick Developer Docs - Channels",
          "url": "https://docs.kick.com/apis/channels"
        },
        {
          "title": "Kick - Terms of Service",
          "url": "https://kick.com/terms-of-service"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "platform": "snapchat",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-10-01",
      "facts": [
        {
          "label": "Rename frees old name",
          "value": "Never",
          "note": "Snapchat Support says a new username must be one \"that has not been previously owned by anyone else, including yourself.\" Changed-away names stay locked.",
          "tone": "locked"
        },
        {
          "label": "Inactivity recycling",
          "value": "No user path",
          "note": "No inactive-username program and no claim process. Snap’s terms say it may end accounts after prolonged inactivity and \"may reclaim your username at any time for any reason.\"",
          "tone": "locked"
        },
        {
          "label": "Deletion frees name",
          "value": "Not documented",
          "note": "Deleting deactivates the account for 30 days (reactivatable), then permanent deletion follows 30 days after that - Snap documents no release of the username at any point.",
          "tone": "locked"
        },
        {
          "label": "Rename cooldown",
          "value": "Once a year",
          "note": "Username changes are allowed every 12 months to the day.",
          "tone": "neutral"
        },
        {
          "label": "How we check",
          "value": "Taken is certain",
          "note": "A public profile proves a name is taken. A name with no public profile can still be private or reserved, so we say so instead of promising it is free.",
          "tone": "conditional"
        },
        {
          "label": "Drop outlook",
          "value": "Effectively closed",
          "note": "Previously-owned names don’t come back. The supply is never-registered names - check ideas now and claim instantly when one is free.",
          "tone": "locked"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "Snapchat Support - How do I change my Snapchat username?",
          "url": "https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7012349845140-How-do-I-change-my-Snapchat-username"
        },
        {
          "title": "Snapchat Support - What is a Display Name on Snapchat?",
          "url": "https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7012316571540-What-is-a-Display-Name-on-Snapchat-How-do-I-change-it"
        },
        {
          "title": "Snapchat Support - How do I deactivate or delete my Snapchat account?",
          "url": "https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7012328360596-How-do-I-deactivate-or-delete-my-Snapchat-account"
        },
        {
          "title": "Snapchat Support - Username Infringement",
          "url": "https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7047503878804-Username-Infringement"
        },
        {
          "title": "Snap - Terms of Service",
          "url": "https://www.snap.com/terms"
        },
        {
          "title": "Snapchat Support on X - Previously owned usernames",
          "url": "https://x.com/snapchatsupport/status/1920377621302391091"
        },
        {
          "title": "Snap Newsroom - Username change announcement (Feb 2022)",
          "url": "https://newsroom.snap.com/username-change"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}