A username can only use English letters (a to z), numbers and the underscore _, and it needs 3 to 30 of them. It also has to be free: nobody else can have it, or have had it in the last 60 days. The message under the field tells you which rule it broke.
What the message means
| Message | What’s wrong |
|---|---|
| English letters, numbers and _ only, at least 3 characters | It has a space, a dot, a dash, an Arabic letter or another symbol, or it’s shorter than 3 characters. |
| That username is taken. | Someone else has it, or gave it up less than 60 days ago. |
| A username is required | The field is empty. |
| Could not save that. | The change didn’t reach us. Check your connection and try again. |
Things that catch people out
- Dots. A dot isn’t allowed. Some older usernames have one and still work, but a new username can’t.
- Capital letters. You can type them, but they’re saved as small letters. SaraK becomes sarak.
- Your own old username. After you change it, your old one counts as taken for 60 days, even for you.
- Length. The field stops at 30 characters.
Tip: If the one you want is taken, add numbers or an underscore, like sara_khalil or sara2026.
On the website
When you change it in Settings → Profile, the reason shows after you click Save changes. The sign-up form on ayyam.com uses the same two messages: That username is taken. or Username must be 3-30 characters: a-z, 0-9 or _.
The app doesn’t ask for a username at sign-up. It makes one for you, and you can change it afterwards.