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Meta Rolls Out Nicknames and Avatars for Facebook Groups

The option gives members a private, persistent identity inside groups under moderator oversight.

Overview

  • The feature is live worldwide but must be enabled by each group's administrators, with some groups requiring approval of individual nicknames.
  • Members can post, comment, and react using a custom nickname found alongside the “Post anonymously” option, and they can switch back to their real name at any time.
  • Nicknames hide a user’s main profile from other members while remaining visible to admins, moderators, and Facebook systems, and groups surface a user’s nickname post history and recent activity.
  • Nicknames must follow Community Standards and be unique within a group, and certain functions are unavailable under a nickname, including Live Video, some sharing, and private messaging, with blocking supported by nickname.
  • Users can change a nickname only once every two days, and updates apply to past posts and comments over time, with setup offering preselected avatars and suggested profile images or backgrounds.