When users “upgrade” to a username on id.ai, our app receives a new principal instead of the same one. So their previous balance (and any state tied to the old principal) no longer appears and they freak out. We then have to explain how to sign in with the old identity.
We use Internet Identity as recommended. Is the intended behavior that “upgrade to username” creates a new identity (new principal), or should it keep the same identity so the same principal is preserved? If it’s supposed to preserve the same identity, we’d like to know so we can report this as a bug or adjust our integration.
Could you clarify what exactly you mean by that, please? Are you referring to upgrading legacy Internet Identities to 2.0?
Is the intended behavior that “upgrade to username” creates a new identity (new principal), or should it keep the same identity so the same principal is preserved?
The intention is that the users get the same principal in your app after they upgrade and sign in using 2.0. However, some users get confused by the unfamiliar UI and accidentally create a new identity instead of signing in to their upgraded one. Here’s a direct link to the tutorial video where @sea-snake shows the process of signing in from a dapp for the first time after an upgrade.
Subject: Issue with Multiple Internet Identities and Proposal for an “Identity Merge” Feature
Hi everyone,
I am currently managing four different Internet Identity (II) anchors, and I’ve encountered a persistent and frustrating issue regarding the “Enable Multiple Accounts” feature.
The Problem:
I am using Chrome on Windows, and every time I try to log into a neuron associated with my fourth Internet Identity, the system doesn’t seem to remember the link. Even though I have previously performed the “upgrade” to enable multiple accounts, if I select it from the list, it appears as a “new” Identity with 0 ICP. I find myself forced to repeat the upgrade/linking process every single time I want to access that specific anchor, as if the browser or the II dapp has no memory of my previous action.
Feature Suggestion: Merge Internet Identities
We already have the ability to merge neurons within the same Internet Identity to simplify management. Has the community or the DFINITY team considered a “Merge Internet Identities” feature?
Managing multiple anchors (especially when they behave inconsistently like in my case) creates a lot of friction. Being able to consolidate multiple anchors into a single one—transferring all associated neurons and assets securely—would significantly improve the UX for long-term power users.
A few questions for the community:
Is anyone else using Chrome on Windows and experiencing this “reset” behavior where you have to re-enable multiple accounts repeatedly?
Are there any technical roadmaps that include consolidating multiple Identity Anchors?
Until a merge feature exists, what is the most stable way to manage 4+ anchors without losing the local “link” between them in the browser?
Looking forward to your insights!
Since the naming of all this stuff is confusing, here’s a legend:
II2# = Internet Identity 2.0 ID number
II2UN = Internet Identity 2.0 user name
No. I mean, after choosing a username, when logging into an app using II2UN, it created a new principal ID/account than my II2# login. This seems really confusing for users as they’re technically logging in with the same II account, but with an alias. Now users have to manage 2 principal IDs on the same app. Super annoying from a UX standpoint and from a dev standpoint.
This is one of the many reasons why I’ve requested: allow users to view all app balances and principal IDs/app connections in one place, whether on Internet Identity or some other utility app.
The dropdown on the top right shows the last 3 used identities. But you can see all local available passkeys (named after their respective identities) by going to: use another identity → continue with passkey → use existing identity
We’re aware of this last used limit and the fact that users have created multiple identities over time, the combination of both is further complicating the user experience.
We’re looking into ways to improve this user experience at this moment.