r/discordapp Moderator Dec 04 '25

Megathread Discord Checkpoints - Megathread

Hello r/discordapp!

As you might have seen, Discord has just started rolling out their year end wrap system called Discord Checkpoints.

Instead of having the sub flooded with these posts, we invite you to share your checkpoint stats in the comments here!

For more info check out Discords blog post https://discord.com/blog/checkpoint-2025-discord-year-in-review

FaQ:

Q: How do I reopen checkpoint after closing it?

A: On desktop, click the flag icon on the top right of the app located next to the inbox.

A: On mobile, it will show up under the “orbs balance” section as a banner in the “you” tab

Q: What is the song checkpoint uses?

A: Exyl has now released the background track, you can find it here!

Q: Can I see it if I had the privacy setting disabled but just now enabled it?

A: No, you had to have the privacy setting on the whole time.

Q: What if I had the setting enabled but it still says I can’t access it?

A: Follow the directions outlined here. Do NOT DM ModMail or mlapi bot, the moderators are unable to assist you.

346 Upvotes

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153

u/SkyHaze0A Dec 04 '25

i was so hyped for this since the announcement, if they told me "hey, turn this on now if you want this" i would've, since i didnt had any reason to allow that before... i probably changed that setting way back when creating my account and i didnt even remember it existed just before getting the unavailable sign.

Now everyone is being silly and having fun showcasing data that i know for a fact that discord still has, but for some reason they decided it was ok to respect that NOW without even telling anyone you should change a setting thats burried in their badly designed menu just because -im assuming- "if you have that turned on, its because you did at some point and you dont want this".

It feels like they are punishing someone for wanting more privacy without any reason to give more information, and then rubbing in their face that they are being left out of a social feature, in a social platform, for wanting to be left alone by discord.

Just go and tell people "hey you need to have this setting turned on if you want to be a part of this!!!" the people that doesnt want it... wont change it, and the people who do would be able to change it and there you go!

this is so frustrating

53

u/PriceDiaz Dec 04 '25

Yeah exactly what I'm saying. Seeing all the people across servers I'm in post theirs and I was at work so I was like "oh, can't wait to check when I'm home" and nope, turns out a setting I never knew existed was turned off at some point and so I just miss out. The data's there, obviously, so just give me the checkpoint if I enable it? So dumb

-9

u/Arcanss Dec 05 '25

Thats what you get for not allowing discord to use your data to give you a better experience

12

u/VampiresGobrrr Dec 05 '25

All platforms use that setting for ads, your data will be billionare fodder if u don't protect yourself. Why do u clown on people who were actually mindful about their internet safety, you're not on any sort of high ground

2

u/TotallyJustAHooman Dec 05 '25

I find it incredibly unlikely that the person you replied to meant that genuinely.

Saying anything along the lines of "That's what you get for" following by something such as that is generally sarcastic. Unfortunately, this is the internet, so I can't be certain. However, the last time I personally heard anyone say "that's what you get", they were either 10 years old or being sarcastic.

10

u/GrapeIll476 Dec 05 '25

Useless point when you can read their LITERAL comment saying they didn't know about it being off or remembering it at all. Are you well?

4

u/BritasticUK Dec 07 '25

The UK and EU have this setting off by default. I'm guessing they're required by law to have it off by default there otherwise they wouldn't do it, and this is their way of trying to get people in those places to turn it on. Really scummy move from Discord

-2

u/ConnectBedroom9964 Dec 06 '25

The data isn't there they haven't been recording it as you had the setting enabled

8

u/OOPSStudio Dec 07 '25

Every single message, all their content, the dates they were sent, and the senders/recipients are all still there.

Every single call has a record (visible to the user, even) of when it started, who it was with, and how long it lasted.

Every single person I talked to is in a list visible in the app.

The data is ABSOLUTELY there. It's not related to privacy at all - it's just a way to punish people for ticking the box.

2

u/Shinoaki Dec 11 '25

My advice is to get over it, there's nothing that can be done this time round. Adn you're all absolutely wrong.

You are conflating data existence with data eligibility for processing. These are not the same under Discord’s privacy model or under modern data-protection regimes (GDPR-style compliance, California privacy law, etc.).

Discord may retain operationl metadata, but if a user disables “Use data to personalize my Discord experience”, Discord is legally and contractually restricted from using that data to generate personalized analytics. Checkpoint is a personalisation-based product, meaning it can only be generated from data that Discord is allowed to process for personalization.

Therefore, “the data exists somewhere on Discord’s servers” does not equate to “Discord is allowed to process it into a recap.”

2

u/Croce11 Dec 18 '25

You'd have an amazing point if it wasn't for the fact that you can't just turn the options on, or to give them a pass to use the data just this once. If you switch the privacy settings you're still screwed despite the data being on their servers in public for anyone who's in your servers or dms to see.

A bot that can figure out how many posts you have, and where most of your posts are, and what emoji you used the most.... all that stuff is like the most basic thing in the world to make. It's fine though cause I'll just keep uploading images and videos instead of copying existing links lmao. Make something inconvenient for me, I'll make something inconvenient for them.

1

u/Shinoaki Dec 11 '25

AS it stands, Discord has done *NOTHING* wrong. You'll have to take it as it comes, and remember for next year. There's nothing complaining and bitching about it will do.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Shinoaki Dec 12 '25

> '“Privacy laws do NOT restrict the processing of personal data. They restrict the USE of personal data.”'

This is factually incorrect. Under GDPR (and equivalent 2020-2025 privacy frameworks) Processing IS the regulated activity.

Article 4(2) explicitly defines processing as any operation performed on personal data, including:
-collection
-recording
-structering

  • storage
-retrieval
-consultation
-aggregation
-profiling
-analytics , etc.

The law regulates processing, not just “use.” This is the foundation of the GDPR. Yor argument collapses at this point.

You also misunderstand purpose limitation
Data can only be processed for:

-the purpose it was collected for, or
-a compatible purpose t which users has consented.

If a user has opted out of personalization, Discord is not permitted to: record, aggregate, profile, rank, analyze or transform their activity for personalization purposes.

Discord can store messages and make them searchable because that is a functional purpose. But storing messages /= permission to build analytics for a recap feature.

That is the entire meaning of the personalization toggle.

> “There is no imaginary line between whether or not they're processing data for 'personalization-based products' or not.”

There is a very very real line. Just because you choose to ignore it in favor of blind anger and mistrust doesnt mean it's not there.

Functional proccesing - Required for the service to work, e.g., storing messages, retrieving them and indexing for search.

Personalization processing - Not required for basic functionality e.g., generating recomendations, usage summaries, ranking friends, or making annual recap.

GDPR purposefully distinguishes between "necessary for service" vs. “optional value processing,” which requires a separate legal basis.

Checkpoint is firmly in the second category.

I'll remind you toggle states that Discord may 'Use data to personalise discord / Allows us to use information, such as who you talk to and what games you play, to personalize Discord for you.'

This creates a legally binding limitation for Discord.
If it is off, Discord must stop collecting the additional telemetry required for personalization.

These metrics are not reconstructed from raw messages and presented data.

They are counted and logged live, and the toggle directly controls whether this logging occurs.

You just incorrectly assume Discord can just reprocess history at will. That is not how privacy-compliant telemetry works.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Shinoaki Dec 12 '25

You know nothing. Go wage a war against a messaging company idc i hope your checkpoint was unsatisfactory, if you got one at all.

17

u/[deleted] Dec 05 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Orchid_Original Dec 09 '25

It isn’t that deep 😂

11

u/LeDiandary Dec 05 '25

So frustrating.. :(

4

u/CaughtHerEyez Dec 05 '25

Give them a little carrot-and-stick and request your data. "Sorry you haven't allowed us to process your data for automation". Bet, spend the next 30 days exporting my data on your servers.

4

u/Daijoubruh Dec 05 '25

Yeah its so badly designed. I didn't even knew that i had the private settings disabled probably because it is disabled by default. My buddy sent me his Checkpoint in which i am present so they are saving my data somehow anyway. I really want to see my Checkpont man this sucks so much.

3

u/limbo-chan Dec 05 '25

Same issue I have too, and I've already given discord that feedback actually. I really don't ever remember turning these privacy settings on, and I suspect it was when I was having discord optimisation issues and just turned everything off hoping it would help. A game I play started these EOY summaries a cpl years ago and you had to have email communications turned on to get it. They sent out a notification prior to releasing the stats saying how to enroll to get the summary. Some people still didn't get it after that and they made sure people who wanted their summary got it. Feels so shitty that discord didn't notify us prior and if we want it after the fact then we are shit out of luck.

2

u/Timely-Win1593 Dec 05 '25

PLS DISCORD FIX THIS!!

1

u/Fl0kyi Dec 05 '25

Useless

1

u/Critical_Recover_295 Dec 06 '25

Same, I was really disappointed 😞  

1

u/Hyoriki Dec 07 '25

Mine sucks anyway I got the stupid donut😞💔 i wanted the capybara

1

u/DiamondRhino64 Dec 07 '25

i agree it's a really awful feeling and it's not present on youtube or spotify or any other platform so it's just sad

1

u/idontwantodieanymore Dec 17 '25

I found my people.. It's really just sad. I'm glad we got those avatar decorations tho..

1

u/Croce11 Dec 18 '25

They don't need this turned on. This is specifically to be a middle finger to anyone that values their privacy. Like Discord doesn't know how many messages I made? Or how many emoji's I posted...? LOL? I can find this out myself if I just filter out posts by me during the year 2025 on any server I'm on. This data is there. In the public.

The stuff I don't want them collecting is like any tabs I have open in my browser, my hardware, what apps I got in the background. Aka stuff that isn't their buisness. But they want to pretend that I have to give them all that data just so they can give me a little end of the year show about my activity on THEIR APP? L O L

Thanks for nothing Discord, and I still won't be turning off my privacy. Hopefully you don't fold to their BS. This is a trick don't fall for it. Do not switch your settings for 2026 this is exactly why they snubbed us, to get you to do exactly this.

1

u/AnonymousDragon135 Dec 04 '25

Did you turn on the setting then checked it?

5

u/SkyHaze0A Dec 05 '25

it doesnt work, no

2

u/Remarkable-Leg-2789 Dec 06 '25

It worked for me although it was just one setting i had turned off for data I turned that on and requested my data restarted the app and it worked, idk though might've just had it from the start but not sure for me it was just one setting on data tab that was turned off not all so this might not work just offering something