ICQ: iconic messaging will go offline after almost 28 years

One of the most traditional text messaging programs on the internet is closing its doors. ICQ will officially stop working from June 26 this yearAccording to a message published on the official website of the app.

The service, which was famous for those who communicated with friends over the Internet in the late 1990s, still existed, but I’ve only been getting occasional updates for years functions such as video calls and end-to-end encryption.

The statement does not go so far as to state the reason for the termination of the application. Still, the decision is understandable. It never regained the popularity of its heyday.

ICQ’s intense history on the internet

ICQ was developed in Israel in 1996 by a small company called Mirabilis. The name is an acronym derived from the pronunciation of the phrase “I’m looking for you” (or “I’m looking for you” in the English translation).

In addition to the scheme of adding contacts by nine-digit numerical code instead of name or email, the tool stood out with features such as sending messages to those who are offline, the characteristic sound of receiving messages and integration with SMS.

It quickly became one of the most popular digital chat alternatives on the market, competing on equal terms with the giant AOL Instant Messenger. Under threat, AOL purchased ICQ in 1998.

According to the statement made at that time, ICQ had 100 million users in total; This was a very important figure for that period. It began to lose popularity, especially in the second half of the 2000s, when MSN Messenger (later Windows Live Messenger) reached its peak.

in 2010 service sold to Russian holding VK, the person who owns the brand to this day. According to the company itself, it will now redirect several ICQ users to its own more popular native services, such as VK Messenger for casual conversations and VK WorkSpace for corporate use.

It has remained live as just another instant messaging app in recent years, but without threatening giants like What’s up This Telegram. There were some increases in downloads during the period when these applications were blocked by the courts in Brazil, but the excitement did not last in the long term.

The app was blocked there last year after an investigation by the Federal Police detected the existence of the software. was used to disseminate videos and images containing sexual violence against minors.