Arabella Asis Tech 05.26.2024 23:May PM EDT

ICQ Announces Closure on June 26 After Almost Three Decades of Service

ICQ shared with the public that its service will effectively stop working from June 16, ending its 28 years of service.

In a page announcement, ICQ reminded its users that they can still chat using VK Messenger for personal conversations and VK WorkSpace for professional setup.

ICQ Ends Instant Messaging Service After 28 Years

ICQ gained widespread popularity in the late 1990s and early 200s due to its instant messaging feature. Back in the day, services that offered real-time conversations were hugely popular, to this day.

Despite peaking with millions of users worldwide, its popularity started to decline due to the increased competition in instant messaging services. AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger became its top competitors.

ICQ managed to upgrade into a modern version due to the rapid release of social media and messaging apps like Telegram and Facebook Messenger. The modern version of ICQ features similar functions to popular messaging apps.

ICQ Bids Goodbye Amid Tight App Competition

Despite its effort to adopt advanced features from modern messenger apps, ICQ failed to regain its popularity. The Verge reported that the app has been gone on Apple's digital shop and Google Play Store for months already.

ICQ was handled by various companies starting from an Israeli company Mirabilis which was bought by AOL in 1998. The service was eventually sold to Digital Sky Technologies, the firm that owned VK, in 2010.

People who have experienced using ICQ have started to share their early memories of the platform. Some users revealed talking to their loved ones and enjoying its impeccable service at the time, including the iconic "Uh oh!" alert.

Current users of ICQ will have until June 26 to use the platform's features like video calling, sending voice messages, and even managing channels. Afterward, they must transfer to other messaging apps.