Bear in mind ICQ? In case you grew up within the late 90s and early 2000s, you have to have heard of ICQ, one of the crucial widespread messaging apps of that point. However like all good issues, its time has come. The platform can be saying goodbye after 28 years on June twenty sixth.
ICQ, a social media pioneer, is saying goodbye on June twenty sixth
ICQ was one of many first prompt messaging apps that we ever used. I Search You, aka ICQ, was developed by the Israeli firm Mirabilis earlier than it was acquired by AOL in 1996 after which by VK in 2010. The platform had greater than 100 million registered accounts throughout its peak time round 2001. And through its acquisition by VK, it had 42 million every day customers.
Nonetheless, with the rise in recognition of different social media apps like WhatsApp and Fb Messenger, ICQ slowly started to vanish into obscurity.
The corporate, which boasted a powerful 42 million every day customers again in 2010, was solely left with 11 million month-to-month customers in 2022. They tried to win again customers by introducing new software program referred to as ICQ New; nevertheless, that effort didn’t do a lot to regain their recognition.
Now, the corporate has determined it’s lastly time to close down. They posted a easy message on their web site — ICQ will cease working from June 26. The message additionally encourages customers to modify to VK Messenger for chatting with mates and VK Workspace for chatting with colleagues. That’s all the web site affords; no grand farewell message in regards to the historical past of the service or rationalization for the shutdown.
This was the anticipated transfer, contemplating the app’s removing from main app shops
The ICQ app disappeared from the Google Play Retailer and App Retailer a very long time in the past. This means that ICQ started engaged on its shutdown properly prematurely, they usually’re simply formally saying goodbye now.
It’s undoubtedly the top of an period, although most of us thought it had already ended. We’ll keep in mind and miss the long-lasting Uh oh! alert that used to play at any time when we received a message.