90s instant messaging service shuts down after 28 years — ICQ will stop working from June 26

Roshan Ashraf Shaikh
·2 min read
VOIP and messaging platform ICQ finally shurs down.
VOIP and messaging platform ICQ finally shurs down.

Once popular messaging service ICQ (short for I Seek You) will finally shut its operations on June 26, almost 28 years since its launch in 1996. The messaging platform peaked at nine million users and had 2.5 million daily active users. The number of users it was able to have globally was remarkable at the time, given that most users were on dial-up connections and DSL internet was brand new and limited to a handful of countries.

AOL acquired ICQ from Mirabilis in 1998 for $407 million. In 2010, Mail.Ru, later renamed VK, acquired the platform because it was trendy in Russia. The company intended to modernize the app while making it cross-platform-compatible.

ICQ now recommends its existing users migrate towards a Russian-based social media service, VK, which acquired this messaging system from AOL. VK did try to modernize ICQ by developing apps for Android and iOS but eventually gave up. Despite this announcement, ICQ's X account hinted at a return. Apart from feeling nostalgic, many would doubt if ICQ could retain its once-dominant position in a time with many such apps. The migration process differs from when MSN Messenger and its chat rooms were closed, transferring users to Skype.

The silent demise of ICQ, in a way, reflects the current state of communication through the internet as people use WhatsApp and other mobile-based communication while using social media services like Facebook, X, and others. Russia has its social media platform, VK, much like China's platforms. There is a saturation of social media and cross-platform messaging platforms with the ability to integrate voice and camera conversations and make online payments. To its credit, ICQ was able to exist in some form, outlasting services offered by MSN, AOL, Yahoo, and social media sites like MySpace, Orkut, and Google.

Irrespective of ICQ's cryptic post about its comeback, ICQ's legacy since the 90s is respectable, along with its influence on its users during the pre-social media days. ICQ will always live on in users' minds, such as those who have made long-lasting friendships and relationships thanks to the messaging platform. Apps and social media services may shut down eventually, but the memories made on these platforms will always live on.