Why Is ICQ, the Original Instant Messenger, Shutting Down in 2024?

ICQ, the pioneering instant messaging software, announced it will cease operations on June 26, urging users to switch to VK Messenger.

In the early days of the Internet, before broadband, most users connected via dial‑up modems at 33.6 or 56 kbps, with few companies using ISDN.

ICQ dominated global instant messaging, known for its “wo‑o” notification sound and numeric user IDs, becoming a collective memory for tech‑savvy generations born in the 70s and 80s. Its popularity peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s, reaching over 100 million users.

The name ICQ derives from “I seek you.” Founded in November 1996 by three Israelis under the company Mirabilis, it was the first of its kind.

ICQ inspired many Chinese instant messaging products, most notably Tencent’s QQ, originally called OICQ (“Open ICQ”). QQ later rebranded after a lawsuit from ICQ.

In late 1998, AOL acquired ICQ for $407 million. As competitors like MSN Messenger emerged, ICQ’s usage declined, and in 2010 it was sold to Russian firm Mail.Ru.

Mail.Ru attempted to modernize ICQ, releasing Android and iOS apps in 2011, but development stalled and the apps were eventually removed from app stores.

Despite a 28‑year lifespan, ICQ outlasted many rivals; for example, MSN Messenger ceased operations in 2014.