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| Original author(s) | Mirabilis |
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| Developer(s) | |
| Initial release | November 15, 1996 |
| Final release | 10.0.46867 (May 27, 2022)
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| Repository | |
| Written in | |
| Platform | |
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| Type | Instant messaging |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | icq |
ICQ New is a cross-platform instant messaging (IM) and VoIP client. The name ICQ derives from the English phrase "I Seek You".[1] Originally developed by the Israeli company Mirabilis in 1996, the client was bought by AOL in 1998, and then by Mail.Ru Group (now VK) in 2010.[2]
The ICQ client application and service were initially released in November 1996, freely available to download. The business did not have traditional marketing and relied mostly on word-of-mouth advertising instead, with customers telling their friends about it, who then informed their friends, and so on.[3] ICQ was among the first stand-alone instant messenger (IM) applications—while real-time chat was not in itself new (Internet Relay Chat [IRC] being the most common platform at the time), the concept of a fully centralized service with individual user accounts focused on one-on-one conversations set the blueprint for later instant messaging services like AIM,[4] and its influence is seen in modern social media applications. ICQ became the first widely adopted IM platform.[5]
At its peak around 2001, ICQ had more than 100 million accounts registered.[1] At the time of the Mail.Ru acquisition in 2010, there were around 42 million daily users.[6] In 2022, ICQ had about 11 million monthly users.[7]
On May 24, 2024, the main page of the website icq.com announced that the service will be shut down on June 26, 2024.[8]
- ^ a b ICQ Surpasses 100 Million Registered Users Archived 2019-05-10 at the Wayback Machine, Time Warner Press Release – May 09, 2001 (accessed 2015-05-12).
- ^ "News". www.businesswire.com (Press release).
- ^ "What Is ICQ? Myths, Scams & More (with pictures)". Easy Tech Junkie. 2023-06-19. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
- ^ "What Ever Happened to ICQ?". TechSpot. 23 February 2022.
- ^ "From AIM to Slack: Tracing the History of Chat Apps". Medium. June 9, 2017.
- ^ Khrennikov, Ilya (29 July 2014), "ICQ Messenger Is Growing for the First Time in Years", Bloomberg Business
- ^ "What Ever Happened to ICQ?". TechSpot. 23 February 2022.
- ^ Kan, Michael (May 24, 2024). "ICQ, One of the Oldest Instant Messengers, Is Shutting Down". pcmag.com.
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