ICQ, which was once a extremely popular messaging app for a brief interval within the 90s and the early aughts, solely has a month left earlier than it joins the opposite apps and software program of previous within the nice huge farm within the sky. It’ll cease engaged on June 26, in keeping with it web site, which additionally encourages customers to maneuver to VK Messenger for informal chats and to VK WorkSpace for skilled conversations. ICQ got here into the image at a time when most individuals have been utilizing IRC to speak. IRC, nevertheless, was largely meant for group conversations — ICQ made it simple to speak one-on-one.
Customers who signed up for an account bought assigned a quantity that grew longer as time went on, as a result of it was issued sequentially. The shortest numbers had 5 digits, which implies customers who bought them have been there on the very starting. ICQ peaked within the early 2000s when it reached 100 million registered accounts. And whereas it did not take a very long time for AIM, Yahoo Messenger and MSN Messenger to eclipse its reputation, ICQ’s iconic “uh-oh!” notification sound stays memorable for lots of web customers throughout that period.
ICQ, derived from the phrase “I search you,” was developed by Israeli firm Mirabilis. It was then bought by AOL after which by the Russian firm Mail.Ru Group that is now referred to as VK, which has its personal social networking and messaging companies.