The end of an era: ICQ will be shut down on 26 June 2024

Many saw it coming, now it's official. ICQ, the former pioneer of instant messaging services, will be shut down on 26 June 2024. The company announced this on its own website.

Remember the good old days when the "Ah-oh!" on your computer announced a new message? ICQ was launched in 1996 and was one of the first and most popular instant messaging services. Almost everyone in my circle of friends at the time used it for years. We even did our homework on ICQ. It revolutionised the way people communicated with each other online.

From Israeli start-up to market leader

ICQ is an acronym for the English "I Seek You". It was developed by the Israeli start-up company Mirabilis and the four Israeli students Yair Goldfinger, Arik Vardi, Sefi Vigiser and Amnon Amir. From June 1998, ICQ was owned by the US company AOL (purchase price approx. 407 million US dollars). However, it was sold on to the Russian investment company VK (then Mail.ru Group or Digital Sky Technologies) for USD 187.5 million in April 2010.

According to various sources, ICQ had well over 100 million users at its peak in the early 2000s. This made it the market leader in the instant messaging sector.

ICQ was cult: sounds, colourful design and games

It not only offered fast virtual communication, but also some popular little mini-games such as "Zoopaloola", "Rock Paper Scissors", "Slide a Lama" and "Warsheep". In general, the colourful, noisy and flashing design was iconic at the time and many people could no longer imagine everyday life without it.

Competition for the former pioneer

Over the years, however, ICQ has had to contend with increasing competition from other platforms such as MSN Messenger, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. In 2013, the messenger only had eleven million users. Despite several attempts to modernise and keep up with the changing needs of users, ICQ was never able to regain its former dominance.

The decision to discontinue the service therefore comes as no surprise. Nevertheless, it marks the end of an era and will evoke nostalgic feelings for many who took their first steps in digital communication with ICQ.

When was the last time you used Messenger and, most importantly, was it "Ah-oh!" or "Uh-oh!"? Let me know in the comments.