What was it?
The original mass-market IM. 'Uh-oh!' sound, 6-9 digit numbers as IDs. Peak of 100M+ users in early 2000s. The original.
What happened?
VK (formerly Mail.ru, which bought ICQ from AOL in 2010) shut down ICQ on June 26, 2024 after 28 years. Pivoted to VK Messenger.
Migration Guide
Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp, or VK Messenger (for ICQ migrants).
Timeline & context
ICQ shut down in June 2024, 2 years ago. It sat in the design category, where Soft.xyz tracks 7 discontinued products in total. If you are still running it in production, the migration path above is the shortest route off it.
FAQ
Why did ICQ shut down?
VK (formerly Mail.ru, which bought ICQ from AOL in 2010) shut down ICQ on June 26, 2024 after 28 years. Pivoted to VK Messenger.
What should I migrate ICQ to?
No drop-in replacement is tracked yet — check the design category for current options.
Is there a free alternative to ICQ?
Not among the tracked alternatives.