{"id":282093,"date":"2024-05-27T07:41:35","date_gmt":"2024-05-27T14:41:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/es\/?p=333133"},"modified":"2025-07-01T16:25:51","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T23:25:51","slug":"the-first-instant-messaging-service-bids-us-farewell-after-28-years-in-operation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/the-first-instant-messaging-service-bids-us-farewell-after-28-years-in-operation\/","title":{"rendered":"The first instant messaging service bids us farewell after 28 years in operation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>ICQ<\/strong>, considered the first instant messaging service, is closing its doors after almost 28 years. The Russian company <strong>VK<\/strong>, which has been managing ICQ since 2010, <a href=\"https:\/\/icq.com\/desktop\/en?#mac\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">announced<\/a> last Friday that <strong>&#8220;ICQ will stop working from June 26th&#8221;<\/strong> and urged its users to migrate to other chat apps from the company.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"WhatsApp\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_app-icon-s\/p\/6b5a0468-96d1-11e6-bfc6-00163ec9f5fa\/2095394417\/whatsapp-logo\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">WhatsApp<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DOWNLOAD<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--0\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"0\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\"><\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The service was a pioneer in the world of instant messaging along with <strong>AOL Instant Messenger<\/strong> and <strong>MSN Messenger<\/strong>, and stood out for <strong>assigning users a number<\/strong> instead of aliases or email addresses, as well as offering unique features such as <strong>SMS messaging and the ability to send messages to offline people<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ICQ was launched in 1996 by the Israeli company <strong>Mirabilis<\/strong> and was acquired by AOL in 1998. At its peak, ICQ <strong>had 100 million registered users<\/strong>, however, the service experienced a decline and in 2010 it was sold to Digital Sky Technologies, now known as VK.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/ICQ-cierre-servicio-1024x576-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-282096\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/ICQ-cierre-servicio-1024x576-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/ICQ-cierre-servicio-1024x576-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/ICQ-cierre-servicio-1024x576-1-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/ICQ-cierre-servicio-1024x576-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/ICQ-cierre-servicio-1024x576-1-664x374.jpg 664w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/ICQ-cierre-servicio-1024x576-1-238x134.jpg 238w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/ICQ-cierre-servicio-1024x576-1-436x246.jpg 436w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/ICQ-cierre-servicio-1024x576-1-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/ICQ-cierre-servicio-1024x576-1-304x170.jpg 304w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/ICQ-cierre-servicio-1024x576-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot of ICQ website with the announcement of the end of the service<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The modern version of ICQ resembled contemporary apps like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/a-recent-beta-of-whatsapp-adds-an-excellent-search-function\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">WhatsApp<\/a><\/strong> or <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/sticker-lovers-are-in-luck-this-is-the-latest-addition-to-telegram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Telegram<\/a><\/strong>, but <strong>its presence in digital stores has been uncertain<\/strong>. A <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230314145831\/https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/app\/id302707408?platform=iphone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">Internet Archive<\/a><\/strong> screenshot from March 2023 showed it in the iOS <strong>App Store<\/strong>, although the app is no longer available in the Apple store or the Google <strong>Play Store<\/strong> for months.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"WhatsApp\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_app-icon-s\/p\/6b5a0468-96d1-11e6-bfc6-00163ec9f5fa\/2095394417\/whatsapp-logo\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">WhatsApp<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DOWNLOAD<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--0\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"0\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\"><\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ICQ, considered the first instant messaging service, is closing its doors after almost 28 years. The Russian company VK, which has been managing ICQ since 2010, announced last Friday that &#8220;ICQ will stop working from June 26th&#8221; and urged its users to migrate to other chat apps from the company. The service was a pioneer &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/the-first-instant-messaging-service-bids-us-farewell-after-28-years-in-operation\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;The first instant messaging service bids us farewell after 28 years in operation&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9256,"featured_media":282095,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":1},"categories":[1015],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-282093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9256"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282093"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":312966,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282093\/revisions\/312966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/282095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282093"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=282093"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=282093"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=282093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}