ICQ Messenger to Shut Down After 28 Years in June

The iconic instant messaging service ICQ will cease operations on June 26, with VK Messenger suggested as an alternative. ICQ, launched in 1996 by Mirabilis and later acquired by AOL, once boasted over 100 million users but declined with the rise of competitors and the end of the dialup era. The service was sold to Russian firm Digital Sky Technologies in 2010, which later became VK. However, VK's apps were removed from Google and Apple app stores in 2022, leaving ICQ users without a direct successor.