ICQ
- Cause of death
- Killed by indifference
- Made by
- VK (originally Mirabilis)
VK shut ICQ down on 26 June 2024 after decades of declining use.
ICQ arrived in November 1996, gave the world the uh-oh notification sound, and had 100 million registered accounts by 2001. AOL bought it, then sold it to a Russian company, and it drifted quietly for another fourteen years. The end came as a two-line notice on icq.com reading "ICQ will stop working from June 26." Nearly 28 years of service, closed with less ceremony than a parking notice.
Standing in the archive
Rank 56 of 127 by lifespan. ICQ outlasted 56% of everything else on file.
Cite this entry
"ICQ." How Long It Lasted, https://www.howlongitlasted.com/thing/icq.
Died nearby
- Airbus A38014y 1m · killed by indifference
- Amazon Fire Phoneabout a year · killed by indifference
- AOL Instant Messengerabout 20 years · killed by indifference
- Atari Jaguarabout 2 years · killed by indifference
- Coca-Cola Spicedunder a year · killed by indifference
Sources
- ICQ, One of the Oldest Instant Messengers, Is Shutting Down — PCMag (archived)
- Pioneering instant messaging program ICQ is finally shutting down after nearly 30 years — PC Gamer
Last checked by a human on 24 July 2026