"Uh-oh": ICQ returns as a fan project
More than two years after the end of ICQ, a community project is bringing the messenger back. "ICQ Reborn" adopts central features of the original, but uses its own servers and is currently only available for Windows.
The (green) flower symbol, the numbered user ID, and the familiar "Uh-oh" sound are back. To this day, however, it sounds more like "Ah-oh!" to me. With "ICQ Reborn", fans have redeveloped the messenger from the early 2000s. The free software is closely based on the original in terms of appearance and functionality.
After registration, you will receive a new UIN (User Identification Number), through which other people can find you and add you as a contact. In addition to direct chats, the messenger also supports offline messages. These are temporarily stored on the server and delivered as soon as the recipient logs in again.
Old accounts remain lost
The new edition has nothing to do technically with the original ICQ. The community project uses its own servers and is not connected to the former operator VK. Therefore, old ICQ numbers, contacts, and messages cannot be transferred or restored. Currently, "ICQ Reborn" is exclusively available for Windows 10 and Windows 11. Versions for macOS, Linux, Android, or iOS are not yet available.
ICQ launched in 1996 and was one of the first globally successful instant messaging services. Especially in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the messenger shaped the online communication of many internet users. At its peak, the program reached more than 100 million users. You can read more about the rise and fall of the messenger in my previous article on the shutdown of ICQ.
Whether an active user community will form around "ICQ Reborn" again will only become clear in the coming months. However, since previous contact data cannot be transferred, users will have to completely rebuild their network.
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