"TamTam is a more traditional messaging app that is cantered not only on emotional values, but also on rational ones, such as speed, convenience, pragmatism and broad functionality," Group general director Boris Dobrodeyev explained the idea of the app at the time of launch. Still, the Russian online major's interest in the instant messaging app segment has not subsided, and, in 2017, it launched another similar app, TamTam. This decline has continued ever since, and currently, according to Group, ICQ has about 11mn monthly users. In 1998, AOL bought the service and sold it to Group in 2010 in a $187.5mn deal.īy then, the messaging client's popularity had declined from its early 2000s peak of more than 100mn users to around 42mn users. While the name ICQ derives from the English phrase "I Seek You," the messenger was originally developed by the Israeli firm Mirabilis back in 1996. Up to 30 people could take part in audio and video calls.
Meanwhile, to cater to the needs of companies whose employees are working remotely under the lockdown regime, ICQ New has a feature for group calls. A platform for creating bots is also available.
However, unlike the previous versions, ICQ New has an artificial intelligence component that can help provide quick replies and convert voice messages into text. Group has released a new version of ICQ, bluntly dubbed ICQ New, which has been available in app stores since April 6 and can be installed as an update of previous ICQ versions, Kommersant reported. However, in Russia, both services have been lagging behind more popular WhatsApp, Viber and Telegram. Group has owned ICQ since 2010 and has been developing another similar service, TamTam, since 2017. Russian online major Group is relaunching the messaging client ICQ in a bid to capitalise on an increased interest in videoconferencing services amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.
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