
This allows an ICQ user to change every piece of information about their account - screen name, email address, real name, home town - and still have the same primary identification. Rather than making use of unique screen identities chosen by the user, as AIM uses, or using the user’s email address, as MSN Messenger and Google Talk use, ICQ instead created a unique identification number (UIN) for each user. There was a time when ICQ was by far the dominant instant messenger client in existence, and for many companies during the dot-com years it was a preferred mode of communication between them and customers.
#Icq sing up install#
It was the first instant messenger client to truly use a graphical user interface (GUI), and was easy to install and use for almost anyone. ICQ was an innovator in the field of instant messaging.

ICQ and other messaging programs make use of various emoticons to convey simple emotions. The company relied very little on traditional marketing, instead depending on the viral effect as customers told their friends about it, and their friends in turn told their friends. Mirabilis was funded primarily by one of the founder’s fathers, as well as other small investors. ICQ6.5 and above do work as-is, but 5.1 and 6.In 1996, an Israeli company called Mirabilis released their instant messaging product: ICQ.
#Icq sing up pro#
The earliest retro version of ICQ that still works with the servers is ICQ 2000a, and the latest retro versions that work are ICQ Pro 2003b and ICQ 5.0. I’d recommend you’d go to for your old application needs, but since its ICQ downloads don’t seem to work, plus the fact that has had its downloads broken for a while, try searching for the legacy client you want to use. Step 5: Now that the ICQ account setup has been dealt with, time to actually download your flavour of legacy ICQ client. Got your account set up? Great! Now let’s get to actually installing ICQ onto your computer: In the “Email address” column, click on “Add”, where you’ll have to enter in your ICQ password and your e-mail address in order to link the e-mail address. Step 4 (Optional): If you don’t want to actually reset your password by getting a SMS code every time or if you want people to find you via e-mail, log in with either your UIN and password or phone number at icq.com, go to your profile by clicking on your name at the top of the page, and click on “My Profile”, where you’ll be able to edit your details. To be compliant with the old ICQ client, make sure the password is 8 characters or less. Step 3.5: Once the criteria has been met, go back to the password recovery page without being logged in and follow the instructions on the page to set your new password. This leaves you no other choice but to leave your ICQ account for 24+ hours until you can technically set a password on it. But here’s yet another caveat - if you have had your ICQ account for less that 24+ hours, ICQ will refuse to let you reset your password unless the criteria has been met. And since the ICQ site doesn’t even offer that option anymore during registration, you have to seek the password recovery service.

If you want to log in onto the older versions of the ICQ client, you have to have a password set up on your account. Step 3: If you don’t have a password set up on your ICQ and if you’ve just registered, this a key player - Wait exactly 24 hours since the day you registered on ICQ.
#Icq sing up registration#
Step 2: Set up your basic details, like your first name and last name (you’d be forced to fill them out during the registration process, so they’d already be set up, but you can change or remove them at any time), nickname, etc., if you want.

Step 1: Go to and register an account as per usual (that does mean registering with your phone number, which isn’t escapable at this point).
#Icq sing up how to#
If you don’t have an ICQ account with a password set up on it or if you don’t have one at all, here’s how to get started: And the fact that ICQ still offers UINs makes it all the more possible for users old and new. If you’re not aware, there are older versions of ICQ that still work.
