With updates to the WhatsApp privacy policy, many users have cancelled their account and migrated to other messaging apps such as Signal. ICQ, the AOL instant messenger service widely used in the 90's has emerged as another alternative, bringing back the memories under the name ICQ New. See the difference between the mobile apps and learn (or perhaps, recall) how to use it.

ICQ was one of the first internet communication services. Available in the 90's, it attracted millions of young people from all over the world and now, with the new privacy policy, it can be the go to destination of many users. It has the potential to compete with Signal and Telegram, especially in Asia, where app downloads have increased significantly.

Want to better understand the differences between WhatsApp and ICQ and see if the service can be useful to you? Follow the tips below!

Why use ICQ instead of WhatsApp

According to a survey by Sensor Tower, a consulting company that follows the applications market, the download of ICQ has increased considerably in the last weeks reaching over 2 million users. Google Trends also shows that the search in the tool had significant growth - the largest after a decade.

With the dissatisfaction of some users regarding WhatsApp and its policy of sharing data with Facebook, ICQ has gained space in the market. The service, by the way, has added several updates, with new visual identity and interface it now offers collective conversations in video, audio messages and other features.

The traditional ICQ sound has been maintained, for a slightly more nostalgic touch. Furthermore, all messages are encrypted and, according to the platform, "user communications are not shared with any other party" except by court order.

READ MORE:

How to download and use Signal

Difference between ICQ and WhatsApp

Available on various platforms such as PC, Mac and the Play Store, ICQ differs from WhatsApp at some points, but both allow communication through text messaging, voice clips, voice and video calls, Wi-Fi or mobile network connections and group chats.

ICQ also offers an automatic transcription functionality when sending and receiving voice messages and audios. For video calls, it displays a collection of filters, as well as access to group video calls of 30 people. Among other features, the instant messaging service has popular emojis, file and image sharing without compression while maintaining the quality of the file.

Another interesting feature of ICQ is the tab called "Interesting" which allows the user to find chats and channels to Subscribe or join large groups of shared interest, as it happens in Telegram and other social networks.

In short, ICQ brings many features not yet explored by WhatsApp, with the difference of maintaining the user's privacy. Maybe this service is worth a try!

Is ICQ Safe?

ICQ New belongs to the Russian Mailu company. The service administration assures users that only an encrypted TLS-channel is used for the data transmission and that the calls are encrypted and made directly, i not through a server.

The ICQ Privacy Policy (EU) states that ICQ reserves the right to "collect, store, aggregate, organise, extract, compare, use, and supplement your data. We will also receive and pass this data, and our automatically processed analyses of this data to our affiliates and partners".

In addition, the service warns that users' personal information "may also be processed if it is required by a law enforcement or regulatory authority, body or agency or in the defence or exercise of legal claims. We will not delete personal information if it is relevant to an investigation or a dispute”.

Now that you are aware of the specifics of the service and ICQ's terms of use, you can decide for yourself whether to switch to this messenger or consider other alternatives such as Telegram, Viber or the Signal we have already mentioned.

© Mailu; Unsplasom