ICQ vs WhatsApp vs other messaging apps

With updates to the WhatsApp privacy policy, many users have canceled their accounts and migrated to other messaging apps such as Signal or ICQ New. Here we give you an insight into ICQ.

Why use ICQ instead of WhatsApp?

ICQ was one of the first internet communication services. Available in the 90s, it attracted millions of young people worldwide, 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.

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 year. 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 has added several updates and a new visual identity and interface. It now offers collective video chat, audio messages, and other features.

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

What is the 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 also provides the following features:

• Text messaging.
• Voice clips.
• Voice and video calls.
• Group chats.

ICQ also offers an automatic transcription functionality when sending and receiving voice messages. For video calls, it displays a collection of filters and 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 exciting feature of ICQ is the tab called "Interesting" which allows the user to find chats and channels to Subscribe to 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. So maybe this service is worth a try!

Is ICQ safe?

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

The ICQ Privacy Policy (EU) states that:

• ICQ reserves the right to "collect, store, aggregate, organize, 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".

• Users' personal information "may also be processed if it is required by law enforcement or regulatory authority, body or agency or in the defense or exercise of legal claims. We will not delete personal information if it is relevant to an investigation or a dispute".

Which app to choose?

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.