

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.
