ICQ launched in 1996 as one of the first widely used instant messaging programs, and its user online chime quickly became one of the most recognisable sounds of the early internet. As millions of people logged in to chat with friends, hearing that short alert meant someone you knew had just arrived. Decades later it survives in nostalgic videos, retro tech edits and memes about dial-up era life, often compared with a modern Discord notification, because it instantly evokes a time when being online felt new and social.
About this sound
The classic ICQ user online notification chime, a short two-tone sound from the early instant messenger, used in nostalgic videos and retro internet memes.
The ICQ user online sound is a brief, cheerful two-note chime that instantly signals someone has just logged in. It opens with a higher, almost doorbell-like ping before dropping to a softer, lower note, creating a light and welcoming feel in just over a second. For anyone who used instant messaging in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it triggers immediate nostalgia for waiting by a computer for friends to appear online. In modern videos it works as a quick punch of retro recognition, making a simple notification, arrival or throwback moment feel playful and familiar without needing any explanation.
