View source for Instant messaging

{{Short description|Form of computer communication over the internet or locally}}
[[File:Gossip-chat.png|thumb|A classic example of instant messaging on a desktop computer: the left window of this software showing a list of contacts ("[[buddy list]]") and the right window an active IM conversation]]
[[File:Online N'ko classroom via WhatsApp (cropped).jpg|thumb|328x328px|An example of instant messaging on mobile, featuring the exchange of pictures and audio on top of text]]
'''Instant messaging''' ('''IM''') technology is a type of [[synchronous computer-mediated communication]] involving the immediate ([[Real-time computing|real-time]]) transmission of messages between two or more parties over the [[Internet]] or another [[computer network]]. Originally involving simple [[Text messaging|text message]] exchanges, modern instant messaging [[application (computing)|applications]] and services (also variously known as '''instant messenger''', '''messaging app''', '''chat app''', '''chat client''', or simply a '''messenger''') tend to also feature the exchange of multimedia, [[emoji]]s, [[file transfer]], [[VoIP]] (voice calling), and [[Videotelephony|video chat]] capabilities.

Instant messaging systems facilitate connections between specified known users<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is Instant Messaging? - Definition from SearchUnifiedCommunications |url=https://www.techtarget.com/searchunifiedcommunications/definition/instant-messaging |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=Unified Communications |language=en}}</ref> (often using a contact list also known as a "buddy list" or "friend list") or in [[chat room]]s, and can be standalone apps or integrated into a wider [[social media]] platform, or in a website where it can, for instance, be used for [[conversational commerce]]. Originally the term "instant messaging" was distinguished from "[[text messaging]]" by being run on a computer network instead of a [[cellular phone|cellular/mobile]] network, being able to write longer messages, real-time communication, [[Presence information|presence]] ("status"), and being free (only cost of access instead of per [[SMS]] message sent).<ref name="bbc20030630">{{Cite news |date=2003-06-30 |title=Will instant messaging be the new texting? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3031796.stm |access-date=2024-08-05 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2004 |title=MMS-multi media messaging and MMS-interconnection |url=https://docdb.cept.org/download/353 |publisher=Electronic Communications Committee (ECC)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Foderaro |first=Lisa W. |date=2005-01-09 |title=Young Cell Users Rack Up Debt, a Message at a Time |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/technology/young-cell-users-rack-up-debt-a-message-at-a-time.html |access-date=2024-08-05 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Instant messaging was pioneered in the early Internet era; the [[IRC]] protocol was the earliest to achieve wide adoption.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history-computer.com/software/history-of-irc/|title=History of IRC|date=4 January 2021|access-date=1 August 2021|archive-date=15 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815194328/https://history-computer.com/software/history-of-irc/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Later in the 1990s, [[ICQ]] was among the first closed and commercialized instant messengers, and several rival services appeared afterwards as it became a popular use of the Internet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visualcapitalist.com/evolution-instant-messaging/|title = The Evolution of Instant Messaging|date = 17 November 2016}}</ref> Beginning with its first introduction in 2005, [[BlackBerry Messenger]] became the first popular example of [[Mobile device|mobile]]-based IM, combining features of traditional IM and mobile [[SMS]].<ref name="inverse20230509">{{Cite web |date=2023-05-09 |title=How BlackBerry Messenger Forever Changed the Way We Text |url=https://www.inverse.com/tech/how-blackberry-bbm-changed-messaging-forever |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=Inverse |language=en}}</ref><ref name="zdnet">{{Cite web |title=RIP, ICQ: Why all instant messaging disappears (in the end) |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/icq-rip-why-all-instant-messaging-disappears-in-the-end/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=ZDNET |language=en}}</ref> Instant messaging remains very popular today; IM apps are the most widely used [[smartphone]] apps: in 2018 for instance there were 980 million [[monthly active users]] of [[WeChat]] and 1.3 billion monthly users of [[WhatsApp]], the largest IM network.

== Overview ==
{{See also|Synchronous computer-mediated communication}}
Instant messaging (IM), sometimes also called "messaging" or "[[texting]]", consists of computer-based human communication between two users ([[private message|private messaging]]) or more ([[chat room]] or "group") in real-time, allowing immediate receipt of acknowledgment or reply. This is in direct contrast to [[email]], where conversations are not in real-time, and the perceived quasi-[[Synchronization|synchrony]] of the communications by the users<ref>{{Cite web |title=8 Examples of Instant Messaging {{!}} ezTalks |url=https://www.eztalks.com/unified-communications/examples-of-instant-messaging.html |access-date=2020-08-06 |website=www.eztalks.com}}</ref> (although many systems allow users to send offline messages that the other user receives when logging in).

Earlier IM networks were limited to text-based communication, not dissimilar to mobile [[text messaging]]. As technology has moved forward, IM has expanded to include [[Voice over IP|voice calling]] using a [[microphone]], [[videotelephony]] using [[webcam]]s, file transfer,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clifford |first=Catherine |date=2013-12-11 |title=Top 10 Apps for Instant Messaging (Infographic) |url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230335 |access-date=2020-08-06 |website=Entrepreneur |language=en}}</ref> location sharing, image and video transfer, voice notes, and other features.<ref name="zdnet"/>

IM is conducted over the Internet or other types of [[computer network|network]]s (see also [[LAN messenger]]).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-09-01 |title=Part 1. Introduction: The basics of instant messaging |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2004/09/01/part-1-introduction-the-basics-of-instant-messaging/ |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech |language=en-US}}</ref> Depending on the IM protocol, the technical architecture can be [[peer-to-peer]] (direct [[Point-to-point (telecommunications)|point-to-point]] transmission) or [[client–server model|client–server]] (when all clients have to first connect to the central server). Primary IM services are controlled by their corresponding companies and usually follow the client-server model.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-03-28 |title=How Instant Messaging Works |url=https://computer.howstuffworks.com/e-mail-messaging/instant-messaging.htm |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=HowStuffWorks |language=en-us}}</ref>

At one point, the term "Instant Messenger" was a [[service mark]] of [[AOL Time Warner]] and could not be used in software not affiliated with [[AOL]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/foia/ttab/decsum/2006/16jan06.pdf|title=Summary of Final Decisions Issued by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008035329/https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/foia/ttab/decsum/2006/16jan06.pdf|archive-date=8 October 2012|access-date=2012-05-11}}</ref> For this reason, in April 2007, the instant messaging client formerly named [[Gaim]] (or gaim) announced that they would be renamed "[[Pidgin (software)|Pidgin]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pidgin.im/index.php?id=177|title=Important and Long Delayed News|date=April 6, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070408150853/http://www.pidgin.im/index.php?id=177|archive-date=April 8, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Clients ===
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2024}}
[[File:Instant messengers protocols.svg|thumb|Instant messengers by protocol, as of 2019]]
{{See also|Comparison of instant messaging clients|Comparison of user features of messaging platforms|Comparison of LAN messengers}}

Modern IM services generally provide their own client, either a separately installed application or a [[browser-based]] client. They are normally centralised networks run by the servers of the platform's operators, unlike [[peer-to-peer]] protocols like [[XMPP]]. These usually only work within the same IM network, although some allow limited function with other services (see [[#Interoperability]]). Third-party client software applications exist that will connect with most of the major IM services. There is the class of instant messengers that uses the [[serverless computing|serverless]] model, which doesn't require servers, and the IM network consists only of clients. There are several serverless messengers: [[RetroShare]], [[Tox (protocol)|Tox]], [[Bitmessage]], [[Ricochet (software)|Ricochet]], [[Ring (software)|Ring]]. See also: [[LAN messenger]].

Some examples of popular IM services today include [[Signal (messaging app)|Signal]], [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]], [[WhatsApp Messenger]], [[WeChat]], [[Tencent QQ|QQ Messenger]], [[Viber]], [[Line (application)|Line]], and [[Snapchat]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} The popularity of certain apps greatly differ between different countries. Certain apps have an emphasis on certain uses - for example, [[Skype]] focuses on [[video calling]], [[Slack (software)|Slack]] focuses on messaging and file sharing for work teams, and Snapchat focuses on image messages. Some social networking services offer messaging services as a component of their overall platform, such as [[Facebook]]'s [[Facebook Messenger chatbots|Facebook Messenger]], who also own [[WhatsApp]]. Others have a direct IM function as an additional adjunct component of their [[social networking platform]]s, like [[Instagram]], [[Reddit]], [[Tumblr]], [[TikTok]], [[Clubhouse (app)|Clubhouse]] and [[Twitter]]; this also includes for example [[dating website]]s, such as [[OkCupid]] or [[PlentyofFish|Plenty of Fish]], and [[Voice chat in online gaming|online gaming]] chat platforms.

=== Features ===
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2024}}
[[File:Pidgin screenshot.png|thumb|upright|A [[buddy list]] on [[Pidgin (software)|Pidgin]]]]

====Private and group messaging====
Private chat allows users to converse privately with another person or a group. Privacy can also be enhanced in several ways, such as [[end-to-end encryption]] by default. [[Chatroom|Public and group chat]] features allow users to communicate with multiple people simultaneously.

====Calling====
Many major IM services and applications offer a call feature for user-to-user voice calls, conference calls, and voice messages. The call functionality is useful for professionals who utilize the application for work purposes and as a hands-free method. [[Videotelephony]] using a [[webcam]] is also possible by some.

====Games and entertainment====
Some IM applications include in-app games for entertainment. [[Yahoo! Messenger]], for example, introduced these where users could play a game and viewed by friends in real-time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.altaba.com/news-releases/news-release-details/yahoo-messenger-launches-imvironmentstm-next-generation-yahoo|title = Yahoo! Messenger Launches "Imvironments™" with Next Generation of Yahoo! Messenger Service &#124; Altaba Inc}}</ref> [[MSN Messenger]] featured a [[Games and applications for Windows Live Messenger|number of playable games]] within the interface. Facebook's [[Facebook Messenger|Messenger]] has had a built-in option to play games with people in a chat, including games like [[Tetris]] and [[Blackjack]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-30 |title=How to play ALL of Facebook Messenger's new games |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tech/a788495/hidden-facebook-games-how-to-find-play-facebook-messengers-secret-games-basketball-chess/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=Digital Spy |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Discord]] features multiple games built inside the "activities" tab in [[Voice chat in online gaming|voice channels]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Discord Activities: Play Games and Watch Together |url=https://discord.com/blog/server-activities-games-voice-watch-together |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=discord.com}}</ref>

====Payments====
A relatively new feature to instant messaging, peer-to-peer payments are available for financial tasks on top of communication. The lack of a service fee also makes these advantageous to financial applications. IM services such as [[Facebook Messenger]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/help/750020781733477 |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=www.facebook.com}}</ref> and the [[WeChat]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=vincithevin |date=2024-08-02 |title=Beijing Visitor's Guide: A Guide to Payment Services in the Capital |url=https://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2024/08/02/welcome-beijing-guide-payment-services-capital |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=www.thebeijinger.com |language=EN}}</ref> '[[super-app]]' for example offer a payment feature.

==History==
{{Timeline of release years
| title = Release years of<br />notable instant messengers
| 1988 = Internet Relay Chat
| 1996 = ICQ
| 1997 = AIM
| 1998 = Yahoo! Messenger
| 1999 = XMPP<br />MSN Messenger
| 2003 = Xfire
| 2009 = WhatsApp
| 2010 = Kik Messenger
| 2011 = Facebook Messenger<br />Snapchat
| 2013 = Telegram
| 2014 = Signal
| 2015 = Discord
| 2016 = Riot.im/Element
|compressempty=yes}}

=== Early systems ===
[[File:PLATO-Talkomatic.png|thumb|2014 recreation screenshot of the original Talkomatic program, released in 1973, on the PLATO system (on an orange plasma display)]]
Though the term dates from the 1990s, instant messaging predates the Internet, first appearing on [[multi-user]] [[operating system]]s like [[Compatible Time-Sharing System]] (CTSS) and Multiplexed Information and Computing Service ([[Multics]])<ref>{{cite book |last=Fetter |first=Mirko |date=2019 |title=New Concepts for Presence and Availability in Ubiquitous and Mobile Computing |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=knqIDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22ctss%22+%22write+command%22&pg=PA38 |publisher=[[University of Bamberg]] Press |page=38 |isbn=9783863096236 |quote=The basic concept of sending instantaneously messages to logged in users came with ... CTSS ...}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Tom Van Vleck |url=http://www.multicians.org/thvv/mail-history.html |title=Instant Messaging on CTSS and Multics |publisher=Multicians.org |access-date=2012-05-11}}</ref> in the mid-1960s. Initially, some of these systems were used as notification systems for services like printing, but quickly were used to facilitate communication with other users logged into the same machine. CTSS facilitated communication via text message for up to 30 people.<ref name="gitbooks">{{Cite web|url=https://towcenter.gitbooks.io/guide-to-chat-apps/content/introductionthe_dawn_of/a_brief_history.html|title=A Brief History of Chat Apps · Guide to Chat Apps|website=towcenter.gitbooks.io|access-date=2020-03-23}}</ref>

Parallel to instant messaging were early [[online chat]] facilities, the earliest of which was [[Talkomatic]] (1973) on the [[PLATO (computer system)|PLATO]] system, which allowed 5 people to chat simultaneously on a 512 x 512 plasma display (5 lines of text + 1 status line per person). During the [[bulletin board system]] (BBS) phenomenon that peaked during the 1980s, some systems incorporated chat features which were similar to instant messaging; Freelancin' Roundtable was one prime example. The first<ref>CompuServe Innovator Resigns After 25 Years, The Columbus Dispatch, May 11, 1996, p. 2F</ref> such general-availability commercial online chat service (as opposed to PLATO, which was educational) was the CompuServe [[CB Simulator]] in 1980,<ref>Wired and Inspired, The Columbus Dispatch (Business page), by Mike Pramik, November 12, 2000</ref> created by [[CompuServe]] executive Alexander "Sandy" Trevor in [[Columbus, Ohio]].

As networks developed, the protocols spread with the networks. Some of these used a [[peer-to-peer]] protocol (e.g. [[talk (software)|talk]], ntalk and ytalk), while others required peers to connect to a server (see [[talker]] and [[IRC]]). The [[Zephyr (protocol)|Zephyr Notification Service]] (still in use at some institutions) was invented at MIT's [[Project Athena]] in the 1980s to allow service providers to locate and send messages to users.

[[File:Unix talk screenshot 01.png|thumb|[[Command-line]] Unix "[[talk (software)|talk]]", using a split screen [[user interface]], was popular in the 1980s and early 1990s.]]
Early instant messaging programs were primarily [[real-time text]], where characters appeared as they were typed. This includes the Unix [[talk (software)|"talk"]] command line program, which was popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. Some BBS chat programs (i.e. Celerity BBS) also used a similar interface. Modern implementations of real-time text also exist in instant messengers, such as AOL's Real-Time IM<ref>{{cite web |url=http://help.aol.com/help/microsites/microsite.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=223568 |title=AOL Instant Messenger's Real-Time IM feature |publisher=Help.aol.com |access-date=2012-05-11 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312102140/http://help.aol.com/help/microsites/microsite.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=223568 |archive-date=March 12, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> as an optional feature.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.realjabber.org/real_time_text_demo.html |title=RealJabber.org's animation of real-time text |publisher=Realjabber.org |access-date=2012-05-11 |archive-date=2013-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026143351/http://realjabber.org/real_time_text_demo.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the latter half of the 1980s and into the early 1990s, the [[Quantum Link]] online service for [[Commodore 64]] computers offered user-to-user messages between concurrently connected customers, which they called "On-Line Messages" (or OLM for short), and later "FlashMail." Quantum Link later became [[America Online]] and made [[AOL Instant Messenger]] (AIM, discussed later). While the Quantum Link client software ran on a [[Commodore 64]], using only the Commodore's [[PETSCII]] text-graphics, the screen was visually divided into sections and OLMs would appear as a yellow bar saying "Message From:" and the name of the sender along with the message across the top of whatever the user was already doing, and presented a list of options for responding.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qlinklives.org/qlink-old/liz1.jpg |title=Screenshot of a Quantum Link OLM |access-date=2012-05-11 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619055644/http://www.qlinklives.org/qlink-old/liz1.jpg |archive-date=June 19, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> As such, it could be considered a type of [[graphical user interface]] (GUI), albeit much more primitive than the later [[X Window System|Unix]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] and [[Macintosh]] based GUI IM software. OLMs were what Q-Link called "Plus Services" meaning they charged an extra per-minute fee on top of the monthly Q-Link access costs.

Development of the [[Internet Relay Chat]] (IRC) protocol began in 1989, and this would become the Internet's first widespread instant messaging standard.<ref name="zmescience20181109">{{Cite web |last=Andrei |first=Mihai |date=2018-11-09 |title=The Internet Relay Chat (IRC) turned 30 -- and it probably changed our lives |url=https://www.zmescience.com/science/internet-relay-chat-irc-08112018/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=ZME Science |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Graphical messengers ===
[[File:Element 1.11.92 screenshot.webp|thumb|Screenshot of [[Element (software)|Element]], a graphical messenger software]]
Modern, Internet-wide, [[Graphical user interface|GUI]]-based messaging clients as they are known today, began to take off in the mid-1990s with [[PowWow (chat program)|PowWow]], [[ICQ]], and [[AOL Instant Messenger]] (AIM). Similar functionality was offered by [[CU-SeeMe]] in 1992; though primarily an audio/video chat link, users could also send textual messages to each other. [[AOL]] later acquired [[Mirabilis (company)|Mirabilis]], the authors of ICQ; establishing dominance in the instant messaging market.<ref name="gitbooks" /> A few years later ICQ (then owned by AOL) was awarded two patents for instant messaging by the [[U.S. patent office]]. Meanwhile, other companies developed their own software; ([[Excite (web portal)|Excite]], [[MSN|Microsoft (MSN)]], [[Ubique (company)|Ubique]], and [[Yahoo!]]), each with its own [[proprietary protocol]] and [[software client|client]]; users therefore had to run multiple client applications if they wished to use more than one of these networks. However, the open protocol IRC continued to be popular by the millennium, and its most popular graphical app was [[mIRC]].<ref name="zmescience20181109" />

While instant messaging was mainly in use for consumer recreational purposes, in 1998, [[IBM]] launched their [[IBM Lotus Sametime|Lotus Sametime]] instant messenger software, the first popular example of enterprise-grade instant messaging.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tay |first=Liz |date=2008-07-08 |title=IBM touts unification of consumer and business communication tools |url=https://www.itnews.com.au/news/ibm-touts-unification-of-consumer-and-business-communication-tools-116231 |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=iTnews}}</ref> In 2000, an [[open-source software|open-source application]] and [[open standards]]-based protocol called [[Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol]] (XMPP) was launched, initially branded as ''Jabber''. XMPP servers could act as gateways to other IM protocols, reducing the need to run multiple clients.<ref>{{Cite web |title=XMPP |url=https://xmpp.org/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=xmpp.org}}</ref>

[[Video calling]] using a [[webcam]] also started taking off during this time. Microsoft's [[NetMeeting]], which was focused on business "[[web conferencing]]", was one of the earliest; the company then launched [[Windows Messenger]], coming preloaded on [[Windows XP]], featuring video capabilities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-08-15 |title=New Yahoo IM chats up broadband |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/new-yahoo-im-chats-up-broadband/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref> Yahoo! Messenger added video capabilities in 2001;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yahoo! Messenger offers video option - Jun. 26, 2001 |url=https://money.cnn.com/2001/06/26/technology/yahoo/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=money.cnn.com}}</ref> by 2005, such features were built-in also in AIM, [[MSN Messenger]], and [[Skype]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2005-12-01 |title=Skype adds in video to net calls |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4488806.stm |access-date=2024-08-06 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

There were a reported 100 million users of instant messaging in 2001.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2001-09-09 |title=Messaging in an instant |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1531112.stm |access-date=2024-08-06 |language=en-GB}}</ref> As of 2003, AIM was the globally most popular instant messenger with 195 million users and exchanges of 1.6 billion messages daily.<ref name="bbc20030630"/> By 2006, AIM controlled 52 percent of the instant messaging market, but rapidly declined shortly thereafter as the company struggled to compete with other services.<ref name="gitbooks" />

=== Integrated IM and mobile ===
[[File:Facebook chat screenshot (English).png|thumb|150px|[[Facebook Chat]], example of IM through a wider social network that became popular in the late 2000s]]
Instant messaging integrated in other services started picking up pace in the late 2000s. [[Myspace]], the then-largest [[social networking service]], launched [[Myspace IM]] in 2006, shortly after [[Google]]'s [[Gtalk]], which was integrated into its [[Gmail]] [[webmail]] interface. [[Facebook Messenger|Facebook Chat]] launched in 2008, providing IM to users of the social network.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bergfeld |first=Carlos |date=2008-04-17 |title=Facebook Chat: Reports of AIM's Death Greatly Exaggerated - CBS News |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-33240012/facebook-chat-reports-of-aims-death-greatly-exaggerated/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}{{dead link|date=August 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> By 2010, traditional instant messaging was in sharp decline in favor of these new messaging features on wider social networks, which at the time were not normally called IM.<ref name=bbc>{{cite news|last1=Kelly|first1=Jon|title=Instant messaging: This conversation is terminated|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8698174.stm|access-date=14 March 2018|agency=BBC|date=24 May 2010}}</ref> For instance, [[AIM (software)|AIM]]'s userbase had declined by more than half throughout the year 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carlson |first=Nicholas |title=In The Biggest Blown Opportunity Ever, AOL Instant Messenger Has Utterly Collapsed |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/in-the-biggest-blown-opportunity-ever-aol-instant-messenger-has-utterly-collapsed-2012-4 |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref>

Standalone instant messenger services were revived, evolving into becoming primarily being used on [[Mobile device|mobile]] due to the increasing use of Internet-enabled [[cell phones]] and [[smartphones]]. Often called "chat apps", to distinguish it from [[Cellular network|cellular]]-based [[SMS]] and [[Multimedia Messaging Service|MMS]] "[[texting]]" services, these newer services were specially designed to be run on mobile platforms, as opposed to older services like AIM and MSN; [[BlackBerry Messenger]], released in 2005, was one of the influential pioneers of mobile IM,<ref name="inverse20230509" /> and led to other companies launching services with proprietary protocols, such as [[WhatsApp]].<ref name="gitbooks" /> Mobile instant messaging surpassed SMS in global message volume by 2013.<ref name="gitbooks" /><ref>{{cite web |date=29 April 2013 |title=Chat apps surpass SMS for the first time, study finds |url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/4/29/4281618/chat-apps-surpass-sms-messaging-volume-study}}</ref> While SMS relied on traditional paid telephone services, IM apps on mobile were available for free or a minor data charge.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ling |first1=Rich |last2=Lai |first2=Chih-Hui |date=2016-10-01 |title=Microcoordination 2.0: Social Coordination in the Age of Smartphones and Messaging Apps |url=https://academic.oup.com/joc/article/66/5/834/4082414 |journal=Journal of Communication |language=en |volume=66 |issue=5 |pages=834–856 |doi=10.1111/jcom.12251 |issn=0021-9916}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Horwitz |first=Josh |date=25 August 2015 |title=Why WhatsApp bombed in the US, while Snapchat and Kik blew up |url=https://qz.com/487102/why-whatsapp-bombed-in-the-us-while-snapchat-and-kik-blew-up/ |access-date=2020-04-01 |website=Quartz |language=en}}</ref>

Older IM services were eventually shut, including AIM<ref>{{cite web |title=AIM has been discontinued as of December 15, 2017 |url=https://help.aol.com/articles/aim-discontinued |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215023120/https://help.aol.com/articles/aim-discontinued |archive-date=15 December 2017 |website=help.aol.com}}</ref> and Yahoo! Messenger, and also [[Windows Live Messenger]], which merged into [[Skype]] in 2013. In 2014, it was reported that instant messaging had more users than social networks.<ref>{{cite web|title=The rise of messaging platforms|url=https://chatbotnewsdaily.com/the-rise-of-messenger-platforms-and-its-legal-implications-62fe73355122|publisher=The Economist, via Chatbot News Daily|access-date=14 March 2018|date=2017-01-22|archive-date=2023-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117202639/https://chatbotnewsdaily.com/the-rise-of-messenger-platforms-and-its-legal-implications-62fe73355122?gi=2409e3ced269|url-status=dead}}</ref> Concurrently, rising use of instant messaging at workplaces led to the creation of new services ([[enterprise application integration]] (EAI)) often integrated with other enterprise applications such as workflow systems, for example in [[Skype for Business]], [[Slack (software)|Slack]] and [[Microsoft Teams]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-06-09 |title=Business Use of Instant Messaging on the Rise, Email Still Primary Survey Finds |url=https://www.telecompetitor.com/business-use-of-instant-messaging-on-the-rise-email-still-primary-survey-fids/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |archive-date=2024-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806145428/https://www.telecompetitor.com/business-use-of-instant-messaging-on-the-rise-email-still-primary-survey-fids/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Meanwhile, the launch of [[Discord]] in 2015 has marked a notable new example of traditional IM originally designed for desktops.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-05 |title=Third-party Discord app brings back MSN Messenger but there's a catch |url=https://www.dexerto.com/tech/third-party-discord-app-brings-back-msn-messenger-but-theres-a-catch-2631991/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=Dexerto |language=en}}</ref>

== Interoperability ==
[[File:Pidgin Screenshot Ubuntu.png|thumb|200px|left|Pidgin's tabbed chat window in Linux]]

Most IM protocols are [[Proprietary protocol|proprietary]] and are not designed to be [[interoperable]] with others, meaning that many IM networks have been incompatible and users have been unable to reach users on other networks.<ref>{{cite web |date=19 April 2023 |title=A Brief History of Chat Services |url=https://sameroom.io/chat-timeline.pdf |publisher=sameroom.io}}</ref> As of 2024, fragmentation of IM services means that a typical user is likely to have to use more networks than ever, including the need to [[download]] the apps and signing up, to stay in touch with all their contacts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The best all-in-one messaging apps in 2024 |url=https://zapier.com/blog/best-all-in-one-messaging-app/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=zapier.com |language=en}}</ref> However, there had been attempts for solutions.<ref name="zdnet"/>

Multi-protocol clients can use any of the IM protocols by using additional local libraries for each protocol. Examples of multi-protocol instant messenger software include [[Pidgin (software)|Pidgin]] and [[Trillian (software)|Trillian]],<ref name="zdnet" /> and more recently [[Beeper (application)|Beeper]]. These third-party clients have often been unable to keep up due to proprietary protocol restrictions and getting locked out of it.<ref name="zdnet" /> For instance, in 2015, [[WhatsApp]] started banning users who were using unofficial clients.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.softpedia.com/news/WhatsApp-Permanently-Bans-Users-of-Unofficial-Clients-475013.shtml|title=WhatsApp Permanently Bans Users of Unofficial Clients}}</ref> Major IM providers usually cite the need for formal agreements, and [[computer security|security]] concerns as reasons for making changes.

=== Attempted open standards ===
There have been several attempts in the past to create a unified standard for instant messaging, including:

* [[IETF]]'s [[Session Initiation Protocol]] (SIP) and [[SIMPLE (instant messaging protocol)|SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions]] (SIMPLE)
* [[Application Exchange]] (APEX),
* [[Instant Messaging and Presence Protocol]] (IMPP),
* [[Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol]] (XMPP), based on [[XML]], and
* [[Open Mobile Alliance]]'s [[Instant Messaging and Presence Service]] (IMPS), developed specifically for mobile devices.

=== History and agreements ===
{{Quote box
| quote = Critics say AOL's slowness in embracing interoperability has caused setbacks to other companies trying to grow their businesses. AOL has said it supports the development of an interoperable system for all IM networks but has cited privacy and security concerns as the reasons it's taking its time. Competitors have labeled that argument a "smoke screen."
| author = Evan Hansen
| source = [[CNET]], January 2001<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/aol-time-warner-complete-merger-with-fcc-blessing/|title=AOL, Time Warner complete merger with FCC blessing|website=CNET}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/networking/green-light-for-aol-time-warner-merger/|title=Green light for AOL-Time Warner merger|website=ZDNET}}</ref>
| align = right
| width = 30%
}}
In the early 2000s, when instant messaging was quickly growing, most attempts at producing a unified standard for the-then major IM providers ([[AOL]], [[Yahoo!]], [[Microsoft]]) had failed. There was a "bitter row" between AOL and its rivals regarding the opening up of their networks.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2002-12-19 |title=AOL wins instant messaging case |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2591723.stm |access-date=2024-08-06 |language=en-GB}}</ref> In 2000, U.S. regulatory [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) proposed, and supported by Microsoft chairman [[Bill Gates]], that AOL providing interoperability of its [[AIM (software)|AIM]] and [[ICQ]] instant messengers with Microsoft's [[MSN Messenger]] was a condition for the forthcoming [[AOL Time Warner|AOL-Time Warner merger]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gates Adds His Voice To Instant Messaging |url=https://www.forbes.com/2000/12/20/1220messaging.html |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

However, in 2004, Microsoft, Yahoo! and AOL agreed to a deal in which Microsoft's enterprise IM server [[Live Communications Server 2005]] would have the possibility to talk to their rival counterparts and vice versa.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hicks |first=Matthew |date=2004-07-15 |title=Microsoft Opens IM Server to AOL, Yahoo |url=https://www.eweek.com/enterprise-apps/microsoft-opens-im-server-to-aol-yahoo/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=eWeek |language=en-US}}</ref> On October 13, 2005, Microsoft and Yahoo! announced that their IM networks would soon be interoperable, using SIP/SIMPLE. This was finally rolled out to [[Windows Live Messenger]] and [[Yahoo! Messenger]] users in July 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Microsoft, Yahoo connect IM services |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/microsoft-yahoo-connect-im-services/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref> Additionally, in December 2005 by the AOL and [[Google]] strategic partnership deal, it was announced that AIM and ICQ users would be able to communicate with [[Google Talk]] users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bylund |first=Anders |date=2005-12-21 |title=Google buys 5 percent of AOL; Google Talk and AIM to chat it up |url=https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2005/12/5814-2/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us}}</ref> However this feature took until December 2007 to roll out.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Barry |date=2007-12-05 |title=Google Talk Meets AOL Instant Messager: Time Warner & Google Complete AIM Integration Deal |url=https://searchengineland.com/google-talk-meets-aol-instant-messager-time-warner-google-complete-aim-integration-deal-12853 |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=Search Engine Land |language=en}}</ref> [[XMPP]] provided the best example of open protocol interoperability, having had gateways that connected to Google Talk, [[Lotus Sametime]] and others.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jabber gateway aims to link XMPP, SIMPLE |url=https://www.infoworld.com/article/2206683/jabber-gateway-aims-to-link-xmpp-simple.html |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=InfoWorld |language=en-US}}</ref>

Later, [[Rich Communication Services|RCS]] was developed by telecommunication companies as an instant messaging protocol to replace [[SMS]] under a unified standard. In 2022, the European Union passed the [[Digital Markets Act]], which largely came into effect in early 2023. Among other things, the legislation mandates certain interoperability between the largest IM platforms in use in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Claburn |first=Thomas |title=EU mandated interoperable messaging not so simple: Paper |url=https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/29/eu_mandated_messaging_interop_paper/ |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=www.theregister.com |language=en}}</ref> As a result, in March 2024, [[Meta Platforms]] opened up its WhatsApp and [[Facebook Messenger|Messenger]] networks to be interoperable.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jowitt |first=Tom |date=2024-03-13 |title=Meta Messaging Interoperability Whatsapp, Messenger |url=https://www.silicon.co.uk/mobility/mobile-apps/meta-adds-messaging-interoperability-for-whatsapp-messenger-554502 |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=Silicon UK |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Technical ===
There are two ways to combine the many disparate protocols:
* Combine the many disparate protocols inside the IM ''[[client (computing)|client application]]''.
* Combine the many disparate protocols inside the IM ''server'' application. This approach moves the task of communicating with the other services to the server. Clients need not know or care about other IM protocols. For example, [[Live Communications Server 2005|LCS 2005]] Public IM Connectivity. This approach is popular in [[XMPP]] servers; however, the so-called transport projects suffer the same [[reverse engineering]] difficulties as any other project involved with closed protocols or formats.

Some approaches allow organizations to deploy their own, private instant messaging network by enabling them to restrict access to the [[Server (computing)|server]] (often with the IM network entirely behind their [[firewall (computing)|firewall]]) and administer user permissions. Other corporate messaging systems allow registered users to also connect from outside the corporation LAN, by using an encrypted, firewall-friendly, HTTPS-based protocol. Usually, a dedicated corporate IM server has several advantages, such as pre-populated contact lists, integrated authentication, and better security and privacy.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

== Effects of IM on communication ==
{{See also|Text messaging#Social effects}}

=== Workplace communication ===
Instant messaging has changed how people communicate in the workplace. Enterprise messaging applications like [[Slack (software)|Slack]], [[Symphony Communication|Symphony]], [[Teamnote]] and Yammer allow companies to enforce policies on how employees message at work and ensure secure storage of sensitive data.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telemessage.com/text-messaging-apps-are-transforming-workplace-communications/|title=Text Messaging Apps Are Transforming Workplace Communications|website=TeleMessage|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-01}}</ref> They allow employees to separate work information from their personal emails and texts.

Messaging applications may make workplace communication efficient, but they can also have consequences on productivity. A study at Slack showed on average, people spend 10 hours a day on Slack, which is about 67% more time than they spend using [[email]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://learn.g2.com/messaging-apps-affect-productivity|title=Are Messaging Apps at Work Affecting Team Productivity?|last=Kashyap|first=Vartika|website=learn.g2.com|language=en|access-date=2020-04-01}}</ref>

Instant messaging is implemented in many [[Videoconferencing|video-conferencing]] tools. A study of chat use during work-related videoconferencing found that chat during meetings allows participants to communicate without interrupting the meeting, plan action around common resources, and enables greater inclusion.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Sarkar |first1=Advait |title=The promise and peril of parallel chat in video meetings for work |date=2021-05-08 |work=Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems |pages=1–8 |url=https://doi.org/10.1145/3411763.3451793 |access-date=2021-11-01 |place=New York, NY, USA |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |doi=10.1145/3411763.3451793 |isbn=978-1-4503-8095-9 |s2cid=233987188 |last2=Rintel |first2=Sean |last3=Borowiec |first3=Damian |last4=Bergmann |first4=Rachel |last5=Gillett |first5=Sharon |last6=Bragg |first6=Danielle |last7=Baym |first7=Nancy |last8=Sellen |first8=Abigail}}</ref> The study also found that chat can cause distractions and information asymmetries between participants.

=== Language ===
{{See also|SMS language|Emoji|Emoticon}}
[[File:LolTextMessage.jpg|thumb|'lol', a popular example of slang on instant messaging and texting]]
Users sometimes make use of [[internet slang]] or [[text messaging#Effect on language|text speak]] to abbreviate common words or expressions to quicken conversations or reduce keystrokes. The language has become widespread, with well-known expressions such as '[[LOL|lol]]' translated over to face-to-face language.

Emotions are often expressed in shorthand, such as the abbreviation [[LOL]], [[Internet slang|BRB and TTYL]]; respectively laugh(ing) out loud, be right back, and talk to you later. Some, however, attempt to be more accurate with [[emotional expression]] over IM. Real time reactions such as (''chortle'') (''snort'') (''guffaw'') or (''eye-roll'') have been popular at one point. Also there are certain standards that are being introduced into mainstream conversations including, '#' indicates the use of sarcasm in a statement and '*' which indicates a spelling mistake and/or grammatical error in the prior message, followed by a correction.<ref>[http://wiki.networkdictionary.com/index.php/Instant_Messenging instant messaging] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212114903/http://wiki.networkdictionary.com/index.php/Instant_Messenging |date=February 12, 2010 }}, NetworkDictionary.com.</ref>

== Business application ==
Instant messaging products can usually be categorised into two types: Enterprise Instant Messaging (EIM)<ref>{{cite web |date=2012-04-10 |title=Better Business IMs - Business Technology |url=http://im.about.com/od/imforbusiness/a/topbizims.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430235442/http://im.about.com/od/imforbusiness/a/topbizims.htm |archive-date=2011-04-30 |access-date=2012-05-11 |publisher=Im.about.com}}</ref> and Consumer Instant Messaging (CIM).<ref>{{cite web |date=2008-03-15 |title=Reader Questions IM Privacy at Work |url=http://im.about.com/b/2008/03/15/reader-questions-im-privacy-at-work.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825135258/http://im.about.com/b/2008/03/15/reader-questions-im-privacy-at-work.htm |archive-date=2010-08-25 |access-date=2012-05-11 |publisher=Im.about.com}}</ref> Enterprise solutions use an internal IM server, however this is not always feasible, particularly for smaller businesses with limited budgets. The second option, using a CIM provides the advantage of being inexpensive to implement and has little need for investing in new hardware or server software. IM is increasingly becoming a feature of [[enterprise software]] rather than a stand-alone application.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Instant messaging has proven to be similar to personal computers, email, and the [[World Wide Web]], in that its adoption for use as a business communications medium was driven primarily by individual employees using consumer software at work, rather than by formal mandate or provisioning by corporate information technology departments. Tens of millions of the consumer IM accounts in use are being used for business purposes by employees of companies and other organizations. The adoption of IM across corporate networks outside of the control of IT organizations creates risks and liabilities for companies who do not effectively manage and support IM use.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} IM was initially shunned by the corporate world partly due to security concerns, but by 2003 many had started embracing these new services.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Message in a bottleneck |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/message-in-a-bottleneck/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref>

=== Software ===
In response to the demand for business-grade IM and the need to ensure security and legal compliance, a new type of instant messaging, called "Enterprise Instant Messaging" ("EIM") was created when [[Lotus Software]] launched IBM Lotus Sametime in 1998. Microsoft followed suit shortly thereafter with [[Microsoft Exchange Server|Microsoft Exchange]] Instant Messaging, later created a new platform called [[Microsoft Office Live Communications Server]], and released [[Office Communications Server]] 2007 in October 2007. [[Oracle Corporation]] also jumped into the market with its [[Oracle Beehive]] unified collaboration software.<ref name="Oracle Beehive offers enterprise instant messaging">{{cite web | url=http://www.cmswire.com/cms/enterprise-20/oracle-buzzes-with-updates-for-its-beehive-collaboration-platform-004538.php | title=Oracle Buzzes with Updates for its Beehive Collaboration Platform | publisher=CMSWire| date=May 12, 2018 | access-date=October 16, 2018 }}</ref>

Both IBM Lotus and Microsoft have introduced federation between their EIM systems and some of the public IM networks so that employees may use one interface to both their internal EIM system and their contacts on AOL, MSN, and Yahoo. As of 2010, leading EIM platforms include [[IBM Lotus Sametime]], [[Microsoft Office Communications Server]], [[XMPP|Jabber]] XCP and Cisco Unified Presence.{{third-party inline|date=July 2016}} Industry-focused EIM platforms such as [[Reuters Messaging]] and [[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg Messaging]] also provide IM abilities to financial services companies.{{third-party inline|date=July 2016}}

== Security and archiving ==
Crackers (malicious or [[black hat (computer security)|black hat]] hackers) have consistently used IM networks as vectors for delivering [[phishing]] attempts, [[Drive-by download|drive-by URL]]s, and virus-laden file attachments, with over 1100 discrete attacks listed by the IM Security Center<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imsecuritycenter.com/|title=IM Security Center|access-date=May 13, 2007|archive-date=October 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022173810/http://www.imsecuritycenter.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref> in 2004–2007. Hackers use two methods of delivering malicious code through IM: delivery of viruses, [[trojan horse (computing)|trojan horse]]s, or [[spyware]] within an infected file, and the use of "socially engineered" text with a [[Uniform Resource Locator|web address]] that entices the recipient to click on a URL connecting him or her to a website that then downloads malicious code.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

IM connections sometimes occur in [[plain text]], making them vulnerable to eavesdropping. Also, IM client software often requires the user to expose open [[User Datagram Protocol|UDP]] ports to the world, raising the threat posed by potential security vulnerabilities.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Why just say no to IM at work|website=Blog.anta.net|date=October 29, 2009|url=http://blog.anta.net/2009/10/28/why-just-say-no-to-im-at-work/|issn=1797-1993|access-date=October 29, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726135708/http://blog.anta.net/2009/10/28/why-just-say-no-to-im-at-work/|archive-date=July 26, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In the early 2000s, a new class of IT security providers emerged to provide remedies for the risks and liabilities faced by corporations who chose to use IM for business communications. The IM security providers created new products to be installed in corporate networks for the purpose of archiving, content-scanning, and security-scanning IM traffic moving in and out of the corporation. Similar to the [[e-mail filtering]] vendors, the IM security providers focus on the risks and liabilities described above.<ref>{{cite web | last=Evers | first=Joris | title=Akonix ships IM security appliance | website=ZDNET | date=2005-06-06 | url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/akonix-ships-im-security-appliance/ | access-date=2025-10-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Akonix L7 Enterprise | website=PCMAG | date=2003-11-11 | url=https://www.pcmag.com/archive/akonix-l7-enterprise-110099 | access-date=2025-10-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Hu | first=Jim | title=MS corporate IM touts security, archives | website=ZDNET | date=2002-11-12 | url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/ms-corporate-im-touts-security-archives/ | access-date=2025-10-07}}</ref>

With the rapid adoption of IM in the workplace, demand for IM security products began to grow in the mid-2000s. By 2007, the preferred platform for the purchase of security software had become the "[[computer appliance]]", according to IDC, who estimated that by 2008, 80% of [[network security]] products would be delivered via an appliance.<ref>Chris Christiansen and Rose Ryan, International Data Corp., "IDC Telebriefing: Threat Management Security Appliance Review and Forecast"</ref>

By 2014, however, instant messengers' safety level was still extremely poor. According to a scorecard by the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]], only 7 out of 39 instant messengers received a perfect score. In contrast, the most popular instant messengers at the time only attained a score of 2 out of 7.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2014/nov/06/secure-messaging-app-eff-imessage-snapchat|title=How secure is your favourite messaging app? Today's Open Thread|last=Dredge|first=Stuart|newspaper=the Guardian|access-date=May 16, 2015|date=2014-11-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/secure-messaging-scorecard|title=Secure Messaging Scorecard|work=Electronic Frontier Foundation|access-date=May 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115054343/https://www.eff.org/secure-messaging-scorecard|archive-date=November 15, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> A number of studies have shown that IM services are quite vulnerable for providing user privacy.<ref>{{cite conference|last1=Saleh|first1=Saad|title=IM Session Identification by Outlier Detection in Cross-correlation Functions|conference=Conference on Information Sciences and Systems (CISS)|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274635819|doi=10.13140/RG.2.1.3524.5602|year=2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite conference|last1=Saleh|first1=Saad|title=Breaching IM Session Privacy Using Causality|conference=IEEE Global Communications Conference (Globecom)|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269393346|doi=10.13140/2.1.1112.2244|date=December 2014}}</ref>

In 2023, cybersecurity researchers discovered that numerous malicious "mods" exist of the [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]] instant messenger, which is freely available for download from [[Google Play]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baran |first=Guru |date=2023-09-11 |title=Weaponized Telegram App Infected Over 60K Android Users |url=https://cybersecuritynews.com/weaponized-telegram-app/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=Cyber Security News |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Message history ===
Instant messages are often logged in a local message history, similar to emails' persistent nature. IM networks may store messages with either local-based device storage (e.g. [[WhatsApp]], [[Viber]], [[Line (software)|Line]], [[WeChat]], [[Signal (messaging app)|Signal]] etc. software) or cloud-based server storage provided by the service (e.g. [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]], [[Skype]], [[Facebook Messenger]], Google [[Google Meet|Meet]]/[[Google Chat|Chat]], [[Discord]], [[Slack (software)|Slack]] etc.). Although cloud-based storage is advertised to offer [[encrypted]] messages, it poses an increased risk that the IM provider may have access to the decryption keys and view the user's saved messages.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Doffman |first=Zak |title=No, Don't Quit WhatsApp To Use Telegram Instead—Here's Why |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2021/02/13/why-you-should-stop-using-telegram-instead-of-whatsapp-use-signal-or-apple-imessage/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

This requires users to trust IM servers and providers because messages can generally be accessed by the company. Companies may be compelled to reveal their user's communication and suspend user accounts for any reason.<ref>{{cite web |date=26 May 2015 |title=Skype hauled into court after refusing to hand call records to cops |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/26/skype_in_belgium_court_summons_microsoft/ |access-date=17 March 2017 |website=[[The Register]]}}</ref>

=== Tracking and spying ===
News reports from 2013 revealed that the [[NSA]] is not only collecting emails and IM messages but also tracking relationships between senders and receivers of those chats and emails in a process known as [[metadata]] collection.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Risen |first1=James |last2=Poitras |first2=Laura |date=28 September 2013 |title=N.S.A. Gathers Data on Social Connections of U.S. Citizens |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/us/nsa-examines-social-networks-of-us-citizens.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=1& |accessdate=2015-10-11 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Metadata refers to the data concerned about the chat or email as opposed to contents of messages. It may be used to collect valuable information.<ref>{{cite web |date=2013-07-17 |title=A Primer on Metadata: Separating Fact from Fiction - Privacy By Design |url=http://www.privacybydesign.ca/index.php/paper/a-primer-on-metadata-separating-fact-from-fiction/ |accessdate=2015-10-11 |publisher=Privacybydesign.ca |archive-date=2014-02-26 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140226213320/http://www.privacybydesign.ca/index.php/paper/a-primer-on-metadata-separating-fact-from-fiction/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In January 2014, Matthew Campbell and Michael Hurley filed a [[class-action lawsuit]] against [[Facebook Inc|Facebook]] for breaching the [[Electronic Communications Privacy Act]].<ref>Grove, Jennifer (2014). Facebook Sued for Allegedly Intercepting Private Messages. Mobile World Congress. Retrieved from [https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-sued-for-allegedly-intercepting-private-messages/ Cnet.com]</ref> They alleged that the information in their supposedly private messages was being read and used to generate profit, specifically "for purposes including but not limited to [[data mining]] and user profiling".

In corporate use of IM, organizational offerings have become very sophisticated in their security and logging measures. An employee or organization member must be granted login credentials and permission to use the messaging system. Creating a specific account for each user allows the organization to identify, track and record all use of their messenger system on their servers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cisco WebEx Messenger: Enterprise Instant Messaging through a Commercial-Grade Multilayered Architecture |url=http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/ps10352/ps103520/ps10528/Cisco_WebEx_Connect_Security_White_Paper.pdf |accessdate=2015-10-11 |publisher=Cisco.com}}</ref>

=== Encryption ===
[[Encryption]] is the primary method that instant messaging apps use to protect user's data privacy and security. For corporate use, encryption and conversation archiving are usually regarded as important features due to security concerns.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Schneier |first1=Bruce |last2=Seidel |first2=Kathleen |last3=Vijayakumar |first3=Saranya |date=11 February 2016 |title=Multi-Encrypting Messengers – in: A Worldwide Survey of Encryption Products |url=https://www.schneier.com/cryptography/paperfiles/worldwide-survey-of-encryption-products.pdf |access-date=28 March 2017}}</ref> There are also a bunch of open source encrypting messengers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=David |last2=Maier |first2=Ann-Kathrin |date=6 June 2016 |title=Big Seven Study, open source crypto-messengers to be compared – or: Comprehensive Confidentiality Review & Audit: Encrypting E-Mail-Client & Secure Instant Messenger, Descriptions, tests and analysis reviews of 20 functions of the applications based on the essential fields and methods of evaluation of the 8 major international audit manuals for IT security investigations including 38 figures and 87 tables |url=https://sf.net/projects/goldbug/files/bigseven-crypto-audit.pdf |access-date=22 March 2017}}</ref>

IM does hold potential advantages over [[SMS]]. SMS messages are not encrypted, making them insecure, as the content of each SMS message is visible to [[Mobile network operator|mobile carriers]] and governments and can be intercepted by a third party,<ref name="techcrunch20181225">{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/25/cybersecurity-101-guide-encrypted-messaging-apps/|title=Cybersecurity 101: How to choose and use an encrypted messaging app|website=TechCrunch|date=25 December 2018 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-01}}</ref> may leak [[metadata]] (such as phone numbers),<ref name="techcrunch20181225" /> or be spoofed and the sender of the message can be edited to impersonate another person.<ref name="techcrunch20181225" />

Current instant messaging networks that use [[end-to-end encryption]] include [[Signal (messaging app)|Signal]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Best Private Instant Messengers |url=https://www.privacyguides.org/en/real-time-communication/ |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=Privacy Guides |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Communicating With Others |url=https://ssd.eff.org/module/communicating-others |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=ssd.eff.org |publisher=Electronic Frontier Foundation}}</ref> [[WhatsApp]], [[Wire (software)|Wire]] and [[iMessage]].<ref name="techcrunch20181225" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=iMessage security overview |url=https://support.apple.com/guide/security/imessage-security-overview-secd9764312f/web |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=Apple Support |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tuta.com/blog/best-whatsapp-alternatives-privacy|title=Best WhatsApp Alternatives|website=Tuta|date=24 February 2024 |language=en-US|access-date=2024-05-13}}</ref> Signal and iMessage have started using [[Post-quantum cryptography]] in September 2023<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quantum Resistance and the Signal Protocol |url=https://signal.org/blog/pqxdh/ |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=Signal Messenger |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Goodin |first=Dan |date=2023-09-20 |title=The Signal Protocol used by 1+ billion people is getting a post-quantum makeover |url=https://arstechnica.com/security/2023/09/signal-preps-its-encryption-engine-for-the-quantum-doomsday-inevitability/ |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=Ars Technica |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Signal adds quantum-resistant encryption to its E2EE messaging protocol |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/signal-adds-quantum-resistant-encryption-to-its-e2ee-messaging-protocol/ |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=BleepingComputer |language=en-us}}</ref> and April 2024<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goodin |first=Dan |date=2024-02-22 |title=iMessage gets a major makeover that puts it on equal footing with Signal |url=https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/02/imessage-gets-a-major-makeover-that-puts-it-on-equal-footing-with-signal/ |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=Ars Technica |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Burgess |first=Matt |title=Apple's iMessage Is Getting Post-Quantum Encryption |url=https://www.wired.com/story/apple-pq3-post-quantum-encryption/ |access-date=2025-07-05 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=21 February 2024 |title=iMessage with PQ3: The new state of the art in quantum-secure messaging at scale |url=https://security.apple.com/blog/imessage-pq3/ |website=security.apple.com |publisher=Apple, Inc.}}</ref> respectively. Applications that have been criticized for lacking or poor encryption methods include [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]] and [[Confide]], as both are prone to error or not having encryption enabled by default.<ref name="techcrunch20181225" /><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Jakobsen |first1=Jakob |last2=Orlandi |first2=Claudio |title=Proceedings of the 6th Workshop on Security and Privacy in Smartphones and Mobile Devices |chapter=On the CCA (in)security of MTProto |date=2016 |chapter-url=https://eprint.iacr.org/2015/1177.pdf#cite.thesis |publisher=Aarhus University |page=6 |doi=10.1145/2994459.2994468 |isbn=978-1-4503-4564-4 }}</ref>

=== Compliance risks ===
In addition to the malicious code threat, using instant messaging at work creates a risk of non-compliance with laws and regulations governing electronic communications in businesses. In the United States alone, there are over 10,000 laws and regulations related to electronic messaging and records retention.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid5_gci906152,00.html|title=ESG compliance report excerpt, Part 1: Introduction|access-date=May 13, 2007|archive-date=July 16, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716003433/http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/tip/ESG-compliance-report-excerpt-Part-1-Introduction|url-status=dead}}</ref> The better-known of these include the [[Sarbanes–Oxley Act]], [[Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act|HIPAA]], and SEC 17a-3.

Clarification from the [[Financial Industry Regulatory Authority]] (FINRA) was issued to member firms in the financial services industry in December 2007, noting that "electronic communications", "email", and "electronic correspondence" may be used interchangeably and can include such forms of electronic messaging as ''instant messaging'' and [[text messaging]].<ref>FINRA, Regulatory Notice 07-59, Supervision of Electronic Communications, December 2007</ref> Changes to [[Federal Rules of Civil Procedure]], effective December 1, 2006, created a new category for electronic records which may be requested during [[discovery (law)|discovery]] in legal proceedings.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Most nations also regulate electronic messaging and records retention similarly to the United States. The most common regulations related to IM at work involve producing archived business communications to satisfy government or judicial requests under law. Many instant messaging communications fall into the category of business communications that must be archived and retrievable.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

== Current user base ==
As of May 2025, the most used instant messaging apps and services worldwide include: [[Signal (messaging app)|Signal]] with 100 million, [[Line (software)|Line]] with 197 million, [[Viber]] with 260 million, [[QQ]] with 562 million, [[Snapchat]] with 900 million, [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]] with 1 billion, [[Facebook Messenger]] with 1.3 billion, [[WeChat]] with 1.39 billion, and [[WhatsApp]] with 3 billion users.<ref name="messengerpeople">{{Cite web|url=https://www.messengerpeople.com/global-messenger-usage-statistics/|title=Messaging App Usage Statistics Around the World|date=2020-02-12|website=MessengerPeople|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sinch.com/blog/most-popular-messaging-apps-by-country/|title=The most popular messaging apps in the world by country|date=2025-05-29|website=Sinch|language=en-US}}</ref>  

There are 25 countries in the world where WhatsApp messenger is not the market leader in IM, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Philippines, and China.<ref name="messengerpeople" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.hootsuite.com/11-people-join-social-every-second/|title=11 New People Join Social Media Every Second (And Other Impressive Stats)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130041759/http://blog.hootsuite.com/11-people-join-social-every-second/|archive-date=2018-01-30}}</ref>

IM apps have varying levels of adoption in different countries. As of April 2022:<ref name="similarweb-worldwide-messaging-apps">{{cite web|url=https://www.similarweb.com/corp/blog/research/market-research/worldwide-messaging-apps/|title=Most Popular Messaging Apps by Country|website=Similarweb}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps|title=Most Popular Messaging Apps: Top Messaging Apps 2021|website=Respond.io}}</ref>
*[[WhatsApp]] by [[Meta Platforms]] is the most popular instant messaging network in several countries in South America, Western Europe, Africa, Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
*[[Facebook Messenger]] by [[Meta Platforms]] is the most popular instant messaging network in North America, Northern Europe, some Central Europe countries, and Oceania.
*[[Telegram (software)|Telegram]] is the most popular instant messaging app in several Eastern Europe countries, and the second preferred option after WhatsApp in several countries in Western Europe, Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, Central and South America.
*[[Viber]] by [[Rakuten]] has a strong presence in Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Ukraine). It is also moderately successful in Philippines and Vietnam.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/01/29/2073733/viber-usage-spikes-pandemic-strikes|title=Viber usage spikes as pandemic strikes|date=29 January 2021|website=[[The Philippine Star]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/12/18/viber-expands-foothold-in-the-philippines-in-2021/|title=Viber expands foothold in the Philippines in 2021|date=18 December 2021 |website=[[BusinessMirror]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://e.vnexpress.net/news/trend/when-chatting-apps-can-be-overwhelming-4504110.html|title=When chatting apps can be overwhelming|website=VnExpress International}}</ref>
*[[Line (software)|Line]] by [[Naver Corporation]] is used widely in some countries in Asia (Japan, Taiwan, Thailand). 
*Instant messaging apps and services that are predominately used in only one country include: [[KakaoTalk]] in South Korea, [[Zalo]] in Vietnam, [[WeChat]] in China, and [[Imo.im|imo]] in Qatar. 
*While not the dominant app for one-to-one messaging in any country, [[Discord (software)|Discord]] is commonly used among online communities due to its ability to support chats with a large amount of members, topic-based channels, and cloud-based storage. [[Signal (messaging app)|Signal]], favoured for its privacy-focused approach, is among the top three preferred option in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland.<ref name="similarweb-worldwide-messaging-apps" />

== See also ==
===Terms===
*{{annotated link|Ambient awareness}}
*{{annotated link|Communication protocol}}
*{{annotated link|Mass collaboration}}
*{{annotated link|Message-oriented middleware}}
*{{annotated link|Operator messaging}}
*{{annotated link|Social media}}
*{{annotated link|Text messaging}}
*{{annotated link|SMS}}
*{{annotated link|Unified communications}} / [[Messaging]]

===Lists===
* [[Comparison of cross-platform instant messaging clients]]
* [[Comparison of instant messaging protocols]]
* [[Comparison of user features of messaging platforms]]

===Other===
*{{annotated link|Code Shikara}}
* [[Meatspace Chat]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==

{{Instant messaging}}
{{Computer-mediated communication}}
{{Blog topics}}
{{Mobile phones}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Instant messaging| ]]
[[Category:Internet culture]]
[[Category:Social media]]
[[Category:Online chat]]
[[Category:Videotelephony]]
[[Category:Text messaging]]