What happened to Omegle? Why it shut down, and is it back?

Omegle was one of the best-known ways to talk to strangers online. For almost fifteen years it paired random people for anonymous text and video chats, until it suddenly closed in November 2023. Here is what happened, what omegle.com shows today, and where people chat with strangers now.

The short answer

• Omegle shut down on 8 November 2023. Its founder, Leif K-Brooks, replaced the site with a farewell letter.
• The reasons he gave were the financial and psychological cost of running and moderating the site and fighting its misuse, according to NPR and other outlets that reported the letter.
• It closed shortly after settling a lawsuit brought by a woman who said the site had paired her, at age 11, with an abuser.
• The original Omegle has not come back. In September 2026 omegle.com shows a “launching soon” page for a different kind of service (see below).

A short history of Omegle

• 2009: Leif K-Brooks, then 18, launched Omegle from Vermont on 25 March 2009 as an anonymous one-to-one text chat with a random stranger (source: Wikipedia).
• 2010: Video chat was added. The famous screen of two webcams side by side dates from then.
• Later years: Interest tags let people match on shared topics, and a separate unmoderated section existed for a time. The site never required an account.
• 2022: The minimum age changed from 13 with parental permission to 18.
• 8 November 2023: Omegle shut down.

Why did Omegle shut down?

In his farewell letter, K-Brooks described Omegle as an attempt to recreate the spontaneous side of the internet he grew up with. He also acknowledged that some people had misused the site to commit serious crimes, and wrote that the stress and expense of fighting that misuse had become unsustainable.

The closure came about a week after Omegle settled a lawsuit filed in 2019 by a woman identified as A.M., who said she had been paired with a predator on the site as a child. The farewell page thanked her by her initials, which reports described as part of the settlement (AP via NY1).

The lesson most people took from it: anonymous random chat only works when minors are kept out, abuse is easy to report, and reports are taken seriously.

Is Omegle back?

Not the original. When we checked on 25 September 2026, omegle.com showed a page saying Omegle is “launching soon”. Its terms and privacy policy name RC TECH AMERICA INC as the operator and describe an account-based livestreaming and chat platform, with third-party age verification required before users appear on camera. That is a different service from the anonymous random chat that closed in 2023, even though it uses the same name.

Many other sites also use the word “Omegle” in their names or ads. They are independent services, not the original. Before you use one, check who runs it, whether it is for adults only, and how you can report someone.

What happened to Omegle users?

People who used Omegle to meet strangers, practise languages or just pass the time moved to other random chat sites and apps. The biggest differences between them are whether you need an account, which filters are free, whether there is a text-only mode, and how moderation works. We compare the main ones, using only what each says on its own website, in Omegle alternatives: sites and apps like Omegle.

Where to chat with strangers now

RandomHey is an independent random chat for adults, built for the same kind of spontaneous conversations. It is not affiliated with Omegle.

• Random video chat and random text chat in the browser, with no account or app.
• Optional interest and language matching, free for everyone.
• Adults only: you confirm you are 18 or older before your first chat.
• Report and Block are always visible, and reports are reviewed by people. Video is not recorded.

Read how it works and our safety features and their limits before you start. Wherever you chat, never share your name, address, school, workplace or social media with a stranger; our guide to staying safe when talking to strangers online explains why.

Omegle questions

When did Omegle shut down?

On 8 November 2023, after running for more than fourteen years.

Who created Omegle?

Leif K-Brooks, who launched it in March 2009 at the age of 18.

Is omegle.com the original Omegle?

In September 2026 omegle.com shows a “launching soon” page whose terms name RC TECH AMERICA INC as operator and describe an account-based livestreaming platform. The original anonymous random chat closed in 2023.

Is there a site exactly like Omegle?

Several sites offer random one-to-one video or text chat. They differ on accounts, filters, apps and moderation, so compare them in our Omegle alternatives guide.

Omegle is a trademark of its owner. RandomHey is not affiliated with Omegle or with the operator of omegle.com.