The AOL Instant Messenger client, one of the pioneering internet chat services, is now officially dead.
Oath, AOL’s parent company, has followed through on its promise to discontinue the fondly-remembered precursor to WhatsApp on December 15.
There has been no reprieve for the service, which, for many 90s teenagers, opened them up to a world of interacting with strangers long before Facebook and Twitter reared their head.
In a blog post back in October, Oath notified the lingering user base of the impending shutdown after two decades.
“You likely remember the CD, your first screenname, your carefully curated away messages, and how you organized your buddy lists. Right now you might be reminiscing about how you had to compete for time on the home computer in order to chat with friends outside of school,” wrote Michael Albers, VP of Communications Product at Oath.
“You might also remember how characters throughout pop culture from “You’ve Got Mail” to “Sex and the City” used AIM to help navigate their relationships. In the late 1990’s, the world had never seen anything like it. And it captivated all of us.”
Email accounts unaffected
Life after AIM will involve the creation of more “life changing products.” However, there’ll be no replacement for the messaging service.
In an email sent to remaining users back in October, the firm explained: “Before December 15, you can continue to use the service. After December 15, you will no longer have access to AIM and your data will be deleted. If you use an @aim.com email address, your email account will not be affected and you will still be able to send and receive email as usual.”
The death of AIM comes after Microsoft killed MSN Messenger in 2014, following its purchase of Skype. Thankfully, for those seeking retro kicks, Yahoo Messenger is still up and running.
Do you have good memories of using AIM back in the 90s? Share them with us @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
