It’s been two decades since the messaging service first launched, and likely years since you last used it, but today, AOL has officially announced the end of an era: Instant Messenger has been discontinued.
Earlier this year, AOL parent company Oath revealed AIM will no longer exist as of December 15, 2017.
As the firm notes, AIM was once a huge part of life for many people, especially those who grew up during the 90s and early 2000s – but in the years since, communication has ‘profoundly changed.’
In a blog post today, AOL parent company Oath revealed AIM will no longer exist as of December 15, 2017. They also took the time to write out one last away message to fans, alongside an image of the now-iconic logo waving goodbye
In a blog post, Oath’s Vice President of Communications Product revealed the official termination of AOL’s long-running Instant Messenger, calling up memories of the carefully crafted away messages, screennames, and buddy lists.
While many people haven’t used the service in years, the news was met with mixed emotions across social media, with many sharing nostalgic messages about growing up with AIM.
‘AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed,’ writes VP Michael Albers.
‘As a result we’ve made the decision that we will be discontinuing AIM effective December 15, 2017.
‘We are more excited than ever to continue building the next generation of iconic brands and life-changing products for users around the world.’
It’s been two decades since the messaging service first launched, and likely years since you last used it, but today, AOL has officially announced the end of an era – AOL Instant Messenger will be discontinued before the end of the year
In a blog post today, Oath’s Vice President of Communications Product revealed the official termination of AOL’s long-running Instant Messenger, calling up memories of the carefully crafted away messages, screennames, and buddy lists
AOL has been hinting at AIM’s discontinuation for some time, even pulling the service from third-party clients this past spring.
In March, Ars Technica revealed AOL had begun to notify users of the third-party app Adium that it would be disabling access to the network.
Former AIM users took to Twitter to express their emotions on the death of the messaging platform – with many shocked to find out it still existed in the first place.
‘AOL Instant Messenger is still a THING!?’ one user wrote.
‘Good Lord when I saw AIM trending I thought we’d gone back to 1998.’
Others took the time to write out their goodbyes in the style of a classic AIM away message, with alternating capitalization and asterisks galore.
AIM also crafted one last away message to its fans, alongside an image of the now-iconic logo waving goodbye.
‘AIM is signing off for the last time,’ the firm wrote.
‘Thanks to our buddies for making chat history with us!’
While many people haven’t used the service in years, the news was met with mixed emotions across social media, with many sharing nostalgic messages about growing up with AIM