AIM Will End On December 15, 2017

The end of an era is near.

 

For those born during or before the mid-90’s, AOL Instant Messenger (or AIM) might have been part of your daily routine. Most of us have moved on from AIM when smart phones started, but the iconic messaging platform has remained standing throughout the years. But that time is coming to an end, as Oath—the new Verizon company that owns AOL and Yahoo!—has announced that AIM will be no more, effective December 15, 2017.

 

All good things come to an end. On Dec 15, we'll bid farewell to AIM. Thank you to all our users! #AIMemories https://t.co/b6cjR2tSuU pic.twitter.com/V09Fl7EPMx

— AIM (@aim) October 6, 2017

 

In the press release, VP of Communications Product at Oath, Michael Albers, stated in part:

 

If you were a 90’s kid, chances are there was a point in time when AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) was a huge part of your life. 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. 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.

 

After text messaging, including the popular iMessage on iPhones and Apple devices, and social media where many people post what they do on a daily basis, the need for AIM decreased. So this is more of a happy goodbye that brings up memories and feelings of nostalgia. There were a lot worse 20-year runs than the one AIM had.

 

Farewell to screen names, buddy lists, and away messages.