AOL Instant Messenger will be shut down soon

It closes for good on December 15.

October 06, 2017
GIF by Oath via aimemories.tumblr.com

AOL Instant Messenger, the once-popular chat service launched in 1997, will shut down on December 15. The impending closure was announced by AOL on Tumblr.

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Michael Albers, VP of Communications Product at Oath, writes that changing times are behind the company's decision to suspend the service. "AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed."

In March, AIM announced that the service would no longer be accessible via third-party apps, stocking speculation of a shutdown.

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AOL Instant Messenger will be shut down soon