It's the end of an era: as of December 15, AOL's Instant Messenger will no longer exist.
In a statement from Oath, the new entity formed under Verizon combining AOL with the recently-acquired Yahoo, the service will be discontinued.
"AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed," said Michael Albers, VP of Communications Product at Oath.
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
AIM was a staple of personal computers since first launching in 1997, serving as a precursor to popular apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. However, AIM couldn't make the seamless transition to mobile, where most users rely on instant messaging services.
Users will be able to manually download any images or files on AIM before the service shuts down. However, users won't be able to export or save their Buddy List, the group of contacts available on AIM.
Meanwhile, users on Twitter are paying their respects:
RIP to a true legend in the internet game. https://t.co/atoCQ9gwrT
— Jerry David (@BostonJerry) October 6, 2017
My first high school boyfriend broke up with me over AIM. Then I put up lyrics to Patty Griffin's "Let Him Fly" as my away message. RIP AIM
— Courtney Enlow (@courtenlow) October 6, 2017
Just because I haven’t used AIM in years doesn’t mean I’m not sad. It’s like finding out a band you were really into 15 years ago broke up.
— Mute Bae (@DanGnajerle) October 6, 2017
AIM statuses were the original subtweet. RIP AIM
— Jennifer Mannhardt (@jennmannhardt) October 6, 2017
My office still uses AIM so this is sort of terrible https://t.co/pS12Es2Nuv
— Cara Jeffrey (@cara_jeffrey) October 6, 2017
