For those who are old enough to remember, back in the early days of the internet before the likes of Skype, WhatsApp, LINE, Viber, WeChat, and Snapchat, there existed other instant messenger platforms like IRC, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, and of course one of the classics, AIM, which in case you’ve forgotten, has shut down today.It was reported back in October that AIM would be shutting its doors on the 15th of December, 2017, and sure enough it has. The service has been in operation for about 20 years now, and we guess all good things do eventually come to an end. According to the announcement, “As of December 15, 2017, AOL Instant Messenger products and services will be shut down and will no longer work.If you are an AOL member, AOL products and services like AOL Mail, AOL Desktop Gold and Member Subscriptions will not be affected.”
For those wondering if there could be a potential replacement for the app/service, that will not be the case because according to AOL, “There is not currently a replacement product available for AIM. As we move forward, all of us at AOL (now Oath) are excited to continue bringing you new, iconic products and experiences.”
It is an end of an era, but like we said with today’s landscape being peppered with a myriad of messenger apps, users are already spoilt for choice.