AOL, formerly America Online is planning to shut down its dial-up internet services after 34 years in services on September 30th 2025.
Since inceptions, AOL was the gateway to the internet for many families. Its dial-up service, launched decades ago, became hugely popular in the 90s and early 2000s, introducing millions to the World Wide Web for the first time.
AOL was once the biggest name in dial-up internet, though it wasn’t the only provider around. A few smaller companies still offer dial-up today, but its decline has been happening for years. AOL ending its service marks another chapter closing, as more pieces of the early internet fade away.
AOL is no longer the internet giant it once was. Back in its heyday, it wasn’t just about dial-up, instant messages (IM) but it was also famous for its cheerful “You’ve got mail” greeting, made even more iconic by the 1998 movie of the same name starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
Away from Microsoft scrap all its services in Instant Messaging and video calling app (Skype), AOL shut down its Instant Messenger, a chat service launched in 1997 that was once hailed as the next big thing after email. It was hugely popular for a time but eventually lost ground to newer, faster competitors.
