AOL has announced that AIM is shutting down later this year.
According to AOL, AIM will no longer be available for use starting on Dec. 15, 2017. This will bring an end to the service after 20 years of providing users with the ability to instantly send messages to friends, family and colleagues.
AOL says that it there won’t be a replacement for AIM when it shuts down. Instead, it will be focusing on creating new products as Oath. Oath is the name of the company that combines AOL and Yahoo following their acquisition by Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ).
AOL notes that AIM users will still be able to make full use of the service until the Dec. 15 cutoff date. However, it also points out that it will start removing links to download AIM prior to its final day of service.
Data that remains on AIM following Dec. 15 will be deleted. Users that want to save information from the service must sign in before the shutdown date and save it to their devices if they want to keep it. This includes images and chat history.
AOL says that there isn’t a way for users to save or export their Buddy Lists to another service. However, @aim.com email addresses will continue to operate following the AIM closure. Users can use this and other methods to manually recreate their Buddy Lists on other messaging services.
You can follow this link to learn more about AIM shutting down and what to prepare for.
As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
