If you go for the latter “lite” version, there are nine themes you can install ranging from Gray Moose to Incredibly Pink. AIM originally launched on Windows 95 as a stand-alone client in May 1997.Ĭurrently, Wildman Productions serves up 10 releases of AIM spanning version 1.0 to the “lite” version of AIM 5.9.
America Online kept the chat service active and provided technical support until it finally shut down AIM on December 15, 2017. Eventually, most chat clients lost their appeal, including AIM, as web surfers flocked to social networks and evolving mobile devices.īy March 2012, America Online injected advertisements into its AIM client and let go of the development staff. But with the rise of ICQ, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN Messenger, America Online opened its chat client to everyone, not just subscribers. It’s not an official service but is instead run by Wildman Productions, a non-profit organization comprised of “hobbyist programmers and other artists.” AIM Phoenix essentially uses discontinued software to send messages through a private server and doesn’t actually connect to America Online (aka AOL).ĪIM first started as an extension to America Online’s desktop software so that subscribers could talk to other members without loading the main bulky platform. Fitbit Versa 3Īmerica Online’s instant messenger, AIM, now rises from the ashes as AIM Phoenix.
