After two decades, AOL Instant Messenger is shutting down.
AIM has been running as a standalone app since 1997 and dominated online chat in North America at the turn of the century, according to the technology website TechCrunch.
Texting via SMS on cell phones and social applications like Facebook have overtaken AIM. AOL has no planned replacement for the app, TechCrunch said.
"We know there are so many loyal fans who have used AIM for decades; and we loved working and building the first chat app of its kind since 1997," AOL wrote on its AIM help page. "Our focus will always be on providing the kind of innovative experiences consumers want."
The app will officially shut down on Dec. 15, according to CNN.
When AIM first launched, accessing the web required desktop computers and slow dial-up connections that tied up phone lines, CNN noted. AIM helped establish the internet as a place to hang out.
The system at first was used for chat within the desktop AOL product. It later launched as a standalone app.
AIM is currently run by Oath, the company created earlier this year from Verizon's merging of AOL and Yahoo, CNN said. The company acknowledged that the app has not kept pace with the times.
"AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed," Michael Albers, vice president of communications product at Oath wrote in a blog post.
