AIM (software)

AOL Instant Messenger
	File:AIM logo.svg The AIM "Running Man" logo
Company type	Instant messaging software
Industry	Internet communication
Founded	May 1997; 29 years ago
Founder	AOL
Defunct	December 15, 2017
Fate	Discontinued
Headquarters	United States
Products	Instant messaging service
Parent	AOL (subsidiary of Verizon Communications from 2015)

AOL Instant Messenger (commonly known as AIM and occasionally presented as aim) was an instant messaging and presence information application created by AOL. It operated using the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol alongside the TOC protocol to facilitate real-time communication.

During the late 1990s, AIM became extremely popular, especially among teenagers and university students who frequently utilized its away message functionality to maintain connections and share status updates throughout their day. Nevertheless, throughout the 2000s and 2010s, AIM’s user numbers dwindled as AOL’s subscriber base shrank and rival services such as Gmail's Google Talk, text messaging (SMS), and social platforms like Facebook gained traction. This decline mirrored the trajectory of other once-leading Internet platforms such as Myspace.

In June 2015, Verizon Communications acquired AOL for $4.4 billion. Two years afterward, Verizon combined AOL with Yahoo under its subsidiary Oath Inc. (currently known as Yahoo). The AIM service was officially shut down on December 15, 2017.

History

AIM debuted in May 1997 as a standalone software download for Microsoft Windows. The program evolved from "online messages," an original feature developed by Dave Brown. At its height, AIM commanded the largest portion of the instant messaging market in North America, capturing 52% of users in the United States by 2006. This figure does not include other AOL-related messaging platforms such as ICQ and iChat.

During its dominance, AIM primarily competed with ICQ (which AOL purchased in 1998), Yahoo! Messenger, and MSN Messenger. Starting in 1999, AOL found itself in a significant rivalry with both PowWow and Microsoft. Microsoft attempted to enable users to simultaneously connect to both Microsoft’s and AIM’s servers; however, AOL blocked this effort, resulting in antitrust disputes and prompting the creation of the OpenNet Coalition.

By 2001, official AIM mobile versions were available on Palm OS through AOL’s application. In 2002, third-party applications allowed access on the Sidekick. Subsequent years saw releases for platforms including Symbian OS, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile.

After 2012, AIM offered official clients supported by advertising across multiple operating systems including Microsoft Windows, Windows Mobile, Classic Mac OS, macOS, Android, iOS, and BlackBerry OS.

Decline in usage and discontinuation

Starting around 2011, AIM experienced a sharp drop in popularity due to the growing adoption of integrated messaging services like Google Talk within Gmail, alongside users migrating to SMS, Apple’s iMessages, and standalone social messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, which launched independently that year. To adapt, AOL collaborated to integrate AIM messaging into Google Talk and enabled bidirectional communication between AIM users and SMS recipients.

By June 2011, AIM’s market share had fallen to just 0.73%, a metric based on installed instant messaging applications rather than active user counts. Engineers working on AIM expressed frustration over their inability to convince AOL leadership that transitioning to a free service model was necessary for future success.

On March 3, 2012, AOL disbanded the AIM development team but continued providing service support. Later, on October 6, 2017, AOL announced that AIM would cease operations on December 15 of that year. Following this announcement, a nonprofit organization named Wildman Productions created AIM Phoenix—a server designed to support legacy versions of AIM.

The "Running Man"

The AIM emblem, created by JoRoan Lazaro and launched in 1997, featured a yellow stick figure famously called the "Running Man." This icon became closely linked to AIM's surge in popularity throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, establishing itself as a well-known symbol on the Internet. After a 14-year presence, the logo was removed during AIM’s 2011 brand refresh but made a comeback in August 2013. Additionally, it was utilized across other AOL offerings such as AOL Top Speed and continues to be included in an AOL Mail theme.

In 2014, an editor from Complex referred to the figure as an "emblem of America." Later, in April 2015, the Running Man was featured in the Virgin London Marathon to support the Free The Children charity, which partnered with AOL.

Protocol

Communication on AIM primarily relied on the proprietary Open System for CommunicAtion in Realtime (OSCAR), which powered AOL's official clients as well as most third-party applications. AOL also introduced a simpler protocol named TOC, designed to provide basic chat functions; unlike OSCAR, whose details were confidential and reverse-engineered by developers, TOC’s specifications were openly accessible.

In January 2008, AOL briefly enabled experimental compatibility with the open-source Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP), allowing users to connect with services using that protocol. This feature was discontinued by March 2008 but saw a limited return in May 2011. Eventually, on March 1, 2017, AOL announced it would shut down its XMPP gateway effective March 28, 2017.

Privacy

AIM enforced strict age policies, permitting account creation only for individuals aged 13 and above. According to AIM’s Privacy Policy, AOL did not reserve rights to access or monitor private user messages; however, user profiles were publicly visible.

In November 2002, AOL introduced Enterprise AIM Services (EAS), a secure version tailored for business clients. Content publicly shared by users could be utilized by AOL and its partners for advertising purposes without further consent, as specified in the service’s terms.

While AOL asserted measures to safeguard personal data from unauthorized access, it acknowledged that absolute protection could not be guaranteed. Unlike competitors such as Yahoo! Messenger, AIM allowed users to be added to others’ buddy lists without their approval, potentially enabling unconsented status monitoring. Although blocking prevented message exchanges, it did not stop others from viewing a user’s status if they created new accounts. Users had options to restrict communication solely to their buddy list or appear offline.

On November 4, 2014, AIM received a score of 1 out of 7 on the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s secure messaging evaluation chart, earning points solely for encrypting messages during transit. It lacked features such as end-to-end encryption, verification of contacts’ identities, forward secrecy, open-source software availability, comprehensive security documentation, and recent independent security audits. Other services like BlackBerry Messenger, Skype, and Yahoo! Messenger also obtained similarly low ratings.

Chat robots

AIM hosted various chatbots provided by AOL and other companies that could interact with users by receiving messages and responding according to their programming. Examples included StudyBuddy for educational support and Spleak, which targeted younger audiences such as children and teens. Certain bots offered advice or interactive functionalities like games, sports updates, weather forecasts, and stock market information. These automated agents featured natural language processing capabilities and were mainly deployed as marketing tools designed to promote products and boost user engagement.

Earlier bots like DoorManBot and AIMOffline delivered straightforward services, while later bots such as ZolaOnAOL and ZoeOnAOL were eventually replaced by SmarterChild.

URI scheme

During AIM's installation, a URI scheme handler was integrated into certain web browsers, allowing links beginning with aim: to launch new AIM windows performing designated tasks—functioning similarly to the mailto: protocol used for email. For instance, a website could embed a link enabling direct messaging to a user: <a href="aim:goim?screenname=notarealuser">Send Message</a>

This scheme permitted parameters for customization, such as predefined messages (message) or setting away statuses: aim:goaway?message=Hello,+my+name+is+Bill

On forums, it was common to add contacts through links like: aim:addbuddy?screenname=notarealuser

Vulnerabilities

AIM was subject to security flaws that third-party programs exploited to carry out harmful activities. Some of these vulnerabilities resulted in minor interruptions such as disconnections from the service, while others facilitated the distribution of malware via social engineering—sending instant messages containing misleading URLs that installed malicious software like trojans. These attacks frequently appeared to originate from trusted contacts, thereby enabling ongoing infection chains.

iPhone application

On March 6, 2008, AOL introduced an AIM app tailored for iPhone and iPod Touch users, available at no cost through the App Store, with an optional paid version offering an ad-free experience. The client supported both standard AIM and MobileMe accounts, alongside a streamlined version accessible through Safari.

In 2011, AOL revamped its Instant Messaging service by releasing an updated iOS app featuring a redesigned cursive AIM logo and refreshed user interface. Improvements included an enhanced buddy list, group chat capabilities, inline display of photos and videos, and better file-sharing options.

The March 2012 release of version 5.0.5 incorporated social stream functionalities reminiscent of Facebook and Twitter, as well as voice messaging with durations up to 60 seconds.

iPad application

Coinciding with the debut of the first-generation iPad in April 2010, AOL launched an AIM app specifically designed for iOS 4. This version offered a customized interface and included support for geolocation services along with integration for Facebook status updates and chat, Myspace, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare, and other social media platforms.

AIM Express

AIM Express operated within a pop-up browser window aimed at users who either could not or chose not to install the standalone AIM application or were on systems without it installed. It provided many core features found in the desktop client but omitted advanced functionalities such as file transfers, audio chats, video calls, or detailed buddy information. Developed using Adobe Flash, AIM Express replaced AOL Quick Buddy—which remained available for older operating systems until its discontinuation. Both AIM Express and Quick Buddy were similar in concept to MSN Web Messenger and Yahoo! Web Messenger. This web-based platform eventually evolved into the messenger service hosted on AIM.com.

AIM Pages

AIM Pages was a complimentary web service launched by AOL in May 2006 as a successor to AIMSpace. Users aged 16 and above possessing an AIM username were able to create personalized web pages featuring dynamic profiles which could be shared with their AIM Buddy list.

Layout

AIM Pages included direct links to the owner's email and instant messaging contacts, accompanied by a buddy list showing AIM usernames. Users had the ability to incorporate modules via a Module T microformat, allowing integration of content from video services like Netflix and YouTube, as well as retail platforms such as Amazon.com. The platform also permitted the addition of custom HTML code.

The service focused on embedding third-party modules within the AOL Instant Messenger environment to boost user interaction.

Discontinuation

By the end of 2007, AIM Pages was officially retired. Afterwards, its links redirected users to AOL Lifestream, AOL’s standalone platform that aggregated external modules independently from AIM contacts. AOL Lifestream itself ceased operations on February 24, 2017.

AIM for Mac

AOL introduced a revamped AIM client for the Mac on September 29, 2008, with the final version released on December 15, 2008. This fully universal binary Cocoa API application supported Tiger and Leopard versions—specifically Mac OS X 10.4.8 and later. On October 1, 2009, AOL launched AIM 2.0 for Mac.

AIM real-time IM

Featured in AIM 7, this functionality allowed users to view messages as they were being composed. Developed with assistance from the Trace Research and Development Center at University of Wisconsin–Madison and Gallaudet University, it provided text-to-speech capabilities for visually impaired individuals. This feature required AIM version 6.8 or newer and was not compatible with earlier AIM editions, AIM for Mac, or iChat.

AIM to mobile (messaging to phone numbers)

This option enabled users to send text messages directly to phone numbers; however, text messaging offered fewer features compared to traditional instant messaging.

AIM Phoneline

AIM Phoneline, launched on May 16, 2006, was a Voice over IP service facilitating calls between PC-to-PC, PC-to-phone, and phone-to-PC through the AIM application. It provided free incoming calls via local phone numbers and charged $14.95 monthly for unlimited outgoing calls. The service required the AIM Triton client along with compatible audio hardware and was also integrated with Apple's iChat Client.

The service was terminated on January 13, 2009; all associated phone numbers were deactivated without transfer options. AOL advised users to migrate to the subsequently discontinued AIM Call Out service.

AIM Call Out

AOL’s Voice over IP offering, AIM Call Out allowed PC-to-PC, PC-to-phone, and phone-to-PC calling through the AIM platform. Introduced in November 2007 as a successor to the discontinued AIM Phoneline, it functioned independently of the AIM client via WebConnect or dedicated SIP devices. The service was discontinued on March 25, 2009.

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