4 days ago
Millennials Mourn End of AOL Dial Up
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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AOL has announced it is to discontinue its dial-up internet service and associated software next month, marking the end of a product that has been part of consumer internet access for more than three decades.
AOL posted a notice on its help portal saying the service would stop on Sept. 30, prompting immediate online nostalgia among people who learned about the internet through AOL's dial-up experience, and the associated screeches and beeps of modems conducting an analog handshake to establish a connection.
The move has also brought attention to the small number of remaining dial-up users who will need to find alternative ways to get online.
Why it Matters
AOL's dial-up service once connected tens of millions of Americans to the nascent World Wide Web; its retirement represents a symbolic close to an early chapter of mainstream internet adoption. AOL's dial-up tone and "You've got mail" alert were cultural touchstones for users, many of whom shared their reaction online.
Census data suggests less than 1 percent of US households still rely on dial-up for internet access.
What To Know
In a statement on its website, AOL said: "AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet. This service will no longer be available in AOL plans.
"As a result, on September 30, 2025 this service and the associated software, the AOL Dialer software and AOL Shield browser, which are optimized for older operating systems and dial-up internet connections, will be discontinued."
The announcement was met with nostalgic dismay from some social media users, including millennials, who grew up with the service.
The AOL website on a computer screen in Cali, Colombia, May 21, 2013.
The AOL website on a computer screen in Cali, Colombia, May 21, 2013.
Getty Images
X user Doc Strangelove posted: "The sound of AOL dial up firing on, is burned into the DNA of millennials."
X user Brian Reich commented: "AOL is ending its dial-up service, huh? I guess my childhood is finally over."
The X account Physical Media Forever posted simply: "End of an Era."
AOL grew massively in the 90s; by 1995 it had about 10 million customers and later became the world's largest internet company at the height of the dot-com era.
The company merged with Time Warner in 2000, was later spun out, and was purchased by Verizon in 2015; parts of AOL and Yahoo were sold to Apollo Global Management in 2021.
What Happens Next
Remaining AOL dial-up subscribers have until Sept. 30 to arrange alternative internet access.
