In the foggy realm of recollection, some might even remember it warmly: The AOL dial-up internet service, once synonymous with the early days of the World Wide Web for many, is about to end.
The company, also known by its “You’ve got mail” greeting and the CD trial discs — so many CDs — made the announcement on its website.
“AOL regularly reviews its products and services and has decided to terminate Dial-up Internet. This service will no longer be part of AOL packages,” announced the web provider.
Before the advent of modern wireless connectivity, dial-up linked to the internet through a regular phone line, producing a unique, high-pitched chirping noise.
AOL, now part of Yahoo, said the dial-up service, along with the AOL Dialer software and AOL Shield browser, will be discontinued on Sept. 30.
America Online was well-known for its complimentary trial discs, which were seemingly ubiquitous in the 1990s as the internet began proliferating in households across the U.S. and beyond.
It changed its name to just AOL in 2006. Verizon sold AOL and Yahoo to private equity firm Apollo Global Management for $5 billion in 2021.
