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AOL’s dial-up internet, a relic of the early online era, will be officially shut down next month after running continuously since the early 1990s. In a statement released Friday, the company confirmed the service will go offline on September 30.

Alongside dial-up internet, AOL will also retire its AOL Dialer software and Shield browser. The company assured customers that the shutdown would not impact other benefits included in AOL subscription plans.

A Cultural Touchstone of the Early Internet

Launched in 1991, AOL dial-up became one of the most recognizable gateways to the online world, complete with its distinctive connection sounds and the famous “You’ve Got Mail” alert. It was a fixture in millions of households, offering access to AOL Instant Messenger, early chat rooms, and email long before the age of smartphones and high-speed internet.

In its heyday, dial-up defined an era. The early 1990s brought chart-toppers like the Spice Girls and Boyz II Men, blockbuster films such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and the emergence of online communities that thrived despite slow loading speeds and limited connection time. The service also found its way into pop culture, most famously in Nora Ephron’s 1998 romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail, which showcased the AOL experience as an everyday part of life.

While most internet providers moved away from dial-up in the 2000s as broadband connections became the standard, AOL kept the service available for those who still used it. The number of subscribers dwindled over the years, but the company maintained its legacy product until now.

Featured image credit: Frank Gruber via Flickr

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AOL to Shut Down Dial-Up Internet, Sparking ’90s Nostalgia