After 20 years of being in service, AOL has decided to shut down their AOL instant messenger service, also known as AIM.

Vice President of Oath, (AOL’s new name) Michael Albers, wrote in a blog, “AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed.”

Albers also wrote, “You likely remember the CD, your first screen name, your carefully curated away messages, and how you organized your buddy lists. Right now you might be reminiscing about how you had to compete for time on the home computer in order to chat with friends outside of school.”

AIM, along with all of its stored data, will officially become unavailable the morning of Dec. 15, 2017; although, the service will begin removing the ability to download the program prior to then.

AOL wrote on their webpage, “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. Our focus will always be on providing the kind of innovative experiences consumers want. We’re more excited than ever to focus on building the next generation of iconic brands and life-changing products.”

AOL also sent an email to all of their AIM users.

The email wrote, “We loved working on AIM for you. From setting the perfect away message to that familiar ring of an incoming chat, AIM will always have a special place in our hearts.”

Unlike Yahoo when Yahoo Messenger first shutdown, AOL will not be replacing the service right away. AOL wrote on their AIM FAQ page, “There is not currently a replacement product available for AIM. As we move forward, all of us at AOL (now Oath) are excited to continue bringing you new, iconic products and experiences.”

Students at the University of New Haven are remembering AIM and reflecting upon what it meant to them.

Junior, Nicole Ritsick said, “I remember AIM being the social platform before we had Facebook or were old enough to even use Facebook. Everyone always had a super funny or tacky nickname, mine was Nickyritz97, no one ever called me Nicky before but I thought it was so cool of a nickname at the time. I also remember having this moving baseball Yankees picture as my profile picture which I thought was hysterical.”

Senior, Jake Olszewski said, “My username was olszew95. It makes me sad because I have been hoping AIM would have a comeback. Hit me up on AIM until December.”