AOL Dial-up Shuts Down After 34 Years
Can You Play Danny Boy Through a Phone Modem? After 34 years in business, AOL is finally ending its dial-up service. The news will undoubtedly come as a shock to internet users across the country, many of whom are probably wondering, “Did AOL still have dial-up?” But if you live in a rural area, it’s not all that surprising. As someone who has to resort to DSL every time I visit relatives and who had to fight to get my mom to switch from AOL’s browser to Chrome when I was in college, I understand why AOL dial-up has lasted so long. According to the 2019 U.S. Census , 265,000 people in the United States still use dial-up, and the AOL brand, in particular, had a certain amount of brand recognition.
The company was known for creating easy-to-use products with an emphasis on personality, so it’s funny how bland the closure was announced. In a 100-word blog post published over the weekend , AOL simply said its dial-up service “will no longer be available on AOL plans” as of September 30, 2025. Along with dial-up, the AOL Dialer, the software that was actually used to connect, went into the trash, as did the AOL Shield browser, a stripped-down version of the company’s current Chrome-like browser, AOL Shield Pro , designed for older operating systems and slow connections.
As for what AOL will continue to offer, it appears the company is now more focused on data security, offering a range of privacy features aimed at businesses rather than individuals. That said, you can still sign up for a free AOL subscription if you want a nostalgic email address, though both free and paid users will need to connect to the internet from other sources in the future.
There is hope, however, for those still clinging to a screeching phone modem for their internet connection. Services like Netzero and Juno still offer dial-up plans in some postcodes, and Netzero will actually hook you up for free if you use less than 10 hours a month. Click here to find out about providers in your area.
What’s more, the classic AOL interface isn’t going anywhere. While AOL is discontinuing dial-up access, the company will continue to offer the AOL Desktop Gold plan, which, in addition to keylogger and phishing protection tools, also provides access to the classic AOL browser, as opposed to the more chrome-laden Shield Pro. It even includes a “You’ve got mail” notification.