On September 30, AOL's dial-up hold-outs will need to finally move on to another internet service. AOL announced this week that it will be discontinuing its dial-up service next month, which probably isn't as surprising as the fact that AOL was still offering dial-up in 2025 to begin with.
Dial-up usage has plummeted over recent years. AOL had some 1.5 million dial-up users in 2015, but as of 2021 that number was reportedly "in the low thousands." So, this change probably doesn't impact many people, but it's somewhat shocking that dial-up usage has carried on for so long. AOL originally launched its dial-up service in 1991, meaning it will be 34 years old when it's finally shut down next month.
