Version 1.0 of MSN Messenger Service shipped with a Spartan feature set including plain text messaging and a basic contact list. Even Yahoo's messaging client beat Microsoft's to market by over a year, but as Microsoft proved, you don't have to be first to reach the top.Ī key decision at the time was Microsoft's integration with Hotmail, leveraging the sheer popularity of the web email service owned by the company, to offer those millions of users the ability of instant communication.

Microsoft's entry launched on July 22, 1999, which was already late considering ICQ had been around for nearly three years and AOL had followed with AIM in the spring of 1997.

E-mail was a popular method of communication among those with access to a computer, but it lacked the real-time feel that makes in-person conversation so appealing.įor that, you needed an instant messaging program, and when the mainstream Internet movement really started to take root, there were four major competitors jockeying for position: AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger and Microsoft's MSN Messenger. Texting was still in its infancy as very few people actually owned mobile phones at that point.

Not as many users online as with other IM services.It was the late 90s and social media platforms like MySpace and Facebook didn't yet exist.

Your friends will see what you have shared automatically, without leaving the chat. (On your mobile device, you can even take a picture to share.) Upload an picture file, or copy and paste a link to a video, Twitter post or image. Social notifications from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, AOL Mail and GmailĬhat with your friends, or work together on a project - AIM offers you a simple and fun way to talk and share files with the groups of users that matter to you most.ĪIM can manage links to photos, tweets and videos already online, or you can upload documents from your PC or mobile phone. Instant display of videos, tweets and images The fresh AIM is ready to use for PC, Mac, iPhone, Android and on the web. AIM is messaging application and much more.

Download aol messenger