Tuesday marks the end of AOL’s dial-up internet service, a groundbreaking access point for millions of early internet users. AOL, once a dominant force, facilitated many people’s initial web experiences with its distinctive “You’ve Got Mail!” notification. Despite once boasting over 20 million users and a historic merger with Time Warner, AOL’s dial-up service declined with the rise of broadband. The shutdown follows a period of user decline and a sale to Apollo, though AOL continues to offer other services and still has a few thousand paying dial-up users, even though they no longer provide dial-up services.
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AOL, the company known for its “You’ve got mail” greeting and ubiquitous trial CDs, is discontinuing its dial-up internet service. This decision, announced on AOL’s website, will end the service, along with the AOL Dialer software and AOL Shield browser, on September 30th. The dial-up service, which used telephone lines and emitted a distinct chirping sound, was a staple of internet access in the 1990s. AOL, now part of Yahoo and previously owned by Verizon, was sold to Apollo Global Management in 2021.
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Elwood Edwards, the voice behind the iconic AOL email notification “You’ve Got Mail,” has passed away at the age of 74. Edwards, a behind-the-scenes television professional, recorded the four-phrase greeting for AOL in his living room back in 1989, unaware of the global impact his voice would have. His iconic lines became synonymous with the AOL experience for millions of users around the world, making him a household name despite his work behind the camera. Edwards’ legacy as the voice of AOL will be remembered by those who experienced the internet in its early days.
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John Q. Hosedrinker