The internet has improved a lot since the ‘90s. Young people might not understand this, but there was actually a time where picking up the phone would ruin your internet connection. For that matter, there was a time when people actually picked up the phone! I know, crazy!

However, as internet infrastructure has improved, the need for and usage of dial-up internet has dwindled to the point where now, less than 1 percent of the U.S. population relies on it.

And if that <1 percent is using AOL, they’ll soon need to look for a new internet provider. That’s because AOL recently announced that they’ll be shutting off their dial-up connection services and associated software in September.

“AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet. This service will no longer be available in AOL plans,” a statement from the company reads. “As a result, on September 30, 2025 this service and the associated software, the AOL Dialer software and AOL Shield browser, which are optimized for older operating systems and dial-up internet connections, will be discontinued.”

Now, people using dial-up internet will have to get with the times and connect to the world wide web the way everyone else does — stealing Wi-Fi from your neighbor’s unsecured network.