In 1998, America Online bought over CompuServe and inherited their interactive online services. In addition, they also bought over another instant messaging computer programs called ICQ which was developed by the Israeli company Mirabilis.
AOL also created its own instant messenger called AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) which allowed registered users to communicate in real time, and was released in 1997. The AIM software was made available for a range of platforms including Microsoft Windows, Windows Mobile, Mac OS, Mac OS X, Android, iOS and BlackBerry OS.