Open AIM Program Changes

The Open AIM Program is now more open than ever. Effective immediately, the Developer Agreement has been updated to remove the requirement to incorporate "two features out of a list of five" (the "2 of 5"). The 2 of 5 was required when developing and deploying an AIM Custom Client (including mobile versions) or a Web AIM application. Although no longer required, we encourage you to incorporate as many of the AIM product features as possible to create application stickiness and resonance with AIM users. Also included in this update are requirements for developers who use third-party libraries and protocols to access the AIM Network as well as the proper use of Open AIM Authentication APIs.

AIM Add-Ons

Here you will find a short description of our available add-ons that you can integrate with your Custom Client or Web AIM application. Please visit our AIM Add-Ons main page to learn more detail.

AIM Expressions - Include the ability for your users to choose and display a Buddy Icon to customize his or her user experience and provide a link to the AOL-Hosted AIM Expressions web page.

AIM Toolbar - Your users can fully customize the toolbar to stay in touch with Buddies, set AIM Status while browsing, include current webpage in Status, add favorite websites to the Toolbar, add favorite sites and feeds in the button gallery, and use AIM Search enhanced by Google™ to search the web, images, video and more.

Buddy Info - Tap into and display information provided by AOL that includes information about online status and AIM profile information.

Third-Party Libraries and Protocols

The Open AIM program now supports developers who want to use third-party libraries and protocols for their AIM applications. The process is easy and free. All you need to do is sign up and become an Open AIM Partner and work with us to make sure your application is registered on our network.

Using Open AIM Authentication APIs

Authenticating Open AIM users relies on a separate open API at AOL called “OpenAuth”. One of these APIs is called “clientLogin” which is designed for developers wanting to authenticate AIM users via desktop or mobile applications. If you are interested in developing Adobe AIR, Microsoft Silverlight, Objective-C, or .net/C++ AIM applications, clientLogin is required.

For browser-based AIM development projects, OpenAuth has a great set of APIs geared specifically for web authentication. For security reasons, the agreement restricts you from using clientLogin for web-based applications.

We encourage you to read more about our authentication requirements.