Y2K Messenger

Your buddy list is back. Away messages, door sounds, and the sign-on screen you remember, on your iPhone.

How it works

Y2K Messenger is a client, not a service. It signs on to community-run servers that speak the classic instant-messenger protocol of 1999. By default it uses logon.chat, a free revival server, and you can point it at any other compatible server, including one you run yourself.

Buddy list with online, away and idle states, saved on the server so it follows your screen name.
Instant messages with typing notifications and delivery acks. Messages sent while you are signed off wait for you.
Away messages: pick a saved one or write a new one; buddies who IM you get it once.
Original sounds: a door, a chime, a tick. Drawn from scratch, not recordings of anything.
Works with real retro clients: friends on a desktop client pointed at the same server see you too.

Privacy, in one paragraph

There is no account with us. Your screen name, password and messages go only to the server you choose. The password never leaves your phone in the clear: sign-on uses a challenge-response digest. Messages on community servers are not encrypted, so use a throwaway password and treat it like a 1999 chat room. The app sends anonymous usage counts (sign-ons, messages sent, features used) to TelemetryDeck, never screen names or message text, and you can turn that off in Settings. Full text: Privacy Policy · Terms.

18+. Servers are run by their communities and nothing is moderated by us. For accounts without an existing server privacy setting, the app requests "Allow only people on my Buddy List." Check the Privacy screen to confirm which setting the server has accepted. With that setting, strangers cannot message you unless you add them. You can block anyone on the server, filter offensive language on your phone, and report a user from the app. We review abuse reports. This inbox is not monitored continuously.

Support

Questions, bugs, feature ideas: mike@productparty.us. Include your iPhone model and iOS version if it is a bug.

Common questions

I signed off when I switched apps. iOS closes network connections in the background, exactly like closing a laptop in 1999. Open the app and you sign back on; anything sent meanwhile is waiting.

How do I get a screen name? Tap "Create a screen name" on the sign-on screen. It opens the server's own registration page.

Can I use my own server? Yes. Choose "Other server", enter the host and port (5190 is standard), and turn on TLS if the server offers it.

Who is Y2K Bot? Your first buddy. A scripted chatterbot that lives inside the app, like the bots of 2001: trivia, jokes, dice, math, the time. Nothing you say to it leaves your phone.

Online