Twenty-six years ago today, two of us shipped the first version of Trillian out of Brookfield, Connecticut. The messengers we used every day refused to talk to each other, and we were stubborn enough to think we could fix that.
That first version signed you in to all your buddy lists at once: one window instead of five. Since then the buddy list became channels and teams, and one Windows app became six.
What's changed
| 2000 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Where Trillian ran | Windows | Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, and the web |
| Where your friends were | AIM, ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger | Right here, in chats, channels, and teams |
| How you got online | Dial-up, mostly | Wherever you are |
| Downloads | Zero | More than 50 million |
Along the way Trillian picked up video calls, reactions, and read receipts, and hospitals now use it for secure messaging.
Still here
When Trillian started, it lived alongside the big messengers of the day. Almost all of them have since signed off for good:
- AIM, 1997 to 2017
- MSN Messenger, later Windows Live Messenger, 1999 to 2013
- Yahoo Messenger, 1998 to 2018
- ICQ, 1996 to 2024
We're still here, and we still answer our own support tickets.
The last year
In the past twelve months we shipped Trillian 6.6, with reactions and video calls, and rewrote the Android app from the ground up. Linux got 6.6 as well, with channels and read receipts that go both ways.
Thank you
Some of you have used Trillian since dial-up. You're the reason we made it to 26, and all of us at Cerulean Studios are grateful. Here's to the next 26! 🎂
