Save the date Mozilla is killing its Pocket and Fakespot services to focus on Firefox Browser maker shifts resources to "new Firefox features that people need most." Kevin Purdy – May 22, 2025 2:58 pm | 63 Credit: Mozilla/Pocket Credit: Mozilla/Pocket Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more When web services shut down and have time to put up a blog post about it, there's typically some real understatement in their explanation of "why." Bookmarking service Pocket's goodbye post truly delivers on this front, noting almost off-handedly that "the way people use the web has evolved." Yes, you might just say that. Both Pocket and another browser add-on, Fakespot, are being shut down by Firefox maker Mozilla in early July. In a post about the closures, Mozilla cites the need to "invest our time and resources so we can make the biggest impact." Pocket's saving and curation powers will be implemented into Firefox, while Fakespot's analysis of online shopping reviews "didn't fit a model we could sustain." Pocket started in 2007 as Read It Later, a way to bookmark web articles for later reading. It's not just the focus on published text articles that now seems quaint but also the idea that there was a finite amount of web material you would get back to and would have the time to do so. Those who do want that nice-sounding media experience can cobble it together in most modern browsers, which have built-in tools for managing bookmarks, distinct "reading lists," and even creating stripped-down "readable" versions of articles. Pocket did more than this and leaned into longform journalism and literary writing. The site's "Best of 2020" won a Webby award, and it regularly curated collections on a range of topics. Pocket is already used to curate recommendations on Firefox's new tab page (if you choose that version of it) and will likely see some features filter into the wider app. Fakespot, acquired by Mozilla in mid-2023, was described by Mozilla then as fitting its "work around ethical AI and responsible advertising." Mozilla has less to say about Fakespot's potentially altered future. "We’re grateful to the communities that made Pocket and Fakespot meaningful," Mozilla's post reads. "As we wind them down, we’re looking ahead to focusing on new Firefox features that people need most. This shift allows us to shape the next era of the internet—with tools like vertical tabs, smart search and more AI-powered features on the way." Pocket users can use the service until July 8. After that, the service will be in "export-only mode," with exports of bookmarks and metadata available until October 8, 2025. Premium monthly subscriptions will be canceled immediately, and annual subscribers will get prorated refunds dated to July 8. The mobile apps are no longer available for new installs but can be kept until October 8. Fakespot's extensions for other browsers will stop working on July 1. Its Firefox implementation, Review Checker, will shut down June 10. Kevin Purdy Senior Technology Reporter Kevin Purdy Senior Technology Reporter Kevin is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering open-source software, PC gaming, home automation, repairability, e-bikes, and tech history. He has previously worked at Lifehacker, Wirecutter, iFixit, and Carbon Switch. 63 Comments