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

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Mozilla kills Pocket and Fakespot to focus more on Firefox Taras Buria Neowin @TarasBuria · May 22, 2025 16:08 EDT Pocket, a popular reading service that allows users to save web pages for offline use and discover content, is shutting down. Mozilla announced the end of the service on the official Mozilla Support website, stating that Pocket will go offline on July 8, 2025. Mozilla says it decided to pull the plug on Pocket due to how the internet and user habits have evolved over the years. Now, the company wants to streamline its resources and focus more on the Firefox browser. As such, it discontinues Pocket and Fakespot, a browser extension used to detect fake product reviews. Here is what Mozilla says in the announcement: Firefox is the only major browser not backed by a billionaire and our independence shapes everything we build. This independence allows us to prioritize building products and tools, which shape the future of the internet for the better. And it means we have to be intentional about where we invest our time and resources so we can make the biggest impact. Starting today, May 22, 2025, users can no longer download Pocket or purchase new Pocket Premium subscriptions. Existing Pocket Premium subscriptions are cancelled, and those on annual plans will receive automatic refunds starting July 8, 2025. As for the content saved in your Pocket, you can export it until October 8, 2025. After that date, everything will be deleted. Fakespot, its extension, mobile apps, and the website are shutting down on July 1, 2025. Review Cheker (Fakespot built into Firefox) will stop working next month, on June 10, 2025. Interestingly, Mozilla acquired Fakespot two years ago, but according to the announcement post, it could not fit a sustainable model. Pocket, on the other hand, was purchased in 2017 for an undisclosed amount of money. You can read more about the discontinuation of Pocket on the official Mozilla Support website. Tags Report a problem with article Follow @NeowinFeed

Pour one out for an App Store classic. Mozilla has just announced it’s phasing out its read-it-later service, Pocket, as part of a broader effort to double down on its focus on Firefox. Here’s how it’s going to work. In its announcement, Mozilla says it needs to “be intentional about where we invest our time and resources.” And right now, that means Firefox. Pocket and Fakespot: sunsetting timelines Pocket, which has been around for over a decade, will officially shut down on July 8, 2025. The news comes less than two years after the shutdown of the Pocket app for Mac. Starting today, users can no longer download the app or subscribe to Pocket Premium. The company says annual subscribers will be refunded automatically starting in July. Mozilla says saved items can be exported until October 8, which is when user data will be permanently deleted. The Pocket API will also go dark on that same date. As for Fakespot, which the company acquired in 2023, it will be wound down even sooner. Its Firefox integration, Review Checker, shuts off on June 10, and the Fakespot browser extensions, mobile apps, and website will all stop working as of July 1, 2025. Mozilla says the decision reflects changes in how people browse and save content today: Pocket has helped millions save articles and discover stories worth reading. But the way people save and consume content on the web has evolved, so we’re channeling our resources into projects that better match browsing habits today. Discovery also continues to evolve; Pocket helped shape the curated content recommendations you already see in Firefox, and that experience will keep getting better. Meanwhile, new features like Tab Groups and enhanced bookmarks now provide built-in ways to manage reading lists easily. In its sign-off, the company implies that it will focus on mode AI-powered features, a trend that became clear in Microsoft and Google’s recent developer events. Were you a Pocket user back then? Do you have a favorite alternative read-it-later service? Let us know in the comments. Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.  FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel