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Hindustan Times
23-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Tech goodbyes of 2025: Skype, Pocket and more apps that were shut down
We're only halfway through 2025, and already, a surprising number of apps and platforms have either been shut down or announced their final sign-off dates. Some were nostalgic staples we once relied on daily, while others were overambitious flops that never quite delivered. These 5 apps and software have been discontinued in 2025. A few bowed out quietly, others made headlines, but all left their mark for better or worse. The year 2025 seems to prove that nothing lasts forever in this evolving world of tech. If this year has proved anything, it's that nothing lasts forever in the fast-moving world of tech. So if you're feeling a little sentimental, join us in saying a proper goodbye to all the tech we've lost in 2025. Skype Before FaceTime and Zoom became verbs, Skype was the app that changed how we stayed in touch across cities, countries and time zones. Launched in 2003, it made free internet calls feel like magic at a time when long-distance phone calls were still reserved for emergencies or birthdays. When video calling was added in 2006, it felt revolutionary. By the time Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011, it had already become a household name. But as sleeker, faster alternatives from Apple, Google and Zoom took over, Skype slowly faded into the background. In February this year, Microsoft quietly announced it would retire Skype by May, moving users to its Teams platform. Pocket Pocket, the trusty read-it-later app so many of us swore we'd use 'when we had time', is officially shutting down. Mozilla, which acquired the service in 2017, announced in May that support will end on July 8, 2025. After that, you won't be able to save new content and the app will disappear from app stores. Users will still be able to export their saved articles and links until October 8. Originally launched in 2007 as Read It Later, Pocket carved out a loyal following of over 30 million users. Piggy Another quiet exit from the fintech space is Piggy, the mutual fund investment platform, which is shutting down operations from June 30, 2025. Known for offering direct mutual fund investments with zero commissions, Piggy had built a loyal user base by simplifying fund tracking and investing. The company hasn't publicly detailed the reason for the shutdown, but users have been notified to withdraw or shift their investments before the deadline. TikTok Creator Marketplace (Rebranded) TikTok officially shut down its Creator Marketplace in April 2025, phasing out the platform that once connected creators with brands for sponsorships and ad campaigns. New campaign invites stopped on March 1, and by April 1, it was gone for good. In its place comes TikTok One - a new, AI-heavy platform built for advertisers, complete with tools like AI-generated brand avatars. While the long-term impact on creators is still unclear, this shift feels like a move away from real influencers toward automation, raising questions about the future of brand partnerships on TikTok. Meta Fact-Checking Program One of the more controversial shutdowns this year came from Meta. At the start of Donald Trump's second term, Mark Zuckerberg announced the end of Meta's third-party fact-checking program in the US, calling it 'too politically biased'. In its place, Meta is rolling out a community-driven model, similar to Elon Musk's 'Community Notes' on X. As of now, Meta's fact-checking program is still active in India, where it partners with nearly a dozen independent organisations. However, experts warn the US decision may set a precedent.
Arabian Post
17-06-2025
- Arabian Post
Mozilla Phases Out Pocket, Newsletter Reborn as Ten Tabs
Mozilla will discontinue Pocket, its bookmarking and content-discovery service, on 8 July 2025, shifting focus to augmented Firefox browser experiences. Users can continue to access and export saved articles until 8 October 2025, after which all Pocket data will be permanently removed. Premium and annual plan subscribers will be automatically refunded or receive prorated credits as of the shutdown date. Pocket began in 2007 as Read It Later, gained popularity for offline article archiving, and was acquired by Mozilla in February 2017. It was later integrated into Firefox and expanded globally with editorial curation and smart recommendations. Mozilla justifies the shutdown by citing evolving user behaviour and its strategic intent to refocus resources on Firefox innovations—vertical tabs, smart search, enhanced bookmarks and AI-driven features. Pocket's legacy will continue to inform its New Tab content discovery, blending algorithmic and editorial approaches. ADVERTISEMENT Pocket's mobile and browser extension versions have been withdrawn from app stores since 22 May 2025. Nevertheless, previously installed versions will remain operational until the export deadline in October. Alongside Pocket, Mozilla is phasing out Fakespot—a browser-integrated AI tool for spotting fake online reviews—by 1 July 2025, with the Firefox Review Checker ending on 10 June 2025. The firm notes that, despite strong user interest, these tools did not align with a scalable model. To maintain editorial curation, the Pocket Hits email newsletter will be rebranded to 'Ten Tabs' in mid-June 2025. This weekday digest aligns with Firefox's content strategy but will cease weekend editions. The user response to Pocket's closure is mixed. Devotees praise its clean interface, offline reading and cross-platform syncing, while critics lament the lack of an open-source or sale alternative. Many are migrating to competitors like Instapaper, and Wallabag. Mozilla's decision has drawn critique: some argue the shutdown reflects a pattern of acquiring then abandoning services, while others believe the organisation's independence demands difficult choices. The move reinforces Mozilla's strategy to strengthen Firefox's browser-first experience, even at the cost of standalone products. Developers reliant on Pocket's API face similar disruption. The API will cease functioning from 8 October 2025, ending third-party syncing and integrations. Mozilla has urged developers to extract their data and migrate services now to avoid service disruptions. Internally, Mozilla emphasises that the transition supports its financial and technical sustainability. Freed resources will fuel AI-enhanced browser features and further enrich Firefox's independent ecosystem. Users keen to preserve their Pocket content have until 8 October 2025 to export articles, notes and highlights. Meanwhile, those subscribed to Pocket Hits need only continue their subscriptions to automatically receive Ten Tabs under its new name.
The Sun
08-06-2025
- The Sun
Phone app loved by 30 MILLION users shutting down in weeks as hit download disappears from stores and refunds promised
A POPULAR phone app with more than 30 million users is shutting down forever in weeks. The app was used "billions" of times, but will go offline for good in early July. Pocket is a beloved app that let users save content to read later. It's currently owned by Mozilla, which is the tech giant behind the Firefox web browser (a rival to Microsoft Edge, Apple 's Safari, and Google Chrome). Mozilla says it wants to focus on Firefox instead, and has decided to shut down Pocket permanently as a result. "We've made the difficult decision to shut down Pocket on July 8, 2025," the Pocket team said in a statement. "Thank you for being part of our journey over the years. "We're proud of the impact Pocket has had for our users and communities." Pocket first launched back in mid-2007 as a browser extension for Mozilla Firefox. It was originally called Read It Later, and quickly grew to have millions of users. The service rebranded to Pocket in 2012, and its app ended up being used by tens of millions of people around the world. In early 2017, Pocket revealed that it had been acquired by Mozilla. iPhone 16e review – I've secretly tested Apple's cheapest mobile and I love the new button but that's not the best bit Then just a few weeks ago, Mozilla confirmed that Pocket would shut down in July – with user data and accounts due for deletion in October. "As users' everyday needs evolve alongside the web itself, it's imperative we focus our efforts on Firefox," Mozilla said. "And building new solutions that give you real choice, control, and peace of mind online. "With that in mind, we've made the difficult decision to phase out two products. 5 "Pocket, our read-it-later and content discovery app, and Fakespot, our browser extension that analyses the authenticity of online product reviews." SHUT DOWN EXPLAINED The app itself (and browser extensions) will shut down totally on July 8, 2025. Your data will be retained until October 8 – so that gives you a chance to export your "saves". But after that date, all of the data will vanish completely. 5 That includes your account, which will be automatically deleted on October 8. Some Pocket users will also be owed refunds. This is the case if you have a Pocket Premium account that you've paid for on an annual basis. So the refund will be based on the time that was left on your subscription after the shut down (July 8). Pocket refunds – how it works Here's the official guidance from Pocket... For monthly subscribers: We will begin disabling automatic renewal of monthly subscriptions immediately. You can continue to enjoy the benefits of Pocket Premium until the end of the monthly subscription period. You will not be charged again, so no refund will be necessary. No action is required from you. For annual subscribers: On July 8, 2025, Annual subscriptions will be cancelled and Annual users will receive a prorated refund automatically to the original payment method. No action is needed from you. Picture Credit: Pocket You should get this back automatically to the payment method that you originally used to pay for Pocket Premium. The Pocket app has already vanished from app stores. But it can be reinstalled if you already had it but deleted it, right up until October 8, 2025. If you've stilled got the app, you'll need to delete it yourself. It won't vanish on its own – but it will stop working.
Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Indian Express
End of an era: Mozilla is shutting down Pocket app on July 8
Mozilla, the non-profit foundation known for making Firefox, announced that it is shutting down Pocket on July 8, 2025. The free-to-use handy bookmarking tool is used by millions worldwide to save articles and mark webpages for later. Pocket, originally called Read It Later, was launched back in 2007 and later acquired by Mozilla in 2015. Over the course, the app has had millions of users worldwide, who used the service to keep track of online articles, videos, recipes and other pages. In a blog post, Mozilla said the decision was made because it believes that 'the way people save and consume content on the web has evolved' and that it wants to channel 'resources into projects that better match their browsing habits and online needs.' Following the shutdown, Mozilla says Pocket will enter 'export-only' mode until October 8, 2025, after which user data will be permanently deleted. The company also said that it will automatically start cancelling subscriptions and issuing refunds on a prorated basis for users who are subscribed to the annual plan on July 8. This means that the refund will be based on how much time was left in a subscription after the aforementioned date. Based on the subscription type, Mozilla says all refunds will be made to the original payment method. As of May 22, Mozilla has already taken down the Pocket web extension and app, but people who already have it installed will be able to use the service and re-download it till October 8. However, users who try to use the browser extension are now being redirected to the export page. Also, the Pocket app is now unavailable on Apple App Store and Google Play Store for those who have never installed it, but like the browser extension, you can redownload it up to October 5. As it turns out, Pocket isn't the only Mozilla service that's going away. The company is also saying goodbye to Fakespot, its fake review detection service. Acquired in 2023, Mozilla says it is shutting down the service as 'it didn't fit a model we could sustain.' Alongside Fakespot, the Review Checker tool that comes with Firefox is also going away on June 10.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Mozilla to shutter read-later app Pocket from July 8
Mozilla is shutting down its read-later app , Pocket , on July 8, in a significant setback for users who rely on it to save articles, highlights, notes, and archives. After July 8, users won't be able to save new content, and the app will switch to an export-only mode until October 8. 'Pocket has helped millions save articles and discover stories worth reading. But the way people use the web has evolved, so we're channeling our resources into projects that better match their browsing habits and online needs," Mozilla said in an official blog post. The Pocket app and its browser extensions will be operational till July. Pocket premium subscriptions, both annual and monthly, will be cancelled automatically. Those with annual subscriptions will start getting refunds after the July cut-off date. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bangladesh: Unsold Sofas at Bargain Prices (View Current Prices) Sofas | Search Ads Search Now Undo In an email to users, Pocket mentioned that its newsletter Pocket Hits will continue under a new name, with content curated by its editorial team, from June 17. "We're proud of what Pocket has made possible over the years — helping millions save and enjoy web's best content," it said to users in a farewell message. Live Events Pocket was launched in 2007, and originally named Read It Later. The application gained popularity as people used it to keep track of the articles, recipes, videos, and more that they planned to revisit. Mozilla added Pocket to Firefox as its default read-later app and acquired it in 2017. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Mozilla also confirmed it will be closing down Fakespot , a browser extension that helped users detect fake reviews on shopping sites.
