23-05-2025
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.
