New Delhi: Mozilla has informed users that Pocket, a popular bookmarking service, will close on July 8. The app, which lets users save things for reading later, will no longer accept new saves and will only allow users to export their existing content. Until October 8, users will be able to back up their saved articles, highlights, notes and archives.
Pocket, bought by Mozilla in 2017, has provided a way for information seekers and digital hoarders to keep things they find on the web. Mozilla believes that web users’ new habits have led to the need for a different approach. Now, the company will add content discovery directly into the Firefox browser.
The Pocket app and browser extensions will work normally until July 8. Then, users can only download their content. Pocket Premium subscriptions will be automatically ended for all users, according to Mozilla. People who have paid for an annual Pocket subscription will receive a refund, and anyone using the Pocket API needs to switch before October 8.
Mozilla will also be closing down Fakespot, an extension in the browser extension designed to flag fake product reviews. The company thought the idea was interesting, but it wasn’t a model they could keep running.
Firefox is now being updated with more new features from Mozilla. Among the changes are improvements to the New Tab page, sorting tabs by colour and sending you personalised newsletters. The aim is to make browsing the web more personal and more effective.
The company claims it is creating a more intelligent browser with vertical tabs, smart search and future AI features. Mozilla’s goal is still to give people a browser that fits their needs, is simple to use and is maintained independently.