Mozilla Is Shutting Down Pocket — Here's What It Means for Users

If you're wondering why is Mozilla shutting down Pocket or what to do before Pocket is discontinued, you’re not alone. Mozilla has officially announced that it will sunset Pocket, the popular read-it-later app, on July 8, 2025. This news has sparked major conversations across tech communities, especially among long-time users who relied on the app to save articles, videos, and web content for offline reading. As part of its strategic pivot, Mozilla is also retiring its fake review detection tool, Fakespot, and is reallocating resources toward improving browser-centric experiences powered by AI, smart search, and privacy-first tools.

Why Mozilla Is Retiring Pocket

Pocket, originally launched as Read It Later in 2007, gained traction for letting users bookmark content across the web and sync it across devices. Mozilla fully integrated it into Firefox in 2015 and acquired it in 2017. However, according to Mozilla, “the way people save and consume content on the web has evolved.” With the rise of AI-powered search tools, vertical tab management, and personalized content discovery, Mozilla is shifting its focus to building what it calls a “better browsing future.” This includes next-gen tools designed for productivity, speed, and enhanced privacy.

Key Shutdown Dates and What Users Should Do

• July 8, 2025: Pocket services will officially stop. Subscriptions will be canceled automatically, and annual subscribers will receive prorated refunds.

• October 8, 2025: Deadline to export saved content. After this date, all user data will be permanently deleted.

• The Pocket browser extension and mobile apps were removed from app stores as of May 22, 2025, though previously installed versions can be redownloaded until the October deadline.

To safeguard your saved content, users should download and export their Pocket data as soon as possible using Mozilla’s export tool.

Fakespot Is Also Being Discontinued

In addition to shutting down Pocket, Mozilla is also pulling the plug on Fakespot, its AI-powered tool designed to detect fake product reviews. Acquired in 2023, Fakespot offered consumers a way to navigate unreliable e-commerce reviews—a critical concern in today’s online shopping landscape. Unfortunately, Mozilla says that despite positive reception, the service was not sustainable under its new strategy. The Fakespot-powered Review Checker in Firefox will cease operations on June 10, 2025.

What’s Next for Mozilla?

This pivot is part of Mozilla’s broader effort to reimagine internet browsing. The company is now channeling its innovation into features like smart search, AI-enhanced recommendations, and vertical tabs to offer a more personalized and secure browsing experience. Mozilla’s popular Pocket Hits newsletter will continue under a new name—Ten Tabs—though it will no longer offer weekend editions.

Mozilla remains committed to being an independent browser alternative focused on user privacy, transparency, and non-intrusive monetization models, a philosophy that continues to resonate with many in the tech-savvy community.

While the closure of Pocket and Fakespot may disappoint long-time users, it underscores Mozilla’s commitment to evolve with changing digital habits. If you’ve used Pocket to organize content, act now to export your saved items, cancel any premium subscriptions, and explore new tools for web content management.

For alternatives, users may want to explore high-performance apps like Instapaper, Raindrop.io, or Notion, which offer similar functionality with modern AI integrations and improved cross-device syncing.