Pocket close down and impact on "Thought-provoking stories" on the firefox new tab page
hi
the element i really like / liked about Pocket were the curated stories that firefox publishes on its new tab page.
yes i used the "save to pocket" option but one can easily enough just visit the article and bookmark in the normal way.
NOTE: i think i wasn't appreciating the offline easy-to-read aspect to pocket (because i'd just read the article online and/or save to pocket) but it's too late now!
I've seen articles on multiple websites and reddit about pocket alternatives but people seem to only talk about pocket in terms of the capacity to save-to-read-later, tagging, book marking management, etc.
Btw, i've read the mozilla pocket FAQ support page (https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/pocket-recommendations-firefox-new-tab). It was updated mid march 2025 (when mozilla surely knew they were shutting down pocket) and ironically it recommends for more articles to visit pocket.
1) this FAQ really needs to be updated to reflect pocket ceasing
2) it could reflect what is happening with the "thought-provoking stories" feature within firefox browser
My questions:
1) will the "thought provoking stories" feature aka curated articles of interest continue in firefox in any capacity after pocket ceases?
i don't know given i believe they're sourced from pocket.
EDIT: i've just discovered about "pocket hits" (or "ten tabs" as reportedly it's being renamed to) email newsletter. I knew nothing about this. Might the content / curated articles replace those from pocket on the new tab page?
2) if not, can people suggest alternatives to pocket's curated articles (i'm less fussed about saving the articles because i've seen many recommendations on that)?
thanks,
Gary
All Replies (8)
Hello,
Pocket will shut down on July 8th, 2025. You will be able to continue using Pocket as usual before then. You can export your saves by October 8th, 2025. You can read more about how to do this and what’s next for subscribing and API users in this support article. For account support and enquiries, you can visit the Pocket customer support page.
Thanks Paul but that answers neither of my questions.
My concern was essentially about the future of firefox's "thought-provoking stories" (as per my subject), which i believe are sourced from pocket.
I have already read the future of pocket support article too (though admittedly i didn't state this in my post).
Here are my questions again, without the contextual waffle:
(1) will the "thought-provoking stories" feature on firefox's new tab page aka curated articles of interest continue in firefox in any capacity after pocket ceases?
(2) if not, can people suggest alternatives to pocket's curated articles (i'm less fussed about saving the articles because i've seen many recommendations on that)?
thanks,
Gary
Modified by gazzawazza
The Pocket support team will be best placed to help you with these questions.
hi Paul
ok i guess pocket could provide recommendations on curated article providers.
However:
Pocket are surely NOT responsible for mozilla having embedded a "thought-provoking stories" feature in the firefox browser?
The firefox dev team are surely responsible for that?
Therefore, mozilla / firefox should know what's happening regarding any content discovery features in their browser?
regards,
Gary
Modified by gazzawazza
PS i just sought help / support from the pocket website (https://getpocket.com/home)
The "get help" option re-directs to the mozilla support pages i.e. here
Modified by gazzawazza
This link on that page should help:
thanks Paul
i'd browsed the mozilla pocket support page and saw the 'ask a question' option there.
I thought that would just create another forum post but it seems like it may have sent an email - i've since got email confirmation of having contacted pocket support.
Hopefully they can provide some assistance on all this.
For anyone interested in content discovery, this is the only statement (via pocket / mozilla) i've found that seems to point to continued curated content within firefox:
"Mozilla’s commitment to high-quality content recommendations
While Pocket is shutting down, Mozilla continues with our commitment to high-quality content recommendations in Firefox. We take an “algotorial” approach to curating the best of the web for the millions of users who make Firefox their window to the internet. We use machine learning algorithms to scour the internet for high quality content that will appeal to Firefox’s large and diverse user base, while relying on a human editorial team to provide oversight to ensure that the recommendations on Firefox New Tab are trustworthy, engaging, and high quality."
Tha I you for your feedback. If you need any further help with Firefox, please ask a new support question.