Read-it-later app Pocket comes full circle with Mozilla acquisition

Mozilla recently announced its acquisition of Pocket, the read-it-later app that began its life as a Firefox extension.

Pocket is a nine-year old service that eventually expanded its team and built a suite of apps for every major platform. Pocket has been Firefox’s default read-it-later service since 2015, according to a report from The Verge.

Pocket is a service that allows users to save content from the web and view it later. The platform has been integrated with over 1,500 apps, as well as having its own iOS and Android apps and web browser plugins.

Mozilla confirmed that Pocket will operate as an independent subsidiary, which will help bring the desktop-oriented company to the mobile space. Mozilla is best known for its Firefox browser, though waited until 2016 to release Firefox on iOS globally.

Pocket, on the other hand, has amassed over 10 million monthly active users as well advertising opportunities and a premium subscription service for Mozilla to take advantage of.

This isn’t the first time Pocket has considered an acquisition. About six years ago, Evernote offered to buy the company which was known at the time as Read it Later. When it became clear that the service would become a feature inside Evernote’s app rather than a standalone service, the offer was rejected.

Pocket reportedly won’t make any major changes to the product this year, though Mozilla leadership says it will assist over time.

Source: The Verge