The read-it-later app Pocket, owned by Mozilla, unveiled several new features across platforms, including rolling out the redesigned app to iOS and better article jumping features for Android. However, the standout feature of this release is the ability to create lists of articles.
Pocket said users can now add articles to their own lists — think of them as playlists, but for stories. At launch, the feature will only be available on the web for users in the US. The global rollout should take place next month. The company also said it’s working on bringing the ability to create lists to mobile later this year.
While users can create multiple lists and give them titles and descriptions, they cannot share them because they are private lists. However, the company said it is working on a feature that will let you share lists.
Image Credits: Bag
Pocket has tags for organizing content, the company believes lists are easier to manage.
“The new Pocket Lists feature gives users a more intuitive way to organize their content, and unlike tags, which can be difficult to manage at times, Pocket Lists provide a more structured approach to categorizing content,” Kait Gaiss, lead Pocket product management, said in a statement.
Aside from rolling out the list feature, Pocket has redesigned its iOS app. Most notably, the company has changed the home screen to include sections such as “Recently Saved Items,” “Editor’s Choice,” “Ten Minutes or Less,” and “Long Read Material Worth Reading.” Until now, the Pocket iOS app had a separate tab for article discovery. With the new update, that is merged into the Home tab.
The iOS redesign also brings things like better search, a simplified settings screen, and a swipe-to-archive feature. The company also said it is aiming for a two-week update cycle for the iOS app in the future to release features such as better recommendations, the ability to create highlights on saved articles, and an improved listening experience.
Image Credits: Bag
Plus, Pocket is updating its Android app with a better reading experience on tablets and previous-next buttons in article view to easily navigate between stories. Plus, the app now saves your login credentials for websites — via Android’s custom tabs feature — so you don’t have to log in every time you read a story on those sites.
Earlier this year, Pocket rolled out a new tab design on Android, renaming “My List” to “Saves.” Last year, the app was part of Google’s “Best apps of 2022” list. The app also provides 8.8 billion reading recommendations per month through Firefox’s new tab feature.