Medium's app code shows the company is working on an Instapaper-like reader app function that would let users save articles from the web to a reading list
@ev contemplated, in an effort to salvage the internet [1] [1] https://www.nytimes.com/... /cc @karaswisher https://twitter.com/... Casey Newton / @caseynewton : Absolutely cannot wait to hear the explanation for this one from Medium. (Killer find per usual from Jane) https://twitter.com/... See also Mediagazer
Context & Ripple Effects
Reverse-engineer Jane Manchun Wong surfaced the unreleased reader function in Medium's own app code, drawing a pointed public reaction from Casey Newton. It fits a platform that has repeatedly redefined its product focus, as documented in Medium's tweet-by-tweet history under Ev Williams.
The find was quickly validated: less than two weeks later, Medium shipped Save to Medium through mobile sharing extensions and Chrome, confirming that capturing off-platform articles was a deliberate direction rather than dead code.
First-order effects
- Medium gains a capture mechanism for stories published anywhere on the web, turning its app into a reading destination independent of where an article originated.
- Instapaper and Pocket — the pioneers of the category per the reporting — face a free save-to-list feature bundled onto a large publishing platform with an existing user base.
Second-order effects
- Competition moves from the save itself to what happens after saving: the later Matter- and Upnext-led read-later resurgence raised the bar on discoverability, forcing any entrant to differentiate beyond plain bookmarking.
- A native reading list hands Medium another retention surface to route readers back toward publications on its platform, complementing publisher-facing tools like Newsletters.
Third-order effects
- If content platforms keep absorbing single-purpose utilities like read-later apps, standalone tools survive only by competing on curation and experience rather than the save action — the split the read-later resurgence already illustrates.
The trend: Read-later functionality is migrating from standalone apps like Instapaper and Pocket into bundled features inside content platforms.