‘READ IT LATER’
QKeep it RIL
Most apps related to news and
features focus on discovery
and subscriptions. ‘Read it
later’ (RIL) is more like a DVR:
rather than reading an article
right now, you save it for later.
Our favourite RIL services are
Pocket (getpocket.com) and
Instapaper (instapaper.com).
Whatever you save can be read
at your convenience in the app,
online or offline. Articles are
stripped of design stylings,
leaving only text and images.QSave articles on mobile
Both Pocket and Instapaper
have apps for Android and iOS.
Getting content to them from
a browser or social media
app is done using standard
share functionality. On some
versions of Android, you can
‘pin’ oft-used share buttonsTHE BASICS
THE BEST BITS
QTake a note
Found a particularly interesting
bit? Tap-hold and select the
note icon (in Instapaper) or
Highlight (in Pocket). Saved
notes are accessed from
Instapaper’s sidebar or
Pocket’s Highlights list. There
are limits on how many notes
you can save, though.QSave favourites
For most, RIL is about stashing
content for later and deleting
it once read. But you can
add permanence to favourite
articles by flagging them as
such. In Instapaper, tap the
heart; in Pocket, tap the three
vertical dots and then the star.If you always end the day with dozens of open browser
tabs, follow Craig Grannell’s advice and learn how to stash
great content for when you’ve actually got time to read itlike your RIL one so they stay
at the start of the list. On iOS,
you’ll need to activate them in
the Share sheet’s More menu.QSave articles on desktop
How you save stories on a PC
or Mac depends on your setup.
You can drag a ‘bookmarklet’
to your browser’s favourites
bar; but if you can, it’s better
to install a bespoke browser
extension/toolbar button.QConsider going pro
The free versions of Pocket
and Instapaper work well.
There are no limitations on
what you save, nor how many
devices you can sync between.
But you might want to pay
when using RIL as a permanent
repository for research – the
premium takes on Instapaper
and Pocket alike open up
unlimited highlights and full
text search, as well as some
other handy features.QDon’t use Safari
You may be wondering why
we’ve not yet mentioned
Apple’s Reading List, which
is baked into Safari. It offers
RIL functionality and sync, but
with two major caveats. First,
it sucks down entire pages,
design and all, which is heavier
on data usage. Secondly, it’s
iCloud-only, meaning it won’t
always be accessible if you use
a range of platforms.BETA YOURSELF
Word up
Select ‘Speed reading’ to
blaze through Instapaper
articles while only seeing
one word at a time. Odd?
Sure. But it works. You
get 10 free goes
per month.