Welcome to Read Later
Read Later is your own personal reading list — save anything you find, from anywhere, and come back to it when you're ready. See something worth reading? Share it to Read Later. That's really the whole idea.
This page will get you set up in a few minutes.
About Read Later
Read Later is a small, invite-only app for saving links now and reading them later, on your own terms, from whatever device you're on. It isn't a public product — access is limited to people who've been personally invited, so there's no signup flow to browse and no public directory of users.
A few things worth knowing about how it's built:
- Your reading list follows you everywhere — phone, computer, tablet — as long as you're signed in.
- You can share links with friends who also have accounts. There's no public feed or discovery — just people you already know.
- The app is actively evolving. This help page reflects whatever's currently shipped, so it's the best place to check when something looks new or unfamiliar.
Getting access
Read Later is invite-only right now. Here's how to get in:
- Go to the sign-in page and choose Sign in with Google (or GitHub, if you prefer).
- After signing in, you'll land on a screen letting you know your request is under review. That's expected — every new account needs a quick approval before you're in.
- Once approved, you'll be notified and can sign back in to start using the app.
There's nothing else to do while you wait — just check back later.
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the pending-review screen
Set up saving on your devices
You'll almost never type or paste a link into Read Later. Instead, you save from wherever you already are — a browser tab, an app, wherever you found the thing you want to read. Set up the option below for whichever device you're on. It only takes a minute, and you only do it once.
Android phone
One-time setup:
- Open Read Later in Chrome on your phone.
- Tap the menu (⋮) and choose Add to Home screen, then Install.
- That's it — Read Later now shows up as an app icon, and as an option in your phone's share menu.
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Add to Home screen menu
Saving day-to-day:
Whenever you're looking at something you want to save — an article, a post, anything with a link — tap Share, then tap Read Later. A quick "Saved!" screen confirms it and closes itself.
Example: saving from Chrome.You're reading an article in Chrome. Tap the share icon in the address bar, then Read Later in the sheet that opens.
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share sheet from Chrome
Example: saving from an app, like LinkedIn.You're scrolling LinkedIn and see a post worth reading later. Tap the Share icon under the post, then Read Laterin the sheet that opens. Same motion, no matter which app you're in.
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share sheet from LinkedIn app
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Saved! confirmation (optional)
iPhone
iPhones don't support installed apps in the share sheet the same way Android does, so Read Later uses an Apple Shortcut instead. Once it's set up, it works the same way: tap Share, tap Read Later, done.
One-time setup:
- In Read Later, go to Settingsand copy your API token. (If you've already got a token from setting up the Chrome extension, you can reuse it — see "Your API token" below.)
- On your iPhone, open this link: Get the Save to Read Later shortcut
{{IOS_SHORTCUT_LINK}} - Tap Get Shortcut. When prompted, paste in your API token.
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shortcut install screen
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Import Question token prompt
Saving day-to-day:
Tap Share, scroll to Save to Read Later, tap it. You'll see a "Saved" notification and can keep reading — the page will be waiting in Read Later.
Example: saving from Safari.You're reading an article in Safari. Tap the share icon, then Save to Read Later in the sheet.
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share sheet from Safari
Example: saving from an app, like LinkedIn. Tap Share under a post, then Save to Read Later. Same as Safari — any app that can share a link works.
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share sheet from LinkedIn app
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Saved notification (optional)
If saving stops working: the most common cause is a regenerated API token. Open the Shortcuts app, find Save to Read Later, tap the (i), then Setup, and paste in your new token.
Computer (Chrome)
If you use Chrome, Edge, Brave, or another Chrome-based browser, the Read Later extension saves the page you're on with one click.
One-time setup:
- Install the extension: Read Later — Chrome extension (this listing is unlisted on the Chrome Web Store, so it's only reachable via this direct link, not by searching the store).
- In Read Later, go to Settings and copy your API token.
- Click the Read Later icon in your toolbar. Since it isn't set up yet, this automatically opens the extension's Options page for you.
- On the Options page, paste in your Read Later app URL (the same address you use to sign in) and your API token, then click Save.
You can always get back to the Options page later by right-clicking the toolbar icon and choosing Options.
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Web Store listing
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extension options page with App URL and token fields
Saving day-to-day:
On any page you want to save, click the Read Later icon in your toolbar. A brief confirmation appears on the page, and you're done.
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toolbar icon + confirmation toast
Finding your way around
Reading listis your home — everything you've saved, newest first. Archiveholds things you've read and tucked away, off your main list but not deleted. Shared holds links friends have sent you.
Use the search bar at the top to find something by title, description, or URL — it searches within whichever tab you're on.
The Add URLbutton is there for the rare case you want to paste a link in by hand — see "Adding a link by hand" below.
Your avatar in the top right opens a menu with Settings, Friends, and Sign out.
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main reading list, annotated: tabs, search, Add URL, avatar
On each saved item, you can:
- Click anywhere on the card to open it in a new tab.
- Tap the archive icon to move it to (or out of) your Archive.
- Tap ··· for more options: Edit (change the title or image), Share with friend, or Copy link (this reads Share link instead on browsers that support sharing directly, like on mobile).
- Tap the delete icon to remove it for good (you'll be asked to confirm).
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single card close-up, annotated: archive, ···, delete
Adding a link by hand
If you've got a link somewhere the share options above can't reach — an email on another device, a link buried in a PDF — you can always add it manually. Tap Add URL, paste the link, and Read Later fetches the title and preview image for you.
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Add URL modal (optional)
Your API token
Your API token is what lets the iPhone shortcut and the Chrome extension save to your account. A few things worth knowing:
- You have one token at a time, and it's the same token for both the shortcut and the extension.
- It's only shown in full once, right when you generate it. If you lose it, just regenerate — there's no way to view an existing token again.
- Regenerating replaces your token everywhere. If you regenerate, you'll need to update it in both the shortcut and the extension, or they'll stop working until you do.
- Treat it like a password — anyone with your token can save to your account.
When something doesn't work
Saving from my phone or the extension stopped working. Your token was probably regenerated. Copy the current one from Settings and update it in the shortcut (iPhone) or the extension options (Chrome).
A saved link has no preview image. Normal — not every page provides one. The link still saved fine.
I got a "couldn't reach that URL" message. The page itself was unreachable when Read Later tried to fetch it — double-check the link and try again.
I'm stuck on the "under review" screen.Your account hasn't been approved yet. Hang tight — you'll get a notification once it is.