Reading List - Discussion

[Elliot Kirk]

Hello everyone and thanks for your feedback around reading lists in Microsoft Edge. Based on user feedback from legacy Microsoft Edge, there was more work to do with the previous Reading list experience. We heard from users that it was confusing and was also missing some key features like offline reading support. With the next version of Microsoft Edge, we want to ensure we’re building something our customers will love. So, we aren’t shipping reading list immediately in the new Microsoft Edge. We’re going to take our time to ensure we get this right. In the meantime, read on for features currently in the preview builds of the next version of Microsoft Edge that we think could help in the interim. As always, we welcome your feedback to help us continue to evolve and build the best experience possible.

Alternatives for a reading list

To save your articles for reading later in the new Microsoft Edge, you can use Favorites, and there are many 3^rd party extensions such as Pocket. You can also try a new feature called Collections that helps you collect and organize web pages. We believe together they can help serve most of the unmet needs and requirements of reading lists. We understand this isn’t a one to one replacement and your feedback will help us further understand what’s needed.

How to access my reading list data

Your reading list data is migrated from the old Microsoft Edge to the new Microsoft Edge via Favorites. To access your data, click: Settings and more --> Favorites --> Other favorites --> Reading list.

Send feedback

We appreciate the feedback we have received so far on Reading list, please continue to share with us what you'd like to see, what you think is missing or anything else.

Thank you,

- The Microsoft Edge Team

[#2]

@Unless I can pin open favourites I wont be using the new edge anytime soon.

[#3]

@Trevor Appleton 

Spoiler

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@Trevor Appleton wrote:

@Unless I can pin open favourites I wont be using the new edge anytime soon.

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Hi,
what do you mean by "open favorites" ?

[#4]

I am always curious when I hear people say 'I never used Edge because of its lack of features.' I assume that only applies in business/commerce circles, because for home users, browse, search, favourite/bookmark, reading list (for things you would add to favourites but want to easily find again across your desktop/laptop PC's tablets and phones, printing, sharing via Windows 10 Apps such as Mail/Photos/or SEND TO PC from a phone, built in PDF reading/saving/printing, and the awesome ADD NOTES markup features that saves any web page into a photo that can be edited and annonated, along with Microsoft Store Extensions for Edge sounds like a superb collection of features.

What is missing from that list? Internet Explorer is still part of Windows 10 for business users if other protocols are needed. If you use Edge on your Windows 10 devices, Android phones or Apple phones, and use Microsoft Launcher as well on Android, the experience is almost seamless - and far quicker and simpler than synchronising via original Google Chrome.

I think its more a problem that 95% of the population use what they are used to (such a Chromium based browsers), based on information given to them by people that do not understand the best features of Classic Edge. I believe Microsoft has the potential to create something that is recognisable, usable, stable and with Fluent Design looks great too, with the new Chromium based Edge.

Posted via Chromium Edge Beta Version 79.0.309.54 (Official build) beta (64-bit)
Windows 10 Version 1909. I write/speak UK English which is important to me.

[#5]

I tried on chrome latest chrome dev as you asked and there is no such issue on that..... I reproduced the bug after updating the drivers and filed the bug. This issue have been there (
in edge insider) from past few months.... and it is really annoying, when your browsing using touchpad.... I hope it be fixed soon.

[#6]

Edge classic's biggest problem is its lack of support for Chromium extensions and also Chromium engine compared to EdgeHTML is most of the time better and more compatible.

Syncing is also important, as an Android user, Google chrome is preinstalled and default browser and it's better than Edge on Android too, it also has a better sync than Edge.

Yes Edge classic has good features but still It was only my go to browser when I needed to download Google chrome.

with the new Edge, everything is changed though

[#7]

@HotCakeX I only use a few extensions, and the ones I need are already available in Classic Edge. I disabled Chrome on Android and therefore haven't noticed any issues syncing using Edge on all devices (whether Chromium Edge or Classic.); Microsoft Launcher/Glance and TaskView/TimeLine on PC provides awesome synchronicity. The only extension I add for my older clients is an ad blocker, and a few require Rapport. 99% of them are happy with Edge rather than Chrome.

My biggest fear at the moment is that Microsoft will not communicate the subtle changes required when transitioning between old and new Edge and that if users who are not tech-savvy and cannot find the layout and buttons on screen they use regularly they may go and download Chrome anyway. I am not aware of any public promotion that Edge is changing. Currently the downloads experience, and managing favourites are very different experiences between old and new Edge.

The future of Edge is exciting although I am still sad that Cortana became useless and is no longer in my pocket.

[#8]

I agree with you..well they should have waited at least a few more months so that the new Edge would have at least the same functionalities and features that Edge classic has...but nope, they should only release it on January 15, not a day after.

[#9]

Adding sync to Collections and some way to add all current tabs to a new or existing collection would pretty much handle all use cases I have for Reading List with the Collections functionality.

It would also potentially eliminate my use of 2 other extensions, due to incorporating my use cases for them.

The most recent Dev Channel announcement says the both sync and add multiple tabs features are available now, so I guess I am good.

Although, I have not been able to figure out how too add multiple tabs to a collection yet, so I am not sure that feature does what I have in mind yet. :fingers crossed:

@Elliot Kirk 

[#10]

Combining PDF, epub (and other e-reader), and reading list functionality and history together would be a great use of the reading list functionality.

[#11]

@Trevor Appleton 

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@Trevor Appleton wrote:

@Unless I can pin open favourites I wont be using the new edge anytime soon.

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For some time now my pattern has been to only use the Favorites Bar.  That is, all my favorites are saved within the Favorites Bar or subfolders of the Favorites Bar.  With the Favorites Bar showing in the toolbar, it's much the same as having the Favorites pinned open.  In fact, I think it's better.

[#12]

@Elliot Kirk 

Having Favorites, Reading Lists, Set Tabs Aside and Collections is too many options that kinda-sorta do the same thing (Save a page for later). 

When looking for saved pages, you have Favorites, Reading Lists, Set Tabs Aside and Collections to look in. Plus, the bulk of users only understand the concept of "Add a Favorite". 

A solution to all this would be only having a "Add to Favorites" option and store everything as a Favorite. You can be a bit smarter about adding and opening favorites to mimic the above functionality.

When adding a favorite, prompt to add content from the page (aka, Collections), or add related tabs (similar to how IE use to color code tabs) or just the current page.

When opening a favorite from a "Reading List" folder, prompt to remove the URL. When opening a URL from a favorites folder, ask to open the other favorites in the folder. Favorites "Collections" folder would replace the current "Collections" sidebar. 

[#13]

@GrahamJockey 

I agree with Graham. The true reading list is needed.

The reading list feature in Edge was a replacement of a long used feature in Internet Explorer "save web page as Web Archive, single file". It provided a single file copy of web page that could been opened from any computer and continue reading the content of web page.

Removing both features in new Edge would be a huge mistake and throw us back to very old ages.

I remind you that internet is not archived place, and content is being constantly changed, moved and removed. It was the way to preserve the content for own usage.

Moreover the way how you migrating the reading list is worst possible.

1. we are loosing the saved content of web page (the state retrieved from favourites is not the same)

2. you are mixing user favourites with reading list pages,

3. we are loosing time when reading list entry was saved to reading list (the historical order was very important), ex. I saved many pages from amazon for next Christmas gifts, those pages will be lost due to expatriation of the offers and pushed into single folder with all the others.

4. reading list was a good temporary stack to continue on reading web page as it was very good synchronised with other devices,

5. reading list in Edge was a complementary feature to tabs aside, because tabs aside never was properly synchronised between devices

List of use cases:

1. Save the list of Christmas gifts over the year, (partially implemented in collections, state of web page not saved - expired content will be lost)

2. Quick store interesting page to read it later in unchanged state, (no replacement, collections too complex to use for it, favourites are not easy for use in this case)

3. Quick store interesting page to continue on another device later (no replacement, send to device buggy and require to point target device; collections are too heavy, because there is a lot of actions to take, we need one button solution; favourites makes it hard to retrieve link, because of lack of chronological order)

4. Save references for master thesis (no replacement, collections does not store page state, favourites does not store page state)

5. Keep interesting recipes to try for weekend dinner (no replacement, collections does not store page state, favourites does not store page state, workaround as copy page into OneNote)

[#14]

@rjpaulsen 

The problem is known, but all those storage have different benefits.

* Favourites - good to store large organised collection of links (ex. Links that you use for long time and more or less often)

* Reading list - good to store temporary list of saved pages with content in chronological order (ex. Some interesting articles that you wanted to read, but you do not have time for it right now, later you can just open the reading list and pick one of interesting ones)

* Tabs aside - good to keep current session of browser when you need to change context (ex. you are looking for materials for school presentation, but you need to keep everything as it is, and switch to do reading about Benjamin Franklin for tomorrow lesson)

* Collections - I do not have any usage of it right now, it looks like strange combination of options above with very slow and hard to use

If you look on other browsers:

Firefox allows you to save your session - similar to tabs aside in Edge

Safari offers you reading list for offline reading - Edge has reading list

Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer offers you Favourites - Edge has favourites 

My suggestion to Edge developers would be to keep simple explanation to feature that you are developing. It is very hard to explain Collections feature for now. It is not clear what is the purpose to use it. I like some new possibilities in Collections, but I do not know if it should be enhanced Reading List, replacement of tabs aside, or something new.

As a summary for Collections, it could be best to keep original interface of tabs aside, and reading list along with new collections feature.

And as tabs aside - would internally use collections to store tabs aside.

And as reading list - one build in collection used to handle reading list interface.

Thanks to it, all user experience would be kept. The issue of looking for saved web page would be limited to favourites and collections with difference that favourites keep link of web page and collections keep offline page version.

[#15]

@HotCakeX 

Collections + offline capability + chronological order = reading list

[#16]

@matt_bits 

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@matt_bits wrote:

@HotCakeX 

Collections + offline capability + chronological order = reading list

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Perfect! the ability to sort collections by date would be useful.

[#17]

@Elliot Kirk 

As I see the latest item put into Reading list saves folder there is at the bottom of list. Since I have many reading list items I have to scroll for about 25 seconds to find the latest item.

1) In the reading list of legacy Edge the latest item there was at the top, so it could be find easy. I propose to keep this behaviour.

2) A good feature would be if the sort order of the list could be set by the user.

3) A scroll bar could make faster the scroll if there are too many elements in the list. (Now only the small arrows at the top and the bottom allow scrolling function.)

[#18]

@Elliot Kirk a few suggestions for the Reading List experience:

1. Whether it is in Collections or a separate feature, make sure the sync works for it, and ideally make it cross platform with Android/iOS. Reading Lists (or Collections) really have to be available everywhere and sync'd everywhere to be useful.

2. Provide a "Send to Reading List" share charm (or equivalent) for Windows apps and equivalent for Android/iOS. Being able to save the relevant URL from within an app such as Feedlab, Twitter, etc. was a really great capability back with the old Windows 8 Reader App, and having this capability once again available would make Edge and the Edge experience even more integrated into peoples workflow.

[#19]

@TheAndyMac The Share Charm or Share Intent is a *very* good call.

Collections, with sync stands to be potentially one of my favorite features in any browser anywhere.

I *really* think that cribbing the best bits from Reading List and the Tab Set Aside functionality, (whatever the actual name of that was), will result in an incredibly useful tool.

I think Collections should support Tabs in the same way as Favorites currently does, the send and selection features both. Then to me a per Collection setting for sort order and my reading list needs are handled. With the addition of your sharing idea, I would be golden.

Adding an icon to trigger Add all to a Collection and my Tab set aside needs would be covered too.

All of it is a little bit of UI/UX thinking and wiring up what is already there in other places. I really hope it goes that way. :fingers crossed:

We are hitting the point where I wish I was working on this project, I am so *nearly* in love with it. 😛

[#20]

@Elliot Kirk 

This days I really miss Reading List I want to save some pages to read later, the workaround was to add that pages to Favorites but also Favorites are a really really mess compared to the Favorites of old Edge (even for the mere fact that you can pin the Favorites pane to the side). In the next day I will try to use Collection as a replacement for Reading List.

As for today I can say that there is the need that Collections integrates with Nearby Share feature 

[#21 · Accepted solution]

We wanted to thank everyone again for their feedback around Reading Lists. We have internally acknowledged that Reading List as a feature was not able to meet the needs of our users. While we do have some very passionate users of this feature, the truth is that it wasn’t used much in Legacy Edge. With these things in mind, we have decided to not implement this feature into chromium-based Edge.

For alternatives, we still believe that the ones mentioned in the original post are what will work best for users. Collections have had several new features implemented recently, and we encourage you to give them a try. If you’re curious as to where your Reading Lists went when you updated to new Edge, they should be located in your Favorites under the Other favorites folder listed as Reading List.

While we are not going to bring this feature to new Edge, we are always listening and making choices based on all your feedback. Please continue to send in the feedback about what you would love to see or what you think is missing!

Thanks,

The Microsoft Edge Team