WEBTOON today announced major updates to enhance webcomic discovery and personalize recommendations on its global platforms, including the English-language service.
The suite of product updates makes webcomic discovery more like browsing a streaming service, with AI-powered personalized recommendations, dynamic video content previews, and a new onboarding process to better understand user preferences. The new features will make it easier than ever to find and fall in love with some of the world’s best stories. Along with its new content discovery features, the platform is also rolling out the ability to unlock an entire series, giving readers a new way to binge their favorite stories.
“As the category creator who built the massively popular webcomic format, innovation is core to what we do,” said Yongsoo Kim, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global WEBTOON. “WEBTOON has already transformed how the world reads comics, and today we’re revolutionizing how fans find their next favorite story. When faced with a vast catalogue of content from around the globe, it can be hard to know what to read next. We want our audience to spend their time enjoying a story, not looking for one. We’re making the WEBTOON experience more like browsing the world’s most immersive streaming and entertainment platforms, delivering personalized recommendations that take your tastes and reading history into account.”
WEBTOON’s new discovery features and updates include:
AI-powered personalized recommendations: In a major overhaul to content discovery, WEBTOON’s new AI-powered recommendation engine combines insights from user onboarding, reading history, and preferred drawing styles to display personalized recommendations. Users will now select their favorite genres and themes during onboarding, enabling stronger personalization on the WEBTOON Home tab and throughout the WEBTOON platform experience.
A ‘New and Hot’ tab, including trailer-style content previews: As the company continues to explore dynamic new content and preview formats, users will now see short, trailer-style preview videos promoting new releases and trending titles within the ‘New & Hot’ tab. These animated content previews make the WEBTOON experience more like scrolling a streaming service, delivering an immersive glimpse into some of WEBTOON’s most compelling series.
Introducing keyword-based search: The platform has enhanced the search function, making it easier for users to find titles using themes and keywords — not just exact matches. Supporting stronger discovery across WEBTOON’s massive library, improved search empowers fans to explore the wide variety of creators and series on the platform.
A new way to unlock series: For binge-readers or those who prefer full access to read on their own schedule, users now have the ability to unlock an entire series for select completed titles. The new option gives readers more control over how and when they read, and provides additional monetization opportunities for creators.
Readers will see the app updates as of May 8, 2025.
Source: Press Release
