Threads tests tags, which categorizes and links posts with a hashtag but without showing the # symbol, initially in Australia and “soon” in other countries
Instagram's Threads app has been duping Twitter/X in a number of ways and today it's adding one more feature that's …
TechCrunchSarah Perez
Context & Ripple Effects
Threads launched as Instagram's standalone text-centric competitor, then used Instagram distribution features such as a Threads carousel inside Instagram to pull users into the new app. This tag test adds a basic discovery and organization layer while keeping the interface distinct from conventional visible hashtags.
The experiment became a broader product change when Meta rolled tags out with multiword support and a one-tag limit. Later additions of link analytics and expanded profile links show Threads continuing to build creator and distribution tools around the same posting network.
First-order effects
Australian Threads users can attach a tag that groups a post with related content without adding a visible # character; the tag also creates a navigable discovery path.
Threads gains a more structured way to connect posts around topics, while Meta can observe whether the restrained one-tag-style format improves relevance and search behavior.
Second-order effects
A hashtag-free format differentiates Threads from Twitter/X's familiar syntax, but the initial constraint limits tactics such as packing posts with many topical labels.
If tags improve topic discovery, creators and publishers have another distribution surface alongside the later profile-link and link-click tools, increasing the value of publishing consistently on Threads.
Third-order effects
The move points toward Threads treating discovery as a product-controlled layer rather than an open, user-defined hashtag convention: topics can be made more readable, but platform rules determine how broadly posts are classified.
If this approach is paired with improved search and trend features, competition among text-based social apps may increasingly center on recommendation and topic navigation rather than chronological posting alone.
The trend: Threads is gradually adding the discovery, creator-distribution, and measurement infrastructure needed to turn an Instagram-adjacent launch into a more self-contained public-conversation platform.
Testing a way to categorize your posts with a tag. Starting in Australia with more countries coming soon.
@joenandez
Joe Fernandez on threads
What's cool about this is tags can help bootstrap ML models that can eventually automatically classify posts into specific tags. New mechanism for discovery, news/events, research, etc.
@chris
Chris Messina on threads
Apparently the # prefix is acceptable after all, based on @tb_99999's screen recording below. Without more examples or demos of the intended/designed behavior, it's very hard to evaluate the design as presented as static images by @mosseri and @zuck. #IDemandHashtags
@alecmuffett
Alec Muffett on threads
Annoying. Apart from anything else this implies a more complex API will be needed to denote tags to attach to posts, plus it also breaks expectations of Mastodon users & integration. Hashtags are an infix source of truth. That's what makes them good. As a former Facebook engi…
@andrewmelder
Andrew Melder on threads
Like the Threads update so far. One tag makes sense for a test, so does keeping it as regular text instead of prefixing with the # for accessibility and readability 👍
@carnage4life
Dare Obasanjo on threads
I don't call tags on Threads hashtags for the reasons below 1. Only 1 per post 2. No # sign My take is the Threads team has tried to take learnings about how people use and abuse hashtags from Instagram to Twitter to create tags. What do you think?
@tonydotcoms
Tony Mastrorio on threads
Love the idea of one tag per post. We don't need a long list of tags to try and get our post in front of every possible audience, we just need to assign it a topic.
@lloydmillerii
Lloyd Miller on threads
Hashtags are in need of a revamp/extinction. They're outdated and noisy.
@chris
Chris Messina on threads
This is so dumb. Or, it's not dumb, it's just missing the point. We tried this on Google+. Sure, suggesting special words to “tag” your post is fine, but I'm not sure what it means or what problem it solves. Does it amplify that post into a public feed of posts that use the s…
@thebrianpenny
Brian Penny on threads
Tagging 5 people seems to tank your visibility in the algorithm. I can't see views but the engagement across the entire @suns account takes a nosedive when they tagged 5 accounts. Any ideas what the throttling threshold may be? @datadrivenmd @mattnavarra
@parkerortolani
Parker Ortolani on threads
Isn't this basically hashtags without actual hashtags?
@carnage4life
Dare Obasanjo on threads
Tags are coming to Threads. NOTE: I deliberately did not call them hashtags
@tyler_narducci
Tyler Narducci on threads
Tags coming soon! I like this much better than hashtags , especially if it's hyperlinked instead of the ‘#’ 👀
@mikehos3
Mike on threads
One less reason for people who constantly complain to complain about a missing feature: hashtags. In Australia though. I hope search improvements are coming up soon too. Being able to search by author would be life changing.
@quan.kamau
@quan.kamau on threads
This looks like a combination of Trending topics and hashtags
@ltvgjoe
Joe on threads
This could be a really interesting feature for writers; Ongoing Threads stories separated by named categories, collaborative storytelling with multiple people jumping into one tag, looking forward to seeing how this pans out!
@verynaughtyboy42
Lindsay Baker on threads
I'm in Australia and I see this feature. Interesting. I tried it, and I couldn't type my own tag, I could only select from a drop-down menu, just like in his screenshot. And I end up with the blue text below. Guess I'll click on it after posting this to see what it does. Per…
@livinglike_eg
@livinglike_eg on threads
This was one of my biggest wants for Threads early on! Super glad to see it getting added in, and the commitment from the team working on this to keep bringing more and more requested features. I'll be utilizing this to the fullest once it's rolled out!