Skip to main content

Flickr for iOS jumps on the hashtag #bandwagon with new update

flickr hashtag integration
Image used with permission by copyright holder

While you were out Instagramming your weekend fun times, Yahoo silently pushed out an updated version of Flickr for iOS that includes a key “new” feature: hashtags. Flickr for iOS users – whoever they are – will now be able to label their photos just as Twitter (and Instagram) users have for years.

Flickr currently has about 6 billion photographs and counting – and many of these photos already have hashtags added to them, thanks to Twitter users and Instagrammers’ habits spilling over into Flickr. Now, however, Flickr app update means hashtags added inside of a photo’s description are now clickable, and clicking through these tags will open up a page exclusively stocked with photos that sport the tag.

If you’re not familiar with hashtags already, you’ll find these useful in certain situations. Hashtags throw all relevant media associated with the tag into the same bucket. So in instances where you might want to check out all the crazy SXSW photos, you’ll just need to click on #SXSW, and all the SXSW shenanigans forever preserved on Flickr are just a click away.

The usefulness of hashtags for Flickr fans probably isn’t the reason Yahoo added them in, however; there’s also money to be made from topic-specific advertising. For example, Flickr could experiment with trending hashtags just as Twitter does, which the photo app could monetize through in-app promotions.

Despite the fact that Twitter has used hashtags since 2007, other companies are just now jumping on the #bandwagon. Even Facebook has caught the hashtag bug, with the social network reportedly set to roll out the feature sometime soon. 

Editors' Recommendations

Francis Bea
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Francis got his first taste of the tech industry in a failed attempt at a startup during his time as a student at the…
Apple’s iOS 16.4 beta brings new emoji, web app notifications, and more
Sample of new emoji coming in iOS 16.4

Apple has just released the iOS 16.4 beta for developers and anyone else who wants a really early look at the new software. This is the first beta for iOS 16.4, following numerous releases for iOS 16.3.

The first highlighted items for iOS 16.4 are the new Unicode 15 emoji. These are the first new emoji in over a year. Some of these new emoji include a shaking face, pink heart, light blue heart, goose, donkey, angel wing, jellyfish, pea pod, ginger, folding hand fan, maracas, flute, and more. These new emoji additions were originally proposed in July 2022, and they were added to the Unicode standard in September 2022. It has taken a few months for these to get added to iOS because designers at Apple needed to create the icons with the information provided by the Unicode Consortium.

Read more
iOS 16.3.1 fixes major bugs for your iPhone — and introduces a new one
Lock screen widget for iOS 16.

Apple just released a new iOS update for your iPhone: iOS 16.3.1. There are also updates for iPadOS 16.3.1 and macOS 13.2.1. All of these are relatively minor updates, but they do patch up an actively exploited code execution vulnerability that was found in WebKit/Safari. A second vulnerability was also patched up, though this second one was not known to be actively exploited.

But that’s not all that iOS 16.3.1 brings. This update also fixes an issue with iCloud settings, where it became unresponsive. Another bug fix corrects an issue with using Siri with the Find My feature, where the request would end up failing. If you have a HomePod, there is a HomePod 16.3.2 OS update that will also resolve some Siri issues, where smart home requests would end up failing.

Read more
A sneaky iOS update got me excited about the iPhone 14 Pro again
Sports scores for an NBA game displayed in an iPhone 14 Pro's Dynamic Island.

There's no doubt that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are outstanding smartphones. They're Apple's crème de la crème, with powerful cameras, reliable battery life, and breakneck performance. But as outstanding as the phones are, there's one aspect of the iPhone 14 Pro lineup that's had a slow start. Yes, I'm talking about the Dynamic Island.

Apple's notch replacement received a dazzling introduction with lofty promises, and for the most part, I've been rather happy with it. I love using it to watch timers tick by, quickly manage phone calls, and control music or podcasts I'm listening to. However, I fully understand why some people have been disappointed with the Dynamic Island. Third-party developer support is still lacking, there's no indication of when that'll change, and it's created a waiting game with no end in sight.

Read more