Threads rolls out hashtags, without the "#"

UPDATE: Dec. 8, 2023, 11:02 a.m. EST Threads is officially rolling out hashtags or "tags" globally, having tested the feature since Nov. 2022. The following story has been updated to reflect the latest details.

Threads is rolling out hashtags — only without the actual hash (#) symbol.

In November, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the app was testing a way to categorize posts with tags. The initial rollout began in Australia, with a global launch on Thursday.

In Threads, tags appear as clickable blue links, operating like hashtags but minus the # symbol. Users can try it out by typing the hash symbol and a category or topic.

In a video post, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said you'll be only able to add one tag per post, the tag can be a phrase instead of one word (with spaces), and the tags can include special characters like question marks.

Threads has been testing many updates, it seems, including a trending topic feed and an API. Since its launch, the X-rival has steadily released some of these new features, adding what many pointed out as crucially missing.