Instagram users on both iOS and Android users now have the ability to add emoji hashtags to their posts, which will appear in searches. The company also announced three brand-new filters with which users can now edit their photos before posting them, writes Karissa Bell for Mashable.
Emojis now searchable
Up to this point, the hashtag feature on Instagram did not offer support for emoji. Comments and captions with the hastag symbol followed by emoji were consequently not searchable. As a result of the update, users can add various emoji to hashtags and they will now show up in searches.
“Over the past few years, emoji have become part of a universal visual language,” read a blog post written by Instagram. “With emoji hashtags, you can discover even more by adding them to your own photos and videos, searching them on the Explore page and tapping on them when you see them in captions.”
Instagram: New filters join growing list of options
As well as the emoji feature, there are also three new filters that have been added to Instagram as of this Monday, known as Reyes, Juno and Lark. Instagram says that Reyes “brings a dusty, vintage look to your moments, Lark brings out blue and green tones, and Juno “tints cool tones green while making warm tones pop and whites glow for vibrant photos of people.”
The company also announced plans to introduce new filters to the app with greater frequency. Ludwig and Crema are two of the filters added in Instagram’s last big update, and are now some of the most popular on the app. Users who worry that their filter tray may become too crowded will be pleased to hear that they can choose which filters appear, as well as rearranging their order, in the “manage” menu which is found at the end of the filter list.
Instagram continues to introduce new features to keep users interested, and its popularity looks set to keep on growing.
