Google is testing hashtags in the Discover feed
Google is adding a new feature to its Discover feed to make it easier for users to find more content. The company tests a familiar hashtag for relevant keywords under a story card.
9to5Google notes that hashtags are most likely provided by Google and websites have no control over them. He further says that the hashtag can help users learn more about the story, but the hashtag can make results repeatable.
For example, a story about OLED TVs shows #OLED under the story map, reports PCMag. Likewise, a story on iPhones shows several hashtags such as #iPhone, #iOS, and #Apple. If users click on the hashtag, the feed will show more related content from different sources.
The report further indicates that the functionality is currently available to select users. It is not yet available on the iOS version. It is not known when or if the feature will be available to end users.
It should be noted that Google has been using hashtags on YouTube for some time. In 2018, the feature became widely available. Over the years, it has been improved for more categories and videos on the platform.
By the way, Google is also working on a similar counter for the stories on its Discover feed. The similar counter relies on the similar button that was available previously. Prior to that, the Discover feed showed a toggle button. The similar counter is most likely to aim to encourage users to engage more with the content appearing in the feed. The functionality is still under testing and has not been widely deployed.
