Instagram now lets you follow hashtags with the latest update

Instagram keeps making changes and adding new features to its make its platform more engaging and user-friendly. Last month, a report by Android Headlines claimed that the image sharing app is testing a feature that will allow users to follow hashtags.

At that point in time, the feature was only available to a handful of select users. Now, the feature has been added to Instagram as the company says "we're introducing the ability to follow hashtags, giving you new ways to discover photos, videos and people on Instagram. Now it's even easier to stay connected with the interests, hobbies, passions and communities you care about."

Every day, millions of people share photos and videos on Instagram with relevant hashtags. As per the company, #onthetable, #slime and #floralnails are just a few examples of hashtags that are widely used. The ability to follow hashtags will make these posts even more discoverable.

So how does this new feature work? Apparently, following a hashtag is just like following a person. All you have to do is search for a topic you are interested in or tap on a hashtag from any post. When you find a hashtag you like, open the hashtag page and tap on the following button. Instagram will then start showing you top posts from that hashtag in your feed and some of the latest stories in your stories bar.

You can always unfollow a hashtag at any time. In case you want to find more hashtags, you can also check out the hashtags other people follow in their profiles. Similar to people you follow, hashtags you follow will be visible according to your privacy settings. If you set your account to private, the hashtags you follow will only be visible to your followers.

The ability to follow hashtags will be really helpful for users to keep up with topics they are interested in.