You don't even need to click for them to recommend it. If you look at it longer than another thing, or take a screenshot when it's on the screen, it's a signal that you might spend more time on the app if they show those kind of things. And the chance of you spending more time on the app means more money for them through ads.
I've been using the beta for a few days and can confirm it seems to work as expected now. There's been a few times where zooming while also moving to a corner too quickly may close an image, but that may be a gesture to close the image, and it's difficult to reproduce. Thanks for your help :)
Yes because it makes them billions of dollars. It's disgusting.