Trying to get gadgets from various companies into work together to automate your house is one of the most irritating aspects of the smart home. Thankfully, there’s IFTTT, the go-to platform for getting stuff done together smoothly.
For those who are unfamiliar with IFTTT, it is a web-based tool that enables different platforms, applications, and devices to trigger reactions in one another that would not otherwise be possible. Here’s more about it.
What exactly is it?
IFTTT is a web-based automation platform that allows you to simply script actions that connect a range of devices and services. Linden Tibbets and Jesse Tane co-founded it in 2010 with the objective of becoming a prominent web service connection platform.
In this manner, it’s comparable to services like Zapier and Microsoft Power Automate, which both help you optimize your workflows by automating repetitive processes or linking programs that weren’t meant to operate together in the first place.
IFTTT stands for “If This Then That,” a programming standard that explains how the service works in a nutshell. The “if this” component is referred to as the trigger, and the “then that” part is referred to as the action. The applet, formerly known as the “recipe,” is the total.
How IFTTT works
IFTTT is available on iOS and Android devices as a website and mobile app, and any automations you make are accessible across all three platforms. It works with more than 650 different companies and services, including Gmail, Dropbox, Discord, Uber, GE smart appliances, Pinterest, Facebook, and Withings, to name a few.
Applets are automations that operate in the background and are created by linking these applications with If This Then That instructions.
IFTTT: How to Get Started
One of the nicest features of IFTTT is the large number of pre-built Applets available. Before we get into these, it’s a good idea to learn how to create your own Applet – don’t worry, it’s a lot simpler than you may think.
Each Applet is made up of two parts. The first is the ‘If This’ bit, which is the trigger for the Applet to execute. Triggers are used by some (but not all) of the services linked to your account, and they may be as basic as a particular time being reached or as complex as your Arlo camera recognizing motion.
Then follows the ‘Then That’ section, which is where you want the action to take place. Actions might vary from sending an email to activating a security system, depending on whatever services you’ve linked.
Sign up for free on the IFTTT website and click the IFTTT app for iOS or Android to get going with IFTTT.
By typing your topic in the search field and putting on the slider, you may browse among hundreds of pre-made applets. For the applet to operate, you’ll probably need to enable additional services, which you’ll be led to after turning on the slider. A simple flick of a button is all it needs.
Another option for finding pre-made applets is to select “Discover,” which will bring up a list of applets related to the ones you’ve already enabled. You may view your applets grouped together based on commonalities by clicking on a certain category.
What are the top 10 things you can do with it?
1. Create a Spotify playlist with music from YouTube videos you like.
Simply give a post a thumbs up on YouTube whenever you listen to a song you like, and this application will look for the music on Spotify. The music will be included to the playlists you choose if it is present.
2. Tell Alexa to look for your phone.
Can’t seem to locate your phone? This Applet will have Alexa call your phone immediately so you can track the phone ringing and locate it. It does, however, depend on your smartphone not being on quiet.
3. Alexa can help you unmute your phone.
There are many ways to utilize Alexa to call your device, but they may be useless if your phone is on quiet. Fortunately, this fix resolves the issue simply turning off your phone’s quiet mode. It’s exclusively for Android users, but if that’s you, it may save you a lot of time.
4. Dropbox fresh photographs you’ve been tagged in on Facebook.
Keeping an eye on what images of yourself are accessible on the internet is an important part of managing your internet presence. This applet scans Facebook for any images you’ve been tagged in and downloads and uploads them to your Dropbox account.
If you don’t like what you see, ask your buddy to either remove or untag you from the picture. It’s also good to have your own copy of images taken of you by friends and family.
5. Ask Google Assistant to make a note in Evernote.
With this applet, Evernote users have had a lot of fun. Simply say “Hey Google,” then a phrase you choose in the applet’s settings, followed by your note (for example, “Hey Google, write to Evernote, try out the local bar on Fifth Street.”)
6. Send me an email when Netflix publishes new titles.
Do you ever get the feeling that you’ve seen all there is to see on Netflix? Are you always on the hunt for new movies and television shows to watch? When Netflix uploads their new releases, this applet will send you an email.
7. Set the NASA Image of the Day as your Android wallpaper.
The IFTTT Space feature, which itself is supported by NASA, Open Notify, Mars Atmospheric Aggregation System, as well as How Many People Are In Space Right Now, gives Android phones a different view every day. IFTTT’s space stream is a great place to start if you want to make a lot of applets. (There’s really nothing like this for iOS; Apple won’t give IFTTT access to that level of information.)
8. Get out of awkward meetings
The button widget allows you to quickly activate items by pressing a button on your smartphone screen. In this situation, you may act as though you’re checking a text and then press a button to return the call to your phone. Just use to get out of that dreadful date or business meeting.
9. Receive Notifications on Your Phone When Alexa Timer Goes Off
The timer on my Amazon Echo is the feature People use the most, for anything from watering orchids to preparing gourmet meals. However, you may miss the alarm if you have to step away from the Alexa-speaker that is watching the clock for you. While using IFTTT Notifications feature, this applet delivers an alert to the IFTTT application installed.
10. When your Uber arrives at your house, flash your lights.
If you have Philips Hue lights installed in your house, this applet will flash them to alert you when an Uber is on its way.
