What is IFTTT?
IFTTT derives its name from the programming conditional statement “if this, then that.” What the company provides is a software platform that connects apps, devices and services from different developers in order to trigger one or more automations involving those apps, devices and services.
Here are just two if this, then that automations you can run with IFTTT:
* If you make a motion is detected, then you can send an email towards your personal email address.
* If you add a new task to your Google Assistant to-dos, then it will be added to your iOS Reminders app.
Currently, there are 90 million activated applet connections, according to IFTTT.
How IFTTT works
The automations are accomplished via applets — which are sort of like macros that connect multiple apps to run automated tasks. You can turn on or off an applet using IFTTT’s website or mobile apps (and/or the mobile apps’ IFTTT widgets). You can also create your own applets or make variations of existing ones via IFTTT’s user-friendly, straightforward interface.
Getting started with IFTTT
IFTTT is simple to use. You download the mobile app (for Android here or for Apple's iOS here) create a free account and you're up and running with automations in minutes.
There are a bewildering array of applets available, so IFTTT helpfully provides automation recommendations for new users to try. Its Collections groups together applets for different platforms – such as iOS, Android and voice assistants – and showcases everything from applets for news and weather services to home automation.
It is also possible to search for individual applets, or browse under categories such as business tools, connected car or health and fitness.
The My Applets screen lets users manage which applets are currently turned on, and provides a history of those that have been used previously.
Users can create their own applets by combining various app "services” and setting trigger parameters.
IFTTT and Alexa
An increasingly popular way to use IFTTT is in conjunction with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. Much of these applets center around internet-of-things use cases such as controlling smart home devices with voice commands directed at Echo and Echo Dot speakers. This could entail telling Alexa to make a cup of coffee with WeMo’s connected coffee maker or changing the color of Hue smart lights each time Alexa plays a new song.
Amazon is keen to push its A.I. assistant into corporate environs, and there are uses emerging for IFTTT and Alexa in the workplace context. For instance, when you ask Alexa to add a to-do item, this can automatically be added to a workspace within Asana’s project management app. The same can be done with Evernote, Google Docs spreadsheets and more. You can also sync your to-do list with Google Calendar.
It is also simple to connect IFTTT with Google’s Assistant, which powers its Google Home speakers.
What does IFTTT have to do with everything-as-a-service?
The idea for IFTTT grew out of the belief that, in the future, “everything will be a service,” Tibbets said. “And I mean everything: every brand, every organization, every physical object. You’ll be hard-pressed to name something that won’t be connected to the internet or tracked by the internet of things (IoT) to such a degree that it might as well be connected.”
IFTTT’s purpose is to connect those disparate services and systems. “We help all products and services work well together in a way that brings you confidence and helps those services create rich interactions in their ecosystems,” Tibbets said.
Source: What is IFTTT?