IFTTT

If This Then That, also known as IFTTT (/ɪft/),[5][6] is a freeware web-based service that creates chains of simple conditional statements, called applets.

IFTTT
Original author(s)Linden Tibbets, Jesse Tane [1]
Developer(s)IFTTT Inc.
Initial release7 September 2011 (2011-09-07)
Stable release
Android
4.3.0 (October 25, 2019 (2019-10-25))[2]
iOS
4.4.0 (October 25, 2019 (2019-10-25))[3]
Operating systemAndroid 4.4 or later
iOS 10 or later
Available inEnglish
TypeConditional statement creator, task automator, internet of things
LicenseFreeware
Alexa rank 6,591 (October 2019)[4]
Websiteifttt.com

An applet is triggered by changes that occur within other web services such as Gmail, Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, or Pinterest.[7]

For example, an applet may send an e-mail message if the user tweets using a hashtag, or copy a photo on Facebook to a user's archive if someone tags a user in a photo.[8]

In addition to the web-based application, the service runs on iOS and Android. In February 2015, IFTTT renamed its original application to IF, and released a new suite of apps called Do, with which users can create shortcut applications and actions.[9] As of 2015, IFTTT users created about 20 million recipes each day.[10] All of the functionalities of the Do suite of apps have since been integrated into a redesigned IFTTT app.

History

On December 14, 2010, Linden Tibbets, the co-founder of IFTTT, posted a blog post titled “ifttt the beginning...” on the IFTTT website, announcing the new project. The first IFTTT applications were designed and developed by Tibbets and co-founder Jesse Tane. On September 7, 2011, Tibbets announced the launch on the official website.[11][12]

By April 30, 2012, users had created 1 million tasks.[13] In June 2012, the service entered the Internet of Things space by integrating with Belkin Wemo devices,[14] allowing applets to interact with the physical world. On July 10, 2013, IFTTT released an iPhone app and later released a version for iPad and iPod touch.[15] On April 24, 2014, IFTTT released a version for Android.[16] By the end of 2014, the IFTTT business was valued at approximately USD 170 million.[17]

On February 19, 2015, IFTTT launched three new applications. Do Button triggers an action when you press it. Do Camera automatically uploads the image to the service of your choice (Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox, etc.). Do Notes does the same as Do Camera except with notes instead of images. As of November 2016, the four apps have been combined into one. By December 2016, the company announced a partnership with JotForm to integrate an applet to create actions in other applications.[18][19]

Part of the revenue of IFTTT comes from "IFTTT Platform" partners, who pay to have their products connected to the service, among them GE, BMW, Microsoft and Google. Others are Dropbox, The New York Times, Twitter, Slack and Spotify. Partners can choose from various monthly plans, such as Lite, which is free to use, Basic for $ 199, and Enterprise for $ 499. [20] In April 2020 IFTTT announced a new $199 annual plan for developers to publish their service on IFTTT.[21]

Features

Overview
Screenshot of the IFTTT website

IFTTT employs the following concepts:

  • Services (formerly known as channels) are the basic building blocks of IFTTT.[22] They mainly describe a series of data from a certain web service such as YouTube or eBay. Services can also describe actions controlled with certain APIs, like SMS. Sometimes, they can represent information in terms of weather or stocks.[23] Each service has a particular set of triggers and actions.[24]
  • Triggers are the "this" part of an applet. They are the items that trigger the action. For example, from an RSS feed, you can receive a notification based on a keyword or phrase.[8]
  • Actions are the "that" part of an applet. They are the output that results from the input of the trigger.
  • Applets (formerly known as recipes) are the predicates made from Triggers and Actions. For example, if you like a picture on Instagram (trigger), an IFTTT app can send the photo to your Dropbox account (action).[22]
  • Ingredients are basic data available from a trigger—from the email trigger, for example; subject, body, attachment, received date, and sender’s address.[22]

Usage examples
  • IFTTT can automate web-application tasks, such as posting the same content on several social networks.
  • Marketing professionals can use IFTTT to track mentions of companies in RSS feeds.[25]
  • IFTTT also is used in home automation, for instance switching on a light when detecting motion in a room (with associated compliant devices).[14]

Reception

IFTTT has been received positively by Forbes,[26] Time,[27] Wired,[28] The New York Times,[29] and Reader's Digest.[30] Microsoft developed a similar product called Microsoft Flow (later renamed Microsoft Power Automate).[31]

gollark: Bitcoin is mined on ASICs, so no.
gollark: Probably there'd be less openness about AI development too.
gollark: Semiconductors are Very Important™ so a lot of money/political things would get spent on more resilient supply chains.
gollark: It still probably wouldn't actually work, at least for very long.
gollark: A lazy AI would simply build a nonlazy AI to achieve its goals.

See also

References
  1. Tibbets, Linden. "ifttt the beginning..." IFTTT blog. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  2. "IFTTT - Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
  3. "IFTTT". App Store. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
  4. "Alexa - Ifttt.com Traffic, Demographics, and Competitors - Alexa". www.alexa.com. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  5. "Brand guidelines". IFTTT. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  6. "About IFTTT". Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 16 Oct 2014.
  7. Escobar, Eric (July 11, 2013). "What Is IFTTT and How Can it Improve Your Digital Life?". Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  8. Peers, Nick (October 2, 2014). "Your Online Life Made Simpler, Thanks to IFTTT". Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  9. "IFTTT launches Do – a suite of apps to simplify recipes into customizable shortcuts". The Next Web. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  10. "IFTTT Launches 3 "Do" Apps To Automate Photo Sharing, Tasks, Notes; Rebrands Main App "IF"". TechCrunch. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  11. Alexander, Jesse (September 7, 2011). "ifttt is alive!". Archived from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2016.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  12. "ifttt is alive!". September 7, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  13. "One million tasks created". April 30, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  14. Panzarino, Matthew (June 20, 2012). "Task automation tool IFTTT gets new look, moves into physical world with Belkin WeMo compatibility". Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  15. "The power of IFTTT, now in your pocket". June 10, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  16. "The power of IFTTT, now on Android". April 24, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  17. "10 most valued Internet of Things startups from around the world". February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  18. "JotForm and IFTTT's New Integration Connects Form Responses to Hundreds of New Apps". PR Newswire. 6 December 2016.
  19. "6 Little-Known IFTTT Applets Your Company Should Try". Tech.co. 7 December 2016.
  20. "Como o IFTTT ganha dinheiro?". Tecnoblog (in Portuguese). 2018-11-16. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  21. https://platform.ifttt.com/blog/introducing_the_developer_plan
  22. "About IFTTT". IFTTT.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  23. Ackerman, Elise (September 23, 2012). "San Francisco Startup Lets Anyone Control The Internet of Things". forbes.com. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  24. "IFTTT Channels". IFTTT.com. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  25. Angeles, Sara (August 12, 2013). "10 Ways IFTTT Can Help Your Business". Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  26. Ackerman, Elise (September 23, 2012). "IFTTT: San Francisco Startup Lets Anyone Control The Internet of Things". Forbes. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  27. McCracken, Harry (September 18, 2012). "50 Best Websites 2012". Time. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  28. Flaherty, Joseph (October 13, 2012). "Socks Are the New Hoodie: A Startup Reinvents Swag". Wired. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  29. Wortham, Jenna (September 23, 2011). "A Web Tool That Lets You Automate the Internet". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  30. Beres, Damon. "The IFTTT Recipes that Will Make Your Life Better". Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  31. Foley, Mary Jo (2016-05-04). "Where did Microsoft's new Flow event-automation service come from?". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2016-11-25. Microsoft's new alternative to IFTTT can trace its origins back to a couple of other services developed by the company's Cloud and Enterprise group. [...] 'Microsoft Flow is a stand-alone SaaS Service that is designed for broad usage, including business users that want to automate day-to-day tasks. [...]'
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