What is IFTTT and What Can It Do?

IFTTT stands for If This Then That. It is a free service that allows you to connect multiple services to your smart home devices and beyond. It uses simple conditional statements in a simple form to make it easy to create little, custom applets to enhance your life.

How It Works

IFTTT accepts an input. Then, based on rules and guides you set up, performs an action on another system.

Examples

It's often easiest to understand IFTTT best through examples:

• You're coming home from work. Your phone recognizes that it is near your home, and sends a message to IFTTT. IFTTT accepts that message, and forwards it to your smart home lighting, and turns on the light in your kitchen and garage, welcoming you home.
• You lock your smart lock. Your smart lock sends a message stating it was locked to IFTTT. IFTTT accepts that message, and sends a message to your smart thermostat, to turn it down to save on heating costs.
• You're hosting a game night watching party. Every time your team scores a goal, your smart lights change to match your team's color, making the event that much more fun and special.
• The weather report says it'll rain today. About an hour before the rain should start, your smart windows have already closed themselves.

Beyond smart home applications, you can also harness many other sources of information, and the resulting actions can streamline your digital life.

• Every time your company is mentioned on Twitter, your group knows instantly because IFTTT forwards the tweet to your Slack group.
• Automatically mute your smartphone whenever you're in a meeting scheduled on your calendar.
• You're working out, but waiting for a very important email message, as well. When the message comes in, your smartphone reads out the the sender and title, letting you know to stop your workout and respond.

Personal and Customizable

The whole idea behind IFTTT is that everyone has a different need when it comes to integration of their various services. Rather than having just a few that may or may not work, or work poorly, they allow you to 'write your own' integrated approaches, custom and personal for you.

There are example applets, but they exist more to give you an idea to base your own works upon. It can take a bit of thought and careful consideration of your unique wants and needs, but the end result is a tailored experience that works best for you.

Your IFTTT Account

IFTTT has you create an account to store your collection of rules, guides, and tools in what is called "Applets". These can then be accessed from anywhere; your laptop, desktop, and your smartphone.

This allows you to create and edit your Applets on the fly, whenever you need them.

1. Navigate to ifttt.com.
   
2. Select Sign up in the top right.
   
3. If you prefer to attach your IFTTT account to your Google or Facebook account, you may choose one of those options.
   This is often a good idea, as it results in one less password you need to remember.
   This guide will proceed without those options, instead creating a separate account on IFTTT. You may skip these steps if you create your account using Google or Facebook.
4. Select sign up at the bottom.
   
5. Enter your email address and a password, then select Sign up.
   
6. A number of services will be shown, and you need to pick three that you use most often. Select Continue at the bottom once you've chosen.
   
7. A number of pre-made applets are shown. Look through the list; if any interest you click on them to find out more, and enable them.
8. When you're done, select Discover more to proceed to the main page of IFTTT.
   

One of the major features of IFTTT is location awareness, based upon your smartphone's location. This allows IFTTT to send custom mobile notifications, as well as location specific tasks to work (such as coming home and having your lights turn on).

To continue, we need to know what Operating System your smartphone or tablet has.

There are 2 main Operating Systems for smartphones currently available, Android and iOS.

Android Smartphone	iOS Smartphone
Android smartphones are produced by multiple companies, such as Samsung, LG, Motorola, HTC, and OnePlus.	Apple is the only company that makes iOS smartphones.

1. Open the App Store.
   
   
2. Select Search in the bottom right corner.
   
3. Search for "IFTTT" and select it from the list.
   
4. Select Get for IFTTT.
   
5. Select Open.
   
6. When IFTTT first opens, a set of welcome screens opens. Swipe right.
   
7. Sign up or sign in using Google, Facebook or your email.
   

To get started, you'll need to log in to the IFTTT website, or open the IFTTT app on your device.

Home

When you first open IFTTT, you'll be shown a series of featured Applets, as well as a recommended Applets based on your use of the service.

You can always browse through the listings to get ideas for more automation tasks to build or use that may make your life easier or more fun.

Search

If you know of a specific Applet that's already built, you can search for it.

You can also search for a general idea and see what other people have built that may be useable, or something you can modify to make it work better for you.

My Applets

Here you can see your current Applets, turn them on or off, or modify them.

You can also choose Services, and build a new Applet from scratch to suit your specific needs and wants.

Activity

You'll be able to see all the activity of your Applets, helping you troubleshoot if one doesn't work quite the way you want, or if one you created is sending off too many alerts.

1. Launch the Play Store on your smartphone.
   
2. Select the search bar at the top.
   
3. Search for "IFTTT" and select it from the list.
   
4. Select Install.
   
5. Select Open to open the app.
   
6. A short set of welcome screens opens the first time you launch IFTTT. Swipe right on each.
   
7. Sign up or sign in using Google, Facebook or your email.