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IFTTT

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Original author(s)Linden Tibbets, Jesse Tane [1]
Developer(s)IFTTT Inc.
Initial release7 September 2011; 13 years ago (2011-09-07)
Stable release
Android: 3.1.2 (January 10, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-01-10))[2]
iOS: 3.1.2 (January 3, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-01-03))[3]
Operating systemAndroid 4.1 or later[2]
iOS 7.0 or later (iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch)[3]
Available inEnglish
TypeConditional statement creator, task automator, internet of things
LicenseFreeware
Websiteifttt.com

IFTTT is a free web-based service that people use to create chains of simple conditional statements, called applets. An applet is triggered by changes that occur within other web services such as Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.[4] An applet may send an e-mail message if the user tweets using a hashtag or to copy a photo on Facebook to a user's archive if someone tags a user in a photo[5] IFTTT is an initialism for If This Then That.[6]

In addition to the Web-based application, IFTTT runs on iOS and Android. On February, 2015, IFTTT renamed their original application to IF and released a new suite of apps called Do which lets users create shortcut applications and actions.[7] As of 2015, IFTTT users created about 20 million "recipes" each day.[8] 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 on the official website was open.[9][10]

By April 30, 2012, users had created one million tasks.[11] In June 2012, the service entered the Internet of Things space by integrating with Belkin WeMo devices,[12] allowing Recipes 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.[13] On April 24, 2014, IFTTT released a version for Android.[14] By the end of 2014, the IFTTT business was valued at approximately $170 million.[15]

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.[16][17]

Features

Overview

Screenshot of the IFTTT website

IFTTT employs the following concepts:

  • Services (formerly known as channels) are the "basic building blocks of IFTTT".[18] 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.[19] Each service has a particular set of triggers and actions.[20]
  • 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.[5]
  • 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 in Instagram (trigger), an IFTTT app can send the photo to your Dropbox account (action).[18]
  • Ingredients are basic data available from a trigger—from the email trigger, for example; subject, body, attachment, received date, and sender’s address.[18]

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.[21]

Reception

IFTTT has been received positively by Forbes,[22] Time,[23] Wired,[24] The New York Times,[25] and Reader's Digest.[26] Microsoft, another software developer, has developed a comparable product: Microsoft Flow.[27]

References

  1. ^ Tibbets, Linden. "ifttt the beginning..." IFTTT blog. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Google play-IFTTT". Google Play. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  3. ^ a b "iTunes preview-IFTTT". iTunes. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  4. ^ Escobar, Eric (July 11, 2013). "What Is IFTTT and How Can it Improve Your Digital Life?". Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Peers, Nick (October 2, 2014). "Your Online Life Made Simpler, Thanks to IFTTT". Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  6. ^ "About IFTTT". Retrieved 16 Oct 2014.
  7. ^ "IFTTT launches Do – a suite of apps to simplify recipes into customizable shortcuts". The Next Web. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  8. ^ "IFTTT Launches 3 "Do" Apps To Automate Photo Sharing, Tasks, Notes; Rebrands Main App "IF"". TechCrunch. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  9. ^ Alexander, Jesse (September 7, 2011). "ifttt is alive!". Archived from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "ifttt is alive!". September 7, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  11. ^ "One million tasks created". April 30, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  12. ^ Panzarino, Matthew (June 20, 2012). "Task automation tool IFTTT gets new look, moves into physical world with Belkin WeMo compatibility". Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  13. ^ "The power of IFTTT, now in your pocket". June 10, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  14. ^ "The power of IFTTT, now on Android". April 24, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  15. ^ "10 most valued Internet of Things startups from around the world". February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  16. ^ "JotForm and IFTTT's New Integration Connects Form Responses to Hundreds of New Apps". PR Newswire. 6 December 2016.
  17. ^ "6 Little-Known IFTTT Applets Your Company Should Try". Tech.co. 7 December 2016.
  18. ^ a b c "About IFTTT". IFTTT.com. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  19. ^ Ackerman, Elise (September 23, 2012). "San Francisco Startup Lets Anyone Control The Internet of Things". forbes.com. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  20. ^ "IFTTT Channels". IFTTT.com. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  21. ^ Angeles, Sara (August 12, 2013). "10 Ways IFTTT Can Help Your Business". Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  22. ^ Ackerman, Elise (September 23, 2012). "IFTTT: San Francisco Startup Lets Anyone Control The Internet of Things". Forbes. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  23. ^ McCracken, Harry (September 18, 2012). "50 Best Websites 2012". Time. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  24. ^ Flaherty, Joseph (October 13, 2012). "Socks Are the New Hoodie: A Startup Reinvents Swag". Wired. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  25. ^ Wortham, Jenna (September 23, 2011). "A Web Tool That Lets You Automate the Internet". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  26. ^ Beres, Damon. "The IFTTT Recipes that Will Make Your Life Better". Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  27. ^ 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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