By Syed Razvi
IFTTT (If This Then That) is an app that uses “recipes” to make your phone more productive. It bridges apps on your phone and can connect to internet-enabled devices in your home. There are recipes for networking, tracking productivity, the news, staying fit and shopping.
The app (free on iOS and Android) works by pairing different programs so that one action solicits another.
IFTTT can detect your location to turn on the heater. The app can even help brew coffee as a user wakes up. With triggers tailored to your time zone, the app can connect to a WeMo Insight Switch. This switch attaches itself to a regular socket where the coffee machine is plugged in.
The app can also connect to your home’s security system with the use of location services connecting it to security systems like Scout.
Other recipes synchronize social media accounts. The app can connect Twitter with Instagram, which allows you to tweet what you post on Instagram automatically as a full picture and not just a link.
A phone’s location services can be linked with messaging apps to let friends know where you are over the weekend or to notify people when you leave work.
IFTTT can pair with Slack to make team communication easier. It organizes and stores important emails and creates spreadsheets that log you in and out of work to show how much time you spent there.
It also works with products designed by Fitbit that help to track health and fitness. That means when the app notices you didn’t get enough sleep, Google Calendar will suggest times for a good night’s sleep. The use of Google Docs helps to maintain a spreadsheet to track gym visits and daily activity.
The app can also update you with news through email and notifications.
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