The If This, Then That (IFTTT) tool, which acts as a go between allowing devices and services to talk to each other, is making a push to become an integral part of your favourite smartphone apps.
The beloved platform is now available natively within other apps on all mobile platforms, initially specialising in home automation companies.
Firms like like Ring, Garageio, and Foobot are all on board with some integrations already live, while other developers are currently building in the functionality.
Bottom line: This could be a huge boost for makers of smart home gear as the array of different standards often prevents gadgets from operating co-operatively.
For example, if you’re tagged in a photo on Facebook there’s an IFTTT Recipe that ensures that photo is automatically saved to your Dropbox account.
So, for example, owners of the Ring connected doorbell will be able to deploy a Receipe that causes their smart lighting to blink when the doorbell sounds… and they’ll be able to do so directly from the Ring app.
“Home automation users are looking for simple interfaces. We’re excited to give our customers that experience, where they can use products they love and find new value in Ring, right from our app,” said Jamie Siminoff, Chief Inventor and CEO of Ring.
“We’re ready to onboard a new audience that uses Ring, but doesn’t yet realize how easy it is to do so much more with it via IFTTT.”
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In another potential use-case Owners of the Garageio smart garage door tech will be able to close it if a weather app detects rain.
The potential combinations are limitless. Although most of this stuff has been available via the IFTTT app, the native integration will doubtless make the possibilities more visible.
The news comes after the Hive Active Heating solution joined the IFTTT platform, joining the likes of Nest, Philips Hue and D-Link.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
