Why You Should Download the New IFTTT iPhone App Right Now

As of July 11, IFTTT has an iPhone app, and geeks and non-geeks alike may want to set aside a couple of hours to spend with the new software.

For the uninitiated, IFTTT stands for If This Then That. (The name of the service is pronounced like the word “gift” without the letter “g.”) It’s a Web-based service that lets you connect 67 otherwise disconnected online services and iOS apps to create automated actions between them.

IFTTT’s user community has created and shared dozens of “recipes,” as they’re called, all of which you can use. Some example recipes let you: automatically save iOS photos to your SkyDrive account; back up contacts in your iOS Contacts app to Google Drive spreadsheets; receive text messages about certain weather forecasts; and save Gmail attachments to Dropbox folders along with senders’ email addresses. The IFTTT site and the app lists the supported services, called “channels,” that you can connect.  

It’s pretty cool stuff, and once you get started, you’ll probably want to keep experimenting. But beware: It’s easy to spend way too much time with IFTTT.

The new app integrates with your iOS Contacts, Photos, and Reminders apps. For example, you can tell IFTTT to use the Camera app to automatically upload iPhone photos taken with the front-facing camera to your Flickr account.

You can also further refine your recipes using the app. You can rename a Dropbox folder into which you want IFTTT to upload your photos, within the IFTTT app. Unfortunately, an Android version isn’t yet available, but one is supposedly coming soon.

The touch-friendly IFTTT iPhone app is a pleasure to use, and it’s guaranteed to bring out your inner hacker. The app is also free, which doesn’t hurt, and it can make your digital life a bit easier.