ISSUE 10 • ANDROID ADVISOR 1IFTTT acts as a link between multiple channels,
which at present include mobile phone apps, social
media platforms and email accounts (to name
just three). IFTTT gives users the opportunity to
implement action sequences that allow di erent
channels to communicate with each other.
There are three main principles on which IFTTT
is built – 'task', 'trigger' and 'action'. The task is what
you want IFTTT to do. The triggers are what will
kick o the action you want the app to perform.
Each of these elements is known as an ingredient
and together the string is known as a recipe. If, for
example, you want to receive a text message every
time you get a direct message on Twitter, you can
build an IFTTT recipe that will trigger an SMS task
every time the Twitter DM action is employed.
Setting up IFTTT on your device
When you download IFTTT from Google Play you
will be able to view a home screen that displays your
recent activity. Since you’re a new user your activity
list will be empty, which means you will need to start
adding to it. To do this you can either choose from
existing recipes or opt to build your own.
How to use a preset IFTTT recipe
To use a pre-built recipe, head to the Browse section
where hundreds of recipes are ready to be used.
Browsing IFTTT recipes is pretty straightforward; you
can sort by keyword, what’s trending, and very often
you will see special collections of recipes organised
by topic (e.g. recipes for business owners). When
you fi nd a recipe you like, all you need to do is click
‘Add recipe’ and it will automatically integrate with