IFTTT - Automate work and home Reviews

by Papagoose23

I had been a user for almost a couple of years and was successfully using IFTTT with accessing my Blink cameras. Unfortunately I needed to change my password within this app and since then I am unable to access the account. Speaking with the Blink support folks they said that it is an issue with their servers and they have not yet been able to resolve the issue. This has gone on for over a week and its very disappointing. If there was ever a reason for not subscribing to an app this is it.
Just read some of the hard to fine facts about this utility. If you are using a trigger to start something it will now take up to an hour for the trigger to occur but if you pay it will be there in around 5 minutes. Another strike against the free program. I guess they are ashamed to publish these changes to users after this last update. I guess they figured that waiting an hour was not a big deal.
Well for users if Blink beware that if you are using the free version to arm your alarm system it won’t work for an hour. Surprise no wonder why when I leave the house for a short trip the alarms are not armed.
Boy this change would have been nice to know.
Thanks for the notification for your updates.

by Omgshinies

I have been running this app for years an I have never been satisfied, why would I pay for this???

I had been excited about this app when I installed it, the concept is great. After a while of trying to configure, I was disappointed in IFTTT workflows and limited abilities, and IFTTT itself was incredibly slow and buggy, none of which has been fixed. I wanted to help, but customer support was not available. I never got to set up the thing I downloaded IFTTT for in the first place.

I’ve been running my applets for a few years now and I’ve been experiencing HOURS of delay on all of them, and when I sought support for it, it was listed as a known issue that has yet to be fixed. Many of my applets randomly break, and I don’t bother to fix them because they’re so slow it’s not useful.

Now they tell me I need to upgrade to pro or my applets will be archived (custom applets are the only ones I find useful, anything else I can do in another app), customer support won’t be available (it never has been), and execution will be EVEN SLOWER???

COME ON. I’m not going to pay, even a small price, for an app that has been a terrible experience the entire time. Your free introductory period is supposed to be a time to impress customers, but I’m not hooked. I wonder how many others feel the same way.

by Sahil-Singh

I have been using this app to link many of my smart home devices for about a year now and it has worked great, however with the introduction with this app pro, I don’t believe it is right for this app to restrict users to a certain limit that they can create when we were allowed create unlimited applets before. I think the pro plan should have only been for the new features that they introduced instead of forcing people to upgrade to pro if they want to create more than than three of their applets. Also, this app says that their free users will have unlimited access to already published applets, however no one uses these published applets because they do not do what we want them to do. Also, the lack of communication from iftt was outrageous as they had informed their users after they implemented all of these new changes and did not give us much time to switch to other solutions. I will looking towards switching all of my to smart home devices to an alternative solution like home assistant which will run locally on my network and highly recommend other people who don’t want to pay for the service that was once free to also switch.

by Robert951King

One of the preview images is of it saying if I’m in a meeting pause rumba! How lame is that pause my vacuum at home my robotic vacuum if I’m in a meeting. I don’t even know where to start with that if you don’t understand why that’s so stupid then I can’t help you. And someone on here saying it’s so nice today I’ll send you reminders throughout the day your phone will do that your phone will do that without this program you push your button you push the home button Siri pops up you say remind me every day at this time blah blah blah are you say let me know if it’s going to rain blah blah blah they’ll do it without this program. And as far as if it works with things that’s a joke every time I’ve tried it actually doesn’t work and the only things I can do or pathetic stupid things like you can have Alexa do some you ask Alexa and you can have your phones Bluetooth turned on or off or you can have the wallpaper change oh my God the wallpaper background can be changed if you say something to one of your home smart devices bite me whoever makes this program your prophetic it disgusts me

by Batgirl69

When I first joined this app it was free and a great way to connect disparate services and devices, it helped bridge the different unnecessarily separated ecosystems of devices. When they forced me into paying or losing my applets, I complied, and I would still give a high rating except that there is an unreasonable limit keeping me from having more than one account per service, in this case the limit is due to the Abode Alarm system unable to accommodate more than one zone, meaning you need two Abode accounts with different email addresses in order to have two zones setup. Because of this I need to setup my Abode service in this app with two accounts, but I cannot do that because of an artificial limit in this app preventing each service from having more than one account. Having two this app accounts which is the suggested solution won’t work because I need applets between Abode Accounts and interactions with already added other services. Thanks for the extra limits and forced subscription. Until I found this out, I would have given 5 stars, now you get 1. Fix it and I’ll update this review.

by Hepcat72-1

You cannot browse all your Applets anymore in one place. You cannot enable or disable applet notifications using the iPhone app anymore and the help article showing a screenshot of where that control should be is not there, at least for the applet I tried to disable notifications on. Tapping on a notification does not lead you to a page that is at all useful. The tapped notification and then disappears and it is nearly impossible to find the applet associated with the notification unless you remember which services it uses. Submitting a problem is an exasperating experience that tries your patience. You end up in an endless loop. All in all, what should take a handful of seconds takes over a half hour and ultimately results in not being able to accomplish what it is you tried to set out to do, Even though all you’re trying to do is turn off a notification of a specific applet. This latest version of this app is much worse than previous versions.

by Db2ace2

IFTTT had great potential however I am eliminating it entirely from my home control apps. You cannot count on it to control a home with over 250 devices including g Alexa, SmartThings, Somfy, Hue and many other devices. You will hit the max limits long before you could ever benefit from IFTTT. Just opening and closing our 16 shades once a day puts you over limit not to mention doors motion sensors lighting etc Notofications just quit when you hit limit thus you cannot depend on it for smoke/co2 messages etc. The SmartHome industry in general is in a sad state of affairs because they have made it too expensive to manage even a small home and hit max limits forcing you to use multiple workarounds to get anything done. This will put them out of businesssoo. Instead of them making minor but powerful improvements that would make their products useful and make them able to handle the needs of their customers.

by Pianoman05

I have been a faithful this app user for years. There have been instabilities here and there but on average it has worked well. Then tonight I discovered one of my webhooks wasn’t working. I opened IFTTT to troubleshoot, only to find out that none of my applets are working at all. Further, I can’t edit, archive, delete, or disconnect any of them either. I can’t do anything in IFTTT anymore.

I understand developers need income and because of that I am willing to pay for an app if it meets my needs. But to shut off the entire basic functionality without warning and hold my app hostage until I upgrade to the (rather expensive) pro version is selfish. If you had kept basic functionality for existing users and offered pro features for the subscription, I probably would’ve paid. But since you’ve turned your back on your users I’ll be looking elsewhere, even if I have to pay more. It’s the principle of it.

by Scholarcat

IFTTT is a joke. When I originally downloaded, I connected it to an account but did not use any new passwords. After reviewing IFTTT itself, I decided it was not going to do what I needed to do. I also didn’t like that it wanted to connect with either Google or Facebook on my behalf. So I tried to delete IFTTT . It would not let me delete IFTTT without a password. However, the password that apparently has been assigned to the account is one that I did not use Ann is not matching any of the passwords I typically use. Hence, I could not delete IFTTT . So, I attempted to send a request for technical support, but I was continually asked to select portions of pictures which I did repeatedly. I must’ve been given 20 different pictures. Bottom line,I cannot delete IFTTT . I don’t know the password you’ve given me. There’s no way to delete IFTTT and there is no way to contact your support team. I am very unhappy. Put it all together and I believe your app is a security risk.

by Atraveler

Let me start by saying that this app has been my favorite home automation app since 2012. I always think of it as IFTTT that makes the impossible possible. This was one of the few apps that I would have been happy to pay for if it ever became a paid app. For the longest time, it was also very accessible to voiceover users — people who are blind and visually impaired who use the voiceover screen reader on iOS. Most interface elements had labels and you could get to any part of IFTTT using the tabs at the bottom. The new app, however, broke all that. If you are using voiceover and you launch IFTTT , all you hear, apart from the search edit box is “button button button button”. Within an update, IFTTT went from being the miracle maker to being completely useless. Please, please please take a bit of time and bring back the accessibility labels — it’ll make a world of difference to so many people!

by TattooBetty86

This automation app has become a complete waste of time and garbage. I only use IFTTT to automate motion detection for my security camera and power on/off capabilities on an air purifier. Lately, multiple days during the week the applets do not work. The applet or this app is not recognizing me entering or exiting a predetermined geographic area and not performing the correct tasks. I have deleted the applets, added them back, and they still don’t work. I’m not sure why this keeps happening or what the solution is but it’s becoming more of a hassle and an annoyance to use this automation app than it is to not have automations in my home. It’s easier for me to open the apps that connect both my security cameras and my air purifier and manually turn them on and off instead of using this automation app anymore. Even after the latest update, it has not solved the bug. this app-The idea behind your app is amazing, but the fact that I have not been able to successfully have my Applets work for more than a few days at a time is simply unacceptable. Please improve your geographic area feature or do away with it completely.

by Thornrag

Creating an applet seems to be the last thing IFTTT wants you to do. From the home screen, which is a list of services you may or may not care about, there is no indication how to actually automate something. If you do manage to stumble into the screen which turns out to be for creating an applet, again the next steps are completely unclear. IFTTT completely abandons UI conventions common to other apps for creating and managing things. You won’t find a “plus” button or a “new” button. There is no “edit” or “manage.” Just endlessly scrolling lists of things that have nothing to do with your devices or services, links to something about being a developer, lots of links to using this app for business, and a couple different views to your account settings. What would work? How about the first screen being a list of my applets, with a big green button that has a plus sign and takes you straight to a new applet window? Is that not the single thing this service is for? Utterly baffling.

by Goatzz

I agree with some of the reviews that the 3 applet limit is a bit low. I’d raise it to 10 and any more after that you need to pay. Some of the other reviews really sound very entitled. You used a service for free for many years which has worked well - it’s not greed if the developers want to make some money from it. They need to eat and having a subscription is them saying they can’t afford to continue this way. It’s either they charge or shut down. They even sent an email to give you a heads up. It’s an optional $10 a month whereas Zapier is $20 and Microsoft Flow is $15. I’ve yet to run across a cheaper option, unless you want to build your own and parse apis yourself. Maybe it’s because I’m a developer myself but people act like programming is simple and companies don’t deserve to make a profit. The whole point of a product is to make money. Get over yourself. Everything can’t be free, if you like a service pay for it.

by Mdub1987

Let me start by saying IFTTT is great and does so many amazing things for me. Functionally it’s a five star app.

The new design is great and simplifies so much of IFTTT , but dismissing the modal view that slides up when you hit “Get more” is not intuitive. It doesn’t dismiss when you slide your finger down on the indicator which is how every thing in the OS works. You have to tap on it to make it dismiss. It took me at least 30-40 seconds to figure that out which is not good UX. Also, I don’t remember seeing an explanation of the new UI. Some might wonder where all of their automations went when you are only seeing the services. Maybe an option to choose how things are shown would help or an intro.

Again, great app. Couldn’t do so many things without it.

by Jtaborain

I actually love IFTTT, and am hoping it continues to get more and more detailed in its programming. I really see this as the future for entrepreneurs like myself. I use Iftt for all of my posts with my music career now on twitter and facebook, and my tumblr blog, which really cuts down on my time and has helped me get more interaction at the same time. Im just wanting even a deeper programming level to become available, and have more apps on my phone that i use to be connected. Currently im on hot schedules, and setmore, and i dont have a way to integrate my scheduling from those apps to ical, which is something id really like to use. Plus gmail, and imessage could be better integrated too. Thats really it. Thanks for creating IFTTT and making my life easier.

by M. KIRBY COUEY

this app is a very user friendly app that is the key to unlocking the proverbial door to Home Automation market. It’s a “wizzywig”, What you see is what you get! It connects the plethora of Service(s), i.e., Alexa, Cortana, Google Assistant, etc. & those speaker devices. I’m using an iPhone a smartphone instead of those little speaker devices spread around your home that, BTW, are required if, gasp, you don’t have a smartphone.

The really cool cornerstone feature is the ability to create “recipes” by linking different services to your this app profile & building your personal widgets.

I have had Logitech’s Harmony Home Hub that controls all devices that have an IR Remote Control. I recently purchased 2 WEMO Smart Plugs and a WEMO BRIDGE which allows any WEMO DEVICE to be recognized by Apple’s HOME app via the Apple TV 4th Gen. acting as the main controller. I can tell Siri a trigger phrase, Good Night, and the living room lights turn off. I can tell any of the popular, aforementioned, AI Asst., to turn off the TV, etc.

Really good stuff is happening almost daily because of the ITFFF middleware so check it out!

Warm Regards,
Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening & Good Night.

P.S.
Imagine a World without...

by Keonijohn

I’ve been an this app user for many years and have been impressed with its functionality and user benefits.
Now it’s going to charge a you-set-the-price for its Pro version that adds conditional logic. I get that developers need revenue to build, sustain, and improve their apps, and I’m supportive of that need and providing that revenue.
But I don’t know JavaScript to take advantage of IFTTT ’s new conditional logic. Would the developer please respond to this post about whether their new Pro version has a built-in automated help menu for users like me who want to use the new features of this app but who aren’t familiar with JavaScript.
I’m willing to pay, but after doing so will IFTTT be useless to me if no “guided help” is available for its new conditional logic?

by JATOCA

Funny how the reviews used to be consistently 5-star ratings until (god forbid) the programmers and all the people who work to make this work want to be PAID for their time and OUR convenience. Everyone wants FREE but those same people certainly aren’t giving up their time and efforts for free. The few who actually do have a job on these reviews lately CERTAINLY wouldn’t expect to do their jobs for free, why would you expect all these apps for free? There are givers and takers, you all that want everything for nothing are obviously the latter.
Great APP, keep it up, fees are minimal for the convenience this brings.
THANK YOU for all your hard work!

by Mifl343

I just love IFTTT. I have used prebuilt applets and developed my own. And they all work great. What I really appreciate is how many different ways this app can be used to make my life easier. And, I’ve got to tell you that having the lights blink when the ISS passes overhead never fails to impress my guests 😉. I am currently using, at least, a dozen applets and have used, at least, 2 dozen others. It just never gets old trying new prebuilt applets and writing new ones. New applets are released by the thousands of applet developers every day and new systems are linking to the this app environment constantly. I now link to my lights, doorbell, Google Home, thermostat and TV. This has become a more complete link to my stuff than Apple HomeKit. OH, AND IT IS FREE.

by App Reviewer 43

I’ve successfully used IFTT to set my Nest thermostat to run the fan for 15 minutes with one touch on a single widget button. This is very desirable to remain asleep instead of fumbling with the tiny controls on the Nest app itself, or having it tilt from portrait to landscape mode on you. Setting a fan to run for 15 minutes on the Nest app is a multi-step process that wakes me up when I need to sleep. I would love to see a widget button presentation that maximizes the description font size and offers color background differences to better distinguish one widget command from another. I solved this by minimizing my widget buttons and programs to the three that work well. Keep up the good work!

by Grant_ags

Others have already called out the frustration of this new update, but it absolutely needs to be repeated…

- Nice looking UI, but now the information and function all feels even more obscured. Applet on/off toggle now has no color distinction and is smaller, so you have to really look carefully to see which ones are on or not. It’s a small detail, but why make something harder?

- You now have to drill down multiple clicks/screens to get at anything. Transitions are laggy. And even simple tasks feel slow and super labored.

- Now there’s no way to manually run an applet/recipe. Long pull down acts like some sort of “refresh” that would force an applet to run, but it doesn’t, or things are sooo very broken right now that it’s impossible to tell what it does.

- Applets only say what day and how many times they have run, but no longer say when (like “just now” or “3 minutes ago”).

When you combine the issues, especially from the last two points, it can really make it feel like this in now a prototype (like a concept car with good intent but no motor or drivetrain).

—

this app has been a simple utility that was genuinely useful. Hopefully they’ll take note of all the one star reviews since the update and get the kinks worked out soon.

by TonyLewis

I have been with this app since day one like 8 years. I don’t know what you guys did or what is going on but I jumped into the website tonight and l couldnt figure out how to find a service and see everything it can do like I have for years. The website was so annoying and huge on my desktop felt like I was stuck in a mobile app on a 30 inch screen. Thought okay new interface I’ll come back later try to figure it out. I switch to the mobile app again completely stupefied. Everything is so different I can’t even figure out where the start from scratch or see what apps hooks are. It’s like IFTTT is dumbed down so far it’s unusable. All I can use is other people recipes it looks like. So upset IFTTT is ruined. Over to Zapier And integromat where they still respect the power user.

by Doesntmatter2me

After creating and using an applet or service that passes through any one of thousands of Amazin(sic) Server Farms (your day to day activities and search, browsing... “Your Life “ databank). If you just turn an applet or service off and it was accessed via “the farm,” it will continue to send the command as if the applet or service was not disabled: the events are still in the database as active unless the this app app is disassociated from the background service by removing the service/applet, logging out of this app, removing it then restarting your IOS device. If you reinstall IFTTT , sometimes they clear, sometimes not...depends on the farm’s archiving method of overwrite or restore. Reminder activities are the worst; why, because they are always archive and restore. The only way to delete them is to completely delete the reminder from however many calendars, emails, lists... then remove the service or applet association to every account, this app... a real nuisance

by KatWalk65

Much like workclow, there is a plethora of actions to choose from. The only thing is why certain actually helpful integrations seem impossible to find or create, yet you can double up on emails and note-taking apps storing even more bot clutter. I use Evernote, weather and research type skills the most. The incessant notifications and way IFTTT over-notifies and lack of super powerful integrations to improve productivity not create more meaningless chaotic data. If noted, send to yourself four times is the problem with this kind of service. Control your lights by actually touching them is fine by me. 75 notifications from one app shows a disregard for my time which is why I tried it in the first place. Stop the notifications !

by Tuckerharvey556

Easy to use. Wide availability of services and applets for a range of smart home features. The ability to connect the various IoT services in one location is extremely helpful and has opened new opportunities with these devices.

With that being said, disappointed in the lack of features for iOS considering the amount of iOS users. Also disappointed in the lack of Google assistant features. Hope that there are more releases for Google Home!

These are small things and are outweighed by the many great things currently offered by this app. I was actually surprised by all the services offered. Over all, HIGH RECOMMENDED TO EVERYONE WITH IoT devices AND THOSE WITHOUT

by Sauceydigital

after using this app for almost it's entirety of its existence on iOS, I'm finally writing a review as I'm now recommending to clients in this over saturated world of "there's an app for that". this app has run in the background and saved myself (and my no technically advanced family and friends) countless hours, dollars, headaches and has even made me a healthier more organized individual with only minutes of setup. I haven't lost a photo in almost a decade thanks to this app and though IFTTT has had some quirks with Google and Craigslist this past year it still trumps most apps it's age and is honestly an enormous reason to why I am as successful of a young, independent entrepreneur that I am today.

by Nate The Great’s Hit Parade

Preface: I love IFTTT. However our relationship is more difficult now that you made IFTTT so convoluted. It used to be so simple. “Here are all your applets and here’s how to make a new one”. Now I’m shown some inexplicable services screen where to find my applet I have to remember at guess at which services it used and to manage any applet takes at least 3 taps if not 4 or 5. The “Get More” bar that comes up gets stuck every time and I have to kill IFTTT to bring back my personal page, which is still just as vague and non-descript as it was before. Bring back the old design!

by Keithbornmann

Not very many apps are as useful or relevant than this one. I use it to turn my HVAC, water heater, dryer and ice machine off when the price of electricity goes above 10¢ per kwh. I use it with Griddy, Honeywell Redlink and WEMO. I installed a WEMO switch that turns an outlet on. I have two transformers plugged e that outlet. The transformers power several normally closed relays. The relays are installed in my breaker panel and the circuits that use a lot of energy run through them. For the HVAC, I use a Honeywell thermostat with redlink.

IFTTT has been dependable so far. Doesn't seem to need my phone to work properly.