Official Announcement: Sunsetting IFTTT
Hello Community,
Many of you have already seen other threads regarding this topic. However, if any of you missed the threads or did not receive the email announcement, you can find tado°'s official statement regarding the end of its integration with IFTTT below.
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At tado°, we are continually striving to refine our services and offerings to better suit the needs of our community. Today, we need to share an important update regarding our integration capabilities.
Upcoming Changes to IFTTT Integration
tado° has made the decision to stop its IFTTT (“If This Then That”) integration in August 2024. This means that all IFTTT applets that use tado° IFTTT actions, as well as other triggers that affect tado° devices, will no longer work following September 15th 2024.
Several factors have led to this decision. The steep decrease in IFTTT users after IFTTT started charging for some of its capabilities, combined with the disproportionate resources required to keep assisting a small number of IFTTT-supported Homes, has led us to cut ties with IFTTT. We are confident that we can give tado° users a better overall experience by shifting our focus away from IFTTT integration toward new features that tado° users have actively requested and are excited about.
Powerful Alternatives
We understand that this change might be inconvenient, and we are here to support you through this transition. To ensure you maintain seamless smart home automation, we recommend exploring powerful alternatives such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and Home Assistant. These platforms offer extensive control and integration capabilities that can enrich your tado° experience. Alexa Routines, for instance, are an effective way to substitute IFTTT’s functionalities in a tado°-Home connected to the Amazon Alexa app. Similar functions also exist for Google Home and Apple HomeKit users.
tado° has witnessed a substantial adoption of the above-mentioned alternatives among its users, many of whom prefer their capabilities over IFTTT’s.
For further assistance or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our customer support team via live chat.
Thank you for your understanding and for being a valued member of the tado° family.
Comments
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Is anyone else really really disappointed (or even angry) with their decision, just announced, to remove IFTTT integration from Tado?
Personally, we are using IFTTT in multiple ways which are foundational for our home automation and I'm not sure how else these integrations can be achieved, specifically:
- using the Home/Away status from Tado (which works really well) to assist with our lighting automation by setting a virtual switch in our lighting system to indicate the home/away status from the use of the app which can then determine whether specific lighting automation for house occupancy is run;
- automatically making changes to heating around holidays (especially in winter) where we need the heating to start up based on a calendar entry a day before we arrive, giving the home time to heat up from being in "frost protection" mode
I'm really unhappy with this change and frankly don't understand why it is necessary. Having home automation systems that talk to the widest possible set of other services is what home automation needs to be about — and not restricting the infrastructure in such a way as to make it almost stand-alone.
At the very least, Tado need to enhance their services so that calendar actions can be easily added (something like a "holiday" and "holiday return" mode based on dates) for the house warm-up after being on frost protection whilst away in winter.
How do we try to convince them to continue with a sub-set of features on IFTTT such as allowing at least events from Tado (such as home/away switch) to be surfaced for other home automation systems?
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Similarly, the integration with Home Assistant is excellent. A bit of a steep learning curve, but worth investigating
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@AndrewM can I ask where you've seen that reported? I can't find a statement anywhere.
I, too, would be disappointed if it is to be removed. Similar to you, I have a number of lights that run on a schedule to turn on automatically half an hour before sunset. I use IFTTT to get the geofencing status from tado to determine if the house is occupied. If it's not then IFTTT disables the lighting schedule, so they don't needlessly switch on. When anyone returns home, it reactivates the lighting schedule.
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I haven't seen the discontinuation notice myself yet - but if I had to wager a guess as to why: IFTTT has been quite bad when it comes to keeping promises and decent pricing. Thinking back, they offered a "name your own price and you'll pay that price forever" and then started going back on that promise pushing people into way more expensive subscriptions, conveniently forgetting about the "forever"…
I wouldn't be surprised, if they pulled a similar stunt on their developer partners (such as tado) by increasing the price it costs to provide a service on their platform. At least I do remember some other, 3rd party services, quoting crazy price hikes for their dismissal of the IFTTT platform.
Another theory might be, that they are just dropping IFTTT since it's not compatible with Line X - at least when I connect my home, IFTTT does not offer any heating zones/functionality…
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It never worked properly on my end and the lags were just horrendous. The new pricing policy made it not worth it.
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I only just got the email about removing the IFTTT integration (I'm in the UK). I'm really disappointed. My current integration with IFTTT (still able to use it on the free plan) is to monitor the temperature in one of the rooms, and if it dips below a certain level, enable heating all around the house, until a target temperature is reached in the primary room. This minimised the heating time, as it comes on once every 2-3 hours to heat up the whole home, rather than being turned on every 20 minutes as different rooms reach the minimum temperature. I'm not even sure if it has any impact on the amount of gas used, but as our hot water pipes are quite loud, this reduces the amount of noise generated, especially at night, to a minimum.
Tado out of the box can't do that. Google Home integration can't use Tado devices as a trigger. I do not want to invest in Alexa or Apple HomeKit. I guess I need to check if Home Assistant can do what I need it to, but that is still an additional overhead, while IFTTT was free, and quite simple to set up with a rule like above.
Disappointed.
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Also just received the email and also disappointed.
I quickly added the Tado Alexa skill and it appears that, as per Google Home, Tado does not expose any triggers to Alexa routines. Unless someone can tell me otherwise..
Like others, IFTTT is also integral to my entire smart home, and, as one by one, third party vendors drop support, IFTTT itself will become less and less worthwhile.
Since beginning my smart home development it was quick and easy to use IFTTT, but I have gradually introduced my own hooks to various platforms using their own native API. Where is the Tado API again ? Last time I looked it was not 'official' and there was limited documentation.
I get it - breaking links with third party companies is understandably in some circumstances, but when all that is offered are other third party alternatives, how long before those are dropped ? Also, give a bit more notice! This is the first I have heard of it in the email this morning, and it gives 2 months before it's all cut off and stops working. This is fine for some, but for those with actual real-world jobs to do it now puts them on the backfoot to spend time and effort finding or developing an alternative.
Or just expose a proper API for anyone to sort themselves out and have done with it.
Disappointed in UK.
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I use Apple Home and Siri with Tado and IFTTT. Without IFTTT, how do I ask Siri to set heating to Automatic? Also, how can I ask Siri to turn on or off the Hot Water?
This is basic Siri functionality that can't be done without IFTTT. If tado are removing their support for IFTTT then at the very least they should expand their Siri Shortcuts offering to replace this voice command functionality.
This is a significant step backwards and I would ask that tado reconsider the IFTTT decision. As it stands, I can no longer control my tado heating with Siri voice commands.
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As a HomeKit user it seems that Tado no longer cares…if they are pulling the only easy way to return heating to Automatic then give us a small update to HomeKit so that we can do it natively. Other systems seem capable to do this.
I don't really mind if IFTTT is removed as long as we can get to the same functionality.1 -
Hello @bijomaru78 and @cornclose
As you've correctly stated, tado° has made the decision to stop its IFTTT (“If This Then That”) integration. This means that all IFTTT applets that use tado° IFTTT actions, as well as other triggers that affect tado° devices, will no longer work.Several factors have led to this decision. The steep decrease in IFTTT users after IFTTT started charging for some of its capabilities, combined with the disproportionate resources required to keep assisting a small number of IFTTT-supported Homes, has led us to cut ties with IFTTT. We are confident that we can give tado° users a better overall experience by shifting our focus away from IFTTT integration toward new features that tado° users have actively requested and are excited about.
We understand that this change might be inconvenient, and we are here to support you through this transition. To ensure you maintain seamless smart home automation, we recommend exploring powerful alternatives such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and Home Assistant. These platforms offer extensive control and integration capabilities that can enrich your tado° experience. Alexa Routines, for instance, are an effective way to substitute IFTTT’s functionalities in a tado°-Home connected to the Amazon Alexa app. Similar functions also exist for Google Home and Apple HomeKit users.tado° has witnessed a substantial adoption of the above-mentioned alternatives among its users, many of whom prefer their capabilities over IFTTT’s.
For further assistance or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our customer support team via live chat.
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Really disappointed as well! 😡
One of the main reasons to choose Tado over others is that it offered at least one way to control it via an external, cloud-based system.
I run a home automation service myself with an IFTTT backend integration, and therefore I know that is not difficult to maintain an integration once it's implemented. Nor am I aware of any commercial or technical change introduced by IFTTT.
My guess it this is triggered by Tado X launch and a bit of spring cleaning. IFTTT is probably less popular these days and alternatives (Google Home, HomeKit) have emerged.
My request to Tado to make up for this loss: Offer an API or some simple webhooks to your users! Such things were common in the early days of Smart Home, but sadly open APIs have mostly disappeared.
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We understand that this change might be inconvenient, and we are here to support you through this transition. To ensure you maintain seamless smart home automation, we recommend exploring powerful alternatives such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and Home Assistant. These platforms offer extensive control and integration capabilities that can enrich your tado° experience. Alexa Routines, for instance, are an effective way to substitute IFTTT’s functionalities in a tado°-Home connected to the Amazon Alexa app. Similar functions also exist for Google Home and Apple HomeKit users.
Sorry, @Emcee but didn't they say that using Alexa oder Google Home is not an option since those platforms are missing the required triggers to make this work?
Perhaps that's something you could bring up with your team, since this could be implemented server-side without the need to actually change the devices firmware…
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"we recommend exploring powerful alternatives such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and Home Assistant. These platforms offer extensive control and integration capabilities that can enrich your tado° experience."
That's not the answer. The first 3 require investment into physical devices if people do not own these yet. I own Google Home, but that does not support Tado Triggers, so I can't use Tado itself to run automation. I can't comment on Alexa or Apple HomeKit, but I will not be investing in those just to find out.
In short, the solutions you 'provide' are not real replacements for IFTTT triggers.
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I agree…the other platforms do NOT expose the same triggers….but could do!….and that's my point…no effort from Tado….just turn the bugger off and annoy a few customers who use it.
To be honest I am super glad they announced it now….was about to blow a load of cash on additional wireless thermostats where I have multiple rad stats in a room to control things better….this just stopped me in my tracks.
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@DarrenMc - I too was about to add to my Tado system, as I am about to move to a larger house that requires more kit. Also now looking elsewhere unless Tado decide to do things properly or reverse their decision.
And @Emcee, stating what is already known in the email sent to us does not answer any of the questions or address any of the concerns. Using the other services does not provide the functionality that IFTTT currently does. Therefore I ask the question, why not ? Will it ? If so, when will it ?
And finally again, what about a proper, supported API or is that never going to happen ?
Very disappointing.
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@Emcee please can you clarify.
I currently have to use IFTTT today setup currently so that I can use Siri to turn on & off the hot water for the house (if I need an extra hot water boost).
Tado are saying an alternative is to use HomeKit. Great! I would love to! But as far as I’m aware the Hot Water function isn’t currently exposed to HomeKit via the Tado Bridge, please correct me if I am wrong? As it is only possible to set heating controls, not hot water separately.
Are Tado aware of this & working to ensure Hot Water is an available function / action in HomeKit before IFTTT switch off?!
If not, before September will Tado app on iOS open up shortcuts within the app as a functionality - so that Siri can at least still turn on & off the hot water - without having to use IFTTT?
Thank you!1 -
This is really not acceptable. I use Tado geofencing as a trigger to arm and disarm my Blink camera system so that when the last family member leaves or the first family member arrives, the cameras are turned on or off. This cannot be achieved using Amazon Alexa as Alex does not have the correct trigger for Tado. How can I achieve the same functionality?
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So Tado have announced they'll stop support for IFTTT from September 2024.
I've used Tado since 2013, first to control an ancient analog gas boiler and now to control a modern electric heating system, and it has worked very well with IFTTT. They seem to ignore the fact that some of us are using Tado to control electric heating.
They have listed the integrations that they will support e.g. Google and Alexa, none of which are suitable for my needs. I think the alternative for me, rather than change my switching devices, is to remove Tado and install a stat from a different supplier that does support IFTTT.
I'm very disappointed by this backward step by Tado.
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Yes I'm very disappointed. As I mentioned in my other post before seeing yours, I've used Tado since 2013, first to control an ancient analog gas boiler and more recently a modern electric heating system. It has been very efficient and cost effective with IFTTT (I have an IFTTT Pro+ paid account).
The alternative for me is not to remove my switching devices but to remove Tado and replace with a stat that does support IFTTT.
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Aqara do a fine thermostat which automatically link to the window/temp sensors…has IFTTT, HomeKit, Alexa…etc. However, they do NOT have the functionality which TADO does for controlling..pre-heat etc etc. So we just need for Tado to expose the functionality correctly to the other smart platforms and problem is solved.
I have a pro account solely for the purpose of Tado control. I bet I won’t get a goodwill refund from Tado.
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Very disappointed about this. I use IFTTT with lights and it is a huge let down 👎2
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Hello everyone,
Thank you for your feedback.
Our development team is going to be investigating this thread to see what IF statements were being used by tado° customers. For the moment being, tado° does not support temperature / humidity triggers on Apple, Google products. On Alexa, however, there exists quite a range of actions. These do not require hardware or subscriptions—having the Alex app alone is enough.
Most prominently, it should be possible to replicate window sensor actions (e.g. return to to heating schedule when window is closed) with Alexa routines as long as your window sensors are also connected to Alexa.
Additionally, Alexa can also support:
- set power on/off
- set temperature per room
- via smart home, boost room on/off and cancel manual control
With regards to domestic hot water, I have been told that controls similar to IFTT are possible with Google and Alexa. This is not the case for Apple (Siri), unfortunately.-2 -
@Emcee None of the above solves my issue. I use Tado geolation as a trigger in IFTTT - this is not available as an action in Alexa so my smart home functionality will no longer funtion. Why can there not be 'when switch to Home' of 'when switch to Away' be available in Alexa?
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Yes, I use IFTTT all the time. I am a paid-for IFTTT user. I purchased the Tado equipment in 2017.
It integrates my Heating (Tado), Security System (Blink), Lights/Device (Insteon) and Air Fresher (Moodo) all together.As I leave the house, and Tado sets the Status to 'Away', the Security system is Armed.
On return, Tado setting the status back to 'Home' firstly disarms the Security system, then if dark, switches lights and sets the Air Fresher to run for 5 minutes. This is normally as I approach in the car on foot.
I don't have Alexa-based equipment nor any permanently-on Google Home devices and Apple Homelink isn't good enough.
So please continue the IFTTT support, in particular the Geolocation triggering.
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Thanks @Emcee for responding. To clarify with regards to domestic hot water in HomeKit/Siri. To confirm is this just not possible today (ie. Tado yet to open up hot water function to HomeKit) or is this a limitation of HomeKit?
As mentioned, if this is the case Siri Shortcuts should be an alternative option. But again, requires Tado to actively support this within their app & open up Hot Water as a shortcut.
Hopefully this can be resolved alongside other limitations in this thread before removal of IFTTT. Thank you
If required the setup I had for this with IFTTT was: If ‘button press -> Then start preparing hot water. Siri Shortcuts app was setup to activate IFTTT applet to boost hot water for a pre configured amount of time.1 -
Thanks Emcee. I use 'Temperature rises above threshold', 'Temperature falls below threshold' triggers and geofencing to control electric heating. I'm not interested in Alexa. The solution would be to swap out Tado which would be a pity as it has been a very reliable, and sensitive, stat.
It seems a backward step if Tado are ignoring control of electric heating systems. You'd have thought they might have progressed to their own automation systems by now.
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I am using IFTTT for triggering the heating based on humidity - is there a possibility to do this without IFTTT?1
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Can anyone confirm if there is a ‘simple’ way to achieve the same ‘return to automatic control’ without using IFTTT? I use this for all my windows to return the room to auto when the window is closed (with Aqara contact sensors in Apple HomeKit). Tado window detection is no replacement for this, so I need a way to this if IFTTT will no longer be an option.1
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Return to automatic control can be achieved with an Alexa routine. There it is a custom scene to turn off Manual Control that can be added as an action once something has happened (e.g. window sensor turns to closed)
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Will Tado add integration for Smartthings? This is the only thing holding us back from spending on Tado products.
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