BMW iDrive gets IFTTT – both Triggers and Actions

BMW has added IFTTT support to iDrive, which will now allow owners to chain various triggers to actions together through the free IFTTT service. If you already use IFTTT in your daily lives, you’ll probably realise the incredible amount of potential this has.

IFTTT (If This, Then That) allows you to create “Recipes” which combine various “Triggers” with associated “Actions”. IFTTT waits for “Triggers” to happen and performs the appropriate “Action”. Your BMW will be able to provide both Triggers and Actions to IFTTT.

Imagine the possibilities – using your BMW as a Trigger for example, the outside lighting of your home as well as your living room’s air conditioning can be configured switched on automatically when their BMW approaches it, assuming your lights and air conditioning is hooked up to a smart home system that supports IFTTT.

Another possibility is for you to set your BMW exceeding a certain speed limit as a Trigger, and get IFTTT to send you an SMS or email as an action, so you’ll know immediately if your child is speeding in your BMW. If you want to add some drama to your life, perhaps get IFTTT to change your Phillips Hue living room lights to red as a warning whenever it happens.

Your BMW can also perform Actions for IFTTT – for example, your car’s iDrive can display a notification whenever your Samsung SmartThings motion sensor detects movement.

Check out the full list of suggested “Recipes” here. Unfortunately it’s not supported in Malaysia at the moment – you’ll have to be in Australia, France, Germany, Spain, UK or the US to use IFTTT with BMW iDrive.

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