Free users of IFTTT are getting bad news this week, with the web applet service announcing that it will yank their access to all Twitter applets while paring down the already paltry number of other applets they can use.
Starting May 23, only paid IFTTT users will have access to Twitter-related applets, according to a notice on the IFTTT website.
Meanwhile, free IFTTT users will be restricted to just two applets, down from the previous limit of three.
IFTTT’s move to block Twitter applet access to free users comes shortly after the Elon Musk-helmed Twitter began charging for API access, leading many services (such as WordPress) to drop Twitter social sharing functionality.
IFTTT offers two paid tiers: the $2.50-a-month Pro plan, and Pro+ for $5 a month. Subscribers to the Pro tier can use up to 20 applets; Pro+ users can set up an unlimited number.
In its website announcement, IFTTT said that added restrictions for free account users “is designed to help us better support our community and continue to focus on making IFTTT better than ever.”
The notice doesn’t explain the reasoning behind the new restrictions on Twitter applets for free users.
Free IFTTT users can decide in advance which two of their applets will remain active once the new two-applet limit hits on May 23; otherwise, IFTTT will do the picking for you, the website message warns.
Short for “If This, Then That,” IFTTT allows users to create web-based applets that connect a wide variety of services, and IFTTT integrations have long been popular with smart home users.
IFTTT was completely free to use until 2020, when the service first announced its paid “Pro” plan and began limiting free users to just three applets.
Earlier this year, IFTTT rolled out the ability for Pro+ users to create applets with AI functionality, including the ability to crank out AI-generated social blurbs, blog posts, and content summaries.
Last August, IFTTT suffered a blow when Google announced changes to Google Assistant’s IFTTT integration that resulted in the loss of a range of features and required users to manually reconnect their Assistant applets.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he covers smart speakers, soundbars, and other smart and home-theater devices. You can follow Ben on Twitter.