Amazon Echo / Alexa integration

Hi, I’am a OmniFocus user from the beginning. As early adaptor I actually checking Amazons Echo aka Alexa. It’s still fascinating and I would like to ask for a OmniFocus implementation. Probably via Omni Cloud?

Need german localization.

Take a look at the API

THX

Knut

(…No, I am not from Amazon)
https://developer.amazon.com/alexa

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Since OmniFocus can already capture from Reminders on iOS, and Alexa can add Reminders via IFTTT, you can already get items from your Echo into OmniFocus. That said, we have a feature request open for a native implementation and I’ll add your note to it.

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Cool news Dave, THX.

The problem within IFTTT is the restriction to America. Here in Europe (Germany) you can’t use IFTTT.

If you ongoing a native implementation I can help in translation work to German.

Greets

Knut

Restriction? I use it all the time and I am in Belgium.

I have been trying out various recipes/zaps, but is there one that works in reverse?

I’ve been playing around with another app that is integrated with Echo and when I grab my coffee in the morning I ask Alexa “what’s on my to do list for today” and it reads the list I’ve gathered in that app, not just the list I’ve given the Echo. When I check items off in that app they get removed from Alexa. So this type of functionality from Omni would be great (also a long time desktop user and have it on all my iOS devices, too).

Could you please add my comments to the feature request?

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Can you explain that a little more? I am using IFTTT for at least three years now (Netherlands), never heard of such a restriction before.
Are you referring to specific services?

It was the “IFTTT in Alexa” support that was USA only. It’s certainly available as of a month or so ago in the UK. Possibly Germany also.

My route to Omnifocus from Alexa is having IFTTT email to my Omnifocus account.

Sure! Thanks for the extra details.

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No it doesn’t work due to (probably) language restrictions.
Do you use english?

Yes English.

Ok got it now. Amazon granted IFTTT in germany.

If i create a todo it will routed to omnifocus but it resides in the alexa todo-list too.
What’s wrong in my config?

Can anybody give me a correct implementation guide or a tip?

I ran into a lot of problems with the Alexa > IFTTT > Reminders > Omnifocus set up so I reset everything up to use Alexa > IFTTT > mail drop and have seen a lot fewer issues. Figured it was worth mentioning if people were having issues with the first suggestion.

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I haven’t been able to get ifttt Alexa to Reminders to work. I’ll try Alexa to mail drop.

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It’s still sleeping here - probably i have to change to todoist.
Worse :(

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But it’s only a half solution. Entries won’t deleted in Alexas List.

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I know I agree, and not really fond of a one way solution, I ended up just creating a todoist account for my wife so now she has two apps OmniFocus and todoist. Two way sync would be great!

Same thing. Considering todoist for my shopping list, but what I would really like it’s to keep everything in one place, that place being omnifocus. Surely there’s a way to make this happen?
I’m not entirely sure since I haven’t played with the Amazon API myself, but as long as there’s some sort of metadata we can track we can definitely link the two together, and Omnifocus would have a complete/incomplete trigger that’d just hit the API endpoint?
The likehood of seeing this happen… I don’t know. Let’s hope the Omnifocus team gives this enough priority as a certainly an advantage to another apps.

EDIT: gave it a bit more thought (not much more, but some ;)). Can Omnifocus at the very least add an arbitrary ‘metadata’ (not exposed to UI) field that can we can put anything it, this plus applescript hooks (create/complete/incomplete/delete) would probably make this possible in userland (i.e someone taking the work of making the right calls to amazon).

Of course this would be limited to not having amazon actions reflect but I’d be happy if completed in omnifocus means completed in alexa. #thedream.

Obviously I’d prefer a native solution at the OmniSync level, with bi-directional sync, and custom perspective (like today widget) items being the response to “Alexa, what’s in my todo list?” #therealdream.

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Just want to add my vote for this feature too!

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Any further development on having two way sync?