Managing your social media accounts is becoming increasingly time-consuming. Even basic tasks – such as staying on top of your notifications and accepting friend requests – are akin to a full-time job.

If you're a social media power user, you have no chance. More complex actions such as adding Instagram photos to Pinterest or uploading them to 500px is a never-ending battle.

It's time to let IFTTT take some of the strain. The famous web automation app offers hundreds of applets that'll save you time, energy, and frustration.

So, which ones should you be using? Which IFTTT applets are essential for all Instagram users? Keep reading to find our top 12 picks.

1. Tweet your Instagrams as Native Photos on Twitter

If you're running social media accounts for a company or your brand, it's sometimes a good idea to post the same content on multiple networks.

This applet will automatically add any new Instagram photos to your Twitter feed. Best of all, it will make them appear like native images rather than posting a link.

2. Save your new Instagram photos to Google Photos

Many artists and digital creatives use Instagram as a way to showcase their work.

By using this applet, such people can be sure they have a backup of their work in case Instagram ever goes offline.

3. Selectively Post Your Instagrams to a Facebook Page When You Include a Specific Hashtag

Of course, you might not want every Instagram photo to appear on every single one of your social media accounts. The solution is to use an applet that can read hashtags.

For example, if you use this recipe, you could set it up so that only posted tagged #share get cross-posted onto your Facebook page.

4. Promote Your Business by Sharing Instagram Photos With Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, & Facebook Pages

Do you use Instagram for business purposes? This could be the applet you need.

Instead of using web apps like Hootsuite and Buffer, this applet will let you share your photos on Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Facebook instantaneously.

5. Save My Uploaded Instagram Videos to a QNAP Device

Although Instagram is a great way to document your travels and keep your far-flung family and friends abreast of what you're up to, it's still not as ubiquitous as Facebook. Lots of people don't have an Instagram account.

If you have a QNAP device on your home network, why not turn on this applet? Every time you add a picture to Instagram, IFTTT will download it on your NAS.

If you've set up Plex accounts for your family, they'll all be able to see your photos. No one will miss out.

6. Make Sure the Grandparents See All the New Pics of Your Kid

This applet follows on from the previously-discussed QNAP applet. It provides another way to ensure nobody misses on your content, even if they don't use Instagram.

If you enable the applet, you can instantly send images with a pre-defined hashtag to up to 20 email addresses. To make it work, you will need a Gmail account.

7. Change Colors of Lights to Match a New Instagram Post

I've previously argued that Philips Hue lights are overpriced and pointless. And this IFTTT applet is one of the most pointless uses for smart lights that we've seen so far.

As the name suggests, the lights will automatically change color to reflect the dominant tones in your latest post.

Okay, we take it back – it's actually a really cool applet.

8. Bitmark Your Instagram Photos

Elsewhere on the site, we've shown you how to download Instagram photos. Of course, if you download someone else's content, you need to properly credit the original creator if you share the post in a public setting.

Sadly, many people don't.

If people are constantly stealing your work, try this applet. It lets you record property rights for your digital assets onto a blockchain.

9. Post Your Instagram Photos to Tumblr

While some Tumblr blogs are just regular text blogs, most blogs you'll find here are rich with photos and pictures. And what better way to expose your Instagram art to a new audience?

Using this recipe, you can automatically upload your new Instagram photos to Tumblr.

You can choose whether you want to publish the photos immediately, add them to your publishing queue, or just save them as a draft to publish manually when you feel like it.

10. When I Tag My Dog in an Instagram Photo, Post That Photo on My Dog's Whistle Timeline

There are far too many cat pictures and nowhere near enough dog photos in this world.

If you prefer canine to feline, you'll find this recipe to be fun. Every time you tag your dog on Instagram, the photo will be sent to Fido's Whistle timeline.

(Note: Whistle is an activity monitor and GPS tracker for dogs)

11. Display Your Instagram Photos on Your Aura Frame

Aura makes a series of digital photo frames. This recipe will send any images from your Instagram account directly to your frame's display.

Just make sure the content on your Instagram feed is "clean." If it's not, visitors could have quite the shock.

12. SMS Confirmation

Do you frequently use Instagram in places where the mobile data network is weak? Perhaps you love uploading pictures from the tops of mountains or deep in forests.

If so, getting an SMS confirmation when your content has successfully reached the Instagram servers might be beneficial. It'll stop you from fretting about whether the world can see your accomplishments.

Which IFTTT Applets Do You Use With Instagram?

We've introduced you to 12 of the best IFTTT applets for Instagram, but there are thousands more on the IFTTT site. Some are developed by Instagram and other well-known tech companies; others are made by hobbyists.

Now it's your turn to add to this list. Which are the best Instagram applets that we didn't include?

As always, you can leave your tips and suggestions in the comments section below.