Google Opens Connected Apps Platform to Developers, Linking Third-Party Services to Search and Gemini

Google launched a new developer platform in October 2026 that allows businesses to connect their apps directly to its Search and Gemini AI experiences. The Connected Apps Platform, now in public beta for U.S. developers, lets any business or developer submit their services to appear within Google’s AI-powered products.

To participate, developers integrate with a cloud-hosted MCP (Model Context Protocol) server or Android MCP using the AppFunctions APIs, then use the Google Connected Console to register, test, and submit their app. Once live, developers can choose whether their app appears in Search, the Gemini app, or both, and can monitor traffic, latency, and error rates through the console.

Google already has more than 50 Connected Apps available in Gemini, including integrations from Adobe, Experian, Localiza, and Peloton, alongside its own services such as Google Workspace, Photos, YouTube Music, and Google Home. Search currently features fewer integrations — among them Instacart, Canva, YouTube Music, and Yahoo Fantasy Football — but the existing Gemini apps are set to expand to Search over the coming weeks. Meditation app Calm was named as a new partner, with its integration launching on both platforms soon.

The platform is currently available in beta to U.S. developers who sign up for a waitlist. Google has not announced a broader availability timeline.

The move comes as consumer-facing AI services, including ChatGPT and Meta’s Muse, have introduced similar third-party integration models. The premise behind connected apps is that consumers may increasingly interact with services through an AI provider rather than launching individual apps directly. Google’s platform could allow businesses to establish visibility in that environment, in a way the company compares to how SEO shaped discoverability in traditional search.