Google opened a Connected Apps developer platform for Gemini and Search

A business whose app you use for designing, booking or shopping now has a path into Google's AI products. Google opened a developer preview of its Connected Apps Platform. The announcement was made in a blog post by Chips Mistry and Mai Lowe, two Group Product Managers at Google.

Google says the goal is one way for app developers to bring their work into Gemini and Search. Developers apply through a tool called Google Connected Console. The platform is in preview and open to US developers through a waitlist.

What the platform does

Connected Apps let a user link a third-party service to Google's AI experiences. The user signs in once. From then on, Gemini or Search can act on the service for them. Google gave three worked examples: designing with Canva, booking a trip through Expedia and building playlists on YouTube Music. The user never leaves Google's screen.

Google named Adobe, Experian, Localiza, Peloton and Calm as current partner integrations. According to TechCrunch's reporting, "over 50 Connected Apps" are already available in Gemini. Google says the Gemini apps will come to Search over the coming weeks.

How the integration works

Google says a developer integrates in one of two ways. Option one is a cloud-hosted MCP server. MCP is the Model Context Protocol, a public standard for connecting tools to AI assistants. Option two is an Android MCP built with the AppFunctions APIs. Both routes publish through the Connected Console.

The platform is one submission for both products. Before this, a company that wanted its service in Gemini and in Search had to work two deals with Google. Google calls the new flow a single integration path.

What the gate looks like

Preview access is self-service for US developers through the Console. Google has not published a pricing page, a service-level agreement or a timeline for broader availability. The company also has not said how it decides which submitted apps are accepted. Only the five named partners and the "over 50 Connected Apps" count are public figures.

For a product team, the hook is simple. A user is finishing a task inside Gemini. Say their next step is on your product. The old choice was a button that opens your app. The new choice is an action your Connected App performs in place. The second one keeps the user with Google and gets your service used. The cost is one integration, one submission and whatever Google decides about who the user is in that moment.

Source

• Build and manage Connected Apps in one place, Google
• As AI agents reshape the web, Google opens Gemini and Search to more apps, TechCrunch