Google opens Gemini and Search to third-party connected apps

Google is opening a new route for apps to appear inside its AI experiences, launching a Connected Apps Platform for Gemini and Google Search. The move matters because it gives businesses a way to make their services available where users may increasingly ask AI agents to complete tasks instead of opening separate apps.

The platform is starting as a preview for U.S. developers, according to Google, with access through a waitlist. Google has not said when it will be available more broadly.

What Google is opening up

Connected apps are integrations that let users link third-party services to Google’s AI products and then take actions through them. Google introduced the concept in Gemini and Search earlier this year, according to TechCrunch, with examples such as using Canva to create a flyer or YouTube Music to make a playlist.

The new Connected Apps Platform is meant to let more companies build, submit and manage those integrations for use across Google products. Developers can decide whether their app should be available in Search, in the Google Gemini app, or in both.

Google says developers can connect through a cloud-hosted MCP server, short for Model Context Protocol, or Android MCP using AppFunctions APIs. From there, they use the Google Connected Console to register, test and submit the app.

That workflow is important because it turns Gemini and Search into more than answer surfaces. For app makers, they can also become places where users connect accounts, call up services and complete specific tasks.

Why this could become a discovery channel

For creators, marketers, freelancers and small businesses, the practical question is not only whether an app can plug into Gemini. It is whether users will discover that app at the moment they are trying to get something done.

TechCrunch frames the shift as an early parallel to search engine optimization: companies once optimized pages to appear in search results, and now they may need to think about visibility inside AI-driven experiences. That comparison should be treated carefully; Google has not described this as a replacement for SEO, and the source does not detail any ranking system for connected apps.

Still, the direction is clear enough to watch. If a customer asks Search or Gemini to plan, book, design, organize or buy, a connected app could become one of the tools available inside that flow. That makes app connectivity a product and marketing concern, not just a developer task.

This also fits a wider pattern around AI agents. Websites and services are already adjusting to AI systems that try to shop, book or act on a user’s behalf, a tension we covered in our report on websites pushing back on AI agents. Google has also been building more agent infrastructure around Gemini, including Agent Compute Engine.

What developers can manage

Once an app is live, Google says developers will be able to monitor traffic, latency and error rates. They can also maintain control over brand elements, including verified logos and authenticated accounts.

For smaller software teams, those controls matter. If an AI surface sends users into an app action, slow responses or account failures could create a poor first impression. The ability to see latency and errors gives teams at least some operational feedback after launch.

The source describes a few concrete decisions developers will need to make:

• Whether to support Search, Gemini, or both.
• Whether to integrate through a cloud-hosted MCP server or Android MCP with AppFunctions APIs.
• How to test and submit the app through Google Connected Console.
• How to monitor performance once the integration is active.

That means businesses considering the platform should look beyond the marketing upside. They will need reliable account linking, clear user permissions and infrastructure that can handle requests coming from Google’s AI products.

Current app coverage and what to watch

Google already has more than 50 Connected Apps in Gemini, according to the company. TechCrunch lists partners including Adobe, Experian, Localiza and Peloton, alongside Google services such as Photos, YouTube Music and Google Home.

Those Gemini connected apps are slated to come to Google Search over the next few weeks. Search currently has fewer integrations, with examples including Instacart, Canva, YouTube Music and Yahoo Fantasy Football. Google also said Calm is a new partner, with its app expected to launch on both Gemini and Search.

The immediate limitation is access. The Connected Apps Platform is in public preview for U.S. developers who join the waitlist, and Google has not provided a wider rollout timeline.

For Emonarc readers, the takeaway is to watch this as a new distribution surface rather than a finished channel. If your business depends on an app, marketplace, booking flow or content tool, connected AI experiences may become another place users expect to find you. But until Google shares more about availability and how apps are surfaced to users, the best move is preparation: understand the integration path, audit your login flow and decide which actions would actually make sense inside Search or Gemini.