Google Opens Connected Apps Platform to Developers
Original: As AI agents reshape the web, Google opens Gemini and Search to more apps
Why This Matters
Whoever owns the integration layer controls how consumers reach services at scale.
Google launched a beta Connected Apps Platform on Oct. 28, 2026, letting U.S. developers submit third-party apps to appear inside Gemini and Search, with MCP-based integration and a developer console for tracking traffic and errors.
Google's new Connected Apps Platform gives any developer or business a formal path to get their service surfaced inside Gemini or Google Search. Previously, connected apps were available but limited to hand-picked partners — now the gates are opening. Developers integrate via a cloud-hosted MCP (Model Context Protocol) server or Android MCP using AppFunctions APIs, register through the Google Connected Console, then submit for review. Once live, they can choose to appear in Search, Gemini, or both, and monitor traffic, latency, and error rates through the same console.
Google already has over 50 connected apps live in Gemini, including Adobe, Experian, Peloton, and Localiza, alongside its own services like Workspace, Photos, and YouTube Music. Those Gemini apps will roll out to Search over the next few weeks. Search currently has a smaller set — Instacart, Canva, Yahoo Fantasy Football — but that list is expected to grow. Meditation app Calm is one newly announced partner, set to launch on both surfaces soon.
The platform is in public beta via waitlist for U.S. developers. No broader availability timeline was given. Google draws the analogy itself: just as SEO determined which websites ranked in search, connected app integration may determine which services stay visible in the emerging agentic web.