Google announced the Connected Apps Platform on 28 October 2026, opening a single route for outside developers to build apps that work inside Gemini and Google Search. The Connected Apps Platform is in preview, with access opening in phases over the coming months to developers in the United States who join a waitlist. Google said more than 50 Connected Apps are already live across Gemini and Search.
Connected Apps Platform and how developers build
The Connected Apps Platform offers two technical routes. Developers can connect a cloud-hosted server using the Model Context Protocol, an open standard for linking AI systems to outside services, or they can use Android MCP built on Google’s AppFunctions APIs, which let an Android app expose its functions to Gemini on the device. The choice depends on whether the service runs in the cloud or inside an Android app.
Under the Connected Apps Platform, users link apps themselves rather than receiving them automatically. Google’s documentation describes Google Account Linking for the connection, so the user authorizes the link. Reports on the launch said users add apps in Search through their Search settings. That distinction matters for privacy, because the app gains access only after the user chooses to connect it, and the user can presumably remove that connection later through account settings.
Connected Apps Platform partners at launch
The Connected Apps Platform launches with named partners already in place. Google named Adobe, Experian, Localiza and Peloton as Connected Apps partners, and said those services are due to reach Search in the coming weeks. Calm, the meditation app, is launching on both products. Google said more than 50 Connected Apps are live across the two products in total, including its own services such as Photos and YouTube Music.
Connected Apps Platform: questions the preview leaves open
Developers interested in the Connected Apps Platform can join the waitlist at developers.google.com/connected-apps, according to launch coverage. The next test for the platform will be whether the first wave of submitted apps passes review smoothly, whether users link them in meaningful numbers, and whether the apps perform reliably inside Gemini and Search. Google said the Connected Apps Platform will add more markets and products over time, but it has not set a timetable for that expansion.