Google opened a US developer preview of its Connected Apps Platform on 28 October, with more than 50 connected apps already available in Gemini, TechCrunch reported. The launch lets businesses submit services for use inside the Gemini app, Google Search or both. Connected apps, introduced in those products earlier in 2026, allow users to link third-party services and ask Google’s AI interfaces to carry out tasks with them.
Key points
- US developers can join a waitlist for the Connected Apps Platform preview.
- Apps can connect through a cloud-hosted Model Context Protocol server or Android AppFunctions APIs.
- Google’s console lets developers submit apps and monitor traffic, latency and error rates.
- Calm is a new partner whose app is planned for both Gemini and Search.
Connected Apps Platform opens through a US waitlist
The preview gives developers a way to build and submit their own connected apps rather than relying on Google’s existing partner integrations. US developers can sign up for a public beta waitlist. Google said it would admit developers in phases and later extend the preview to more developers and regions, Android Authority reported.
Developers can connect a service through a cloud-hosted Model Context Protocol server, which provides an interface for AI systems to use outside tools. The other route is Android MCP using AppFunctions APIs. They then use Google Connected Console to register, test and submit the app. The choice of integration route is separate from the choice of where to offer the finished service: Search, the Gemini app or both.
Once an app is live, its developer can use the console to follow traffic, latency and error rates. The platform also lets developers manage verified logos and authenticated accounts. Those controls put both submission and performance monitoring in the hands of the service provider, while the interaction with its users takes place inside a Google product.
For users, the existing connections include asking Canva to make a flyer or YouTube Music to assemble a playlist. The new preview extends the route for bringing such actions into Google’s interfaces to developers beyond the companies whose services are already connected. Google has separately rolled out Gemini marketing and finance tools for small businesses, AI Affairs previously reported.
Gemini’s 50-plus apps precede Search expansion
TechCrunch placed the more than 50 existing Connected Apps in Gemini. Droid Life reported more than 50 across Search and Gemini. Adobe, Experian and Peloton are among the services available in Gemini. Localiza is also among the partners named for that product.
Search has a shorter list of connections, including Instacart, Canva, YouTube Music and Yahoo Fantasy Football. Google plans to bring the existing Gemini integrations to Search over the weeks following 28 October, TechCrunch reported. Google also said Calm, a meditation app, would join both products. The Calm launch is a planned addition to the current group, rather than an app already available in either interface.
Opening submissions gives businesses another route to put their services in front of people using Gemini or Search. Developers can choose one interface or both when submitting an app, and can track its use once it is live. The present integrations span activities from making designs and playing music to using fitness services. In Search, the connected-app choices currently include Canva and YouTube Music.
