Google Launches Connected Apps Platform Preview for Search and Gemini

Google launched the preview of its Connected Apps Platform, giving developers a single way to ship apps directly into Google Search and the Gemini app. More than 50 Connected Apps already exist between the two surfaces. Adobe, Experian, Localiza and Peloton integrations are live in Gemini now, and Google said they arrive in Search in the coming weeks.

"Today we're launching the preview of our Connected Apps Platform, a unified way for more app developers to bring their capabilities directly into Gemini and Search," Google wrote in its announcement.

What is the Connected Apps Platform?

The platform lets developers build once and reach what Google calls high-intent users across both Search and Gemini. The technical path runs through MCP. Developers integrate with a cloud-hosted MCP server or Android MCP using the AppFunctions APIs. They then use the Google Connected Console to register, test and submit each app.

Google laid out the workflow in its announcement:

• Build against a cloud-hosted MCP server or Android MCP via AppFunctions APIs.
• Register, test and submit the app in the Google Connected Console.
• Choose before review whether the app goes live in Search, the Gemini app, or both.
• After launch, track traffic, latency and error rates.
• Retain control of brand identity, including verified logos and authenticated accounts.

Developers can sign up through Google's signup page, which opened with the announcement.

Will searchers actually see these apps?

Not automatically. Connected Apps are opt-in for users. A searcher must add a given app to their personalized Google Search settings before it appears in their results. That limitation matters for publishers and brands weighing the investment. An app can clear Google's review process and still reach only users who explicitly enable it.

Connected Apps themselves are not new. Google previously discussed them as part of its personal intelligence features within Search and AI Mode. What changed is the developer pipeline: one platform, one console, one submission flow covering both surfaces.

How do the apps behave inside AI Mode?

Google demonstrated the flow when someone uses AI Mode with a connected app installed. The app's capability plugs into the AI Mode session, extending the assistant and Search interface with the developer's functionality rather than sending the user to a website.

What did Google insiders and SEOs say?

Marie Haynes called the launch "something even bigger for Search Marketers." She posted on X: "You can now build apps (using MCP) that can be used directly inside Google Search and Gemini." She tied the move to Google's CEO directly: "Remember when Sundar Pichai said that Search will become an agent manager? This is it! For 25 years, Search was a place where people connected with websites for information. In this new era, it's functionality that matters. Your business will be found on Search if it helps people (and their agents) get things done."

John Mueller of Google struck a more cautious tone on LinkedIn. "I'm super excited about connected apps as a search platform," he wrote. "It's still extremely early, so I'm curious how it all works out, but the mix of standardized interface / MCP + Search opens up a lot of possibilities." He noted he does not work on Connected Apps and called it his personal point of view.

Rajan Patel of Google separately posted on X on October 28 that he "coded up a quick improvement to one of our sports features in Search using Carbon" on a flight from Tampa to San Francisco. He invited sports fans to suggest tweaks to Search's sports features. The post referenced Carbon, not a Connected App, so the connection to the new platform remains unclear.

What should site owners watch next?

The rollout order is the near-term signal. Partner integrations from Adobe, Experian, Localiza and Peloton move from Gemini into Search over the coming weeks, giving the first real view of how a Connected App renders inside results and how many users opt in. Watch adoption rates, the Google Connected Console's analytics on traffic and latency, and whether Google broadens discovery beyond manual user opt-in.