In an official blog post on October 28, 2026, Google announced the preview of its Connected Apps Platform, which lets developers bring their own apps into Google Search and the Gemini app. Until now, getting an app into either surface mostly meant negotiating a deal with Google one by one; now developers can submit and manage apps themselves, choose where they appear, and go live once they pass review. Google also said a new set of Connected Apps from partners such as Adobe, Calm and Peloton is rolling out. For users, the change is not one more button on the screen, but a noticeable increase in the apps that can get things done inside a conversation.
The path in has three steps. Developers first connect their capabilities to a cloud-hosted MCP server, or to Android MCP through the AppFunctions APIs; then they register, test and submit the app in Google's new Connected Console, choosing before submission whether it will go live in Search, in the Gemini app, or in both; once live, they can track traffic, latency and error rates from the same console, while keeping control of their brand identity, including verified logos and authenticated accounts. Google says there are already more than 50 Connected Apps across Search and Gemini, covering productivity, event ticketing, health and fitness; integrations with Adobe, Experian, Localiza and Peloton are live in Gemini and will reach Search in the coming weeks, while Calm will launch on both.
What is really worth watching is Google turning an "entry point" from a product feature into platform rules. With one integration, developers can reach users with clear intent in Search and users in conversation in Gemini, without negotiating and integrating separately for each surface. For Google, making MCP the common standard means trading openness for ecosystem scale: the more apps there are, the less reason users have to leave Search and Gemini, and the more complete the service scenarios become beyond advertising and subscriptions.
But the limits of a preview should be kept in view. Google says access will open in phases, expanding to more developers, markets and products over the coming months, and the announcement says nothing about fees, ranking or data-sharing terms. For smaller developers, the more immediate question is a different calculation: when a user books a ticket, orders food or plans a workout inside Google's interface, who owns the brand exposure and the follow-on conversion, and who handles after-sales when something goes wrong. The platform is built; the rules are not yet written. This round of access looks more like grabbing a position than a placement whose return can already be calculated.
