Key points
- Google's Connected Apps Platform is in beta for U.S. developers who join a waitlist; Google gave no date for wider availability.
- Developers connect through a cloud-hosted MCP server or Android MCP with AppFunctions APIs, then register and submit apps in the Google Connected Console.
- Over 50 connected apps already run in Gemini, including Adobe, Experian and Peloton, and are due in Search over the next few weeks.
- Developers pick Search, the Gemini app or both, and can track traffic, latency and error rates once an app is live.
Why it matters for marketers: Brands can now apply to put their services inside Gemini and Search, so teams need to decide whether an agent-accessible app belongs in their discovery strategy.
Google has opened its Connected Apps Platform to developers in a U.S. beta. The platform lets businesses build apps that users can link inside Gemini and Google Search, then use to take actions such as designing a flyer in Canva or building a playlist in YouTube Music. Access is through a waitlist, and Google has not said when it will expand beyond the U.S.
To take part, developers integrate through a cloud-hosted Model Context Protocol server, or Android MCP using the AppFunctions APIs. They then register, test and submit the app in the Google Connected Console. They choose whether the app appears in Search, the Gemini app or both. Once live, they can monitor traffic, latency and error rates and keep control of brand elements such as verified logos and authenticated accounts.
For marketers, this is a new surface where a brand's service, not just its web page, can be found and used. TechCrunch compared it to the early days of SEO, as a possible first step toward visibility on the agentic web. The idea depends on breadth: users will only shift habits if enough useful apps are available. More than 50 are already in Gemini, and Calm is a new partner that plans to launch on both Gemini and Search.
Teams should watch how the beta handles approvals and what performance data Google exposes. Product, brand and web teams may need to coordinate on who owns the integration, since it touches identity, analytics and customer experience. Wider availability remains unannounced, so early planning is likely more useful than rushing a submission.
Sources
This brief is our own summary. Read the full reporting at the source.
