Google opens Connected Apps platform for Gemini and Search

In short: Google is opening a new developer platform that lets more businesses connect their apps to Gemini and Google Search.

What happened

Google announced the Connected Apps Platform, a way for developers to add their services to Google’s AI experiences in Gemini and Google Search. “Connected apps” are apps you can link to Google so you can do tasks through Google’s AI, instead of switching between separate apps.

For example, someone could connect Canva to design a flyer, or connect YouTube Music to build a playlist. Google says it already has more than 50 connected apps available in Gemini, including partners like Adobe, Experian, Localiza, and Peloton.

Google also plans to bring these connected apps to Google Search over the next few weeks. Search currently has fewer connections, including Instacart, Canva, YouTube Music, and Yahoo Fantasy Football. Google said Calm is another new partner and will launch on both Gemini and Search.

The platform is in public preview and is currently available in beta to developers in the U.S. who join a waitlist. Developers can choose whether their connected app appears in Search, the Gemini app, or both. Google did not say when it would expand access beyond this preview.

Why it matters

This could change how people find and use services online. Instead of opening a specific app, a person may start in Search or Gemini and let Google’s AI act like a front desk that can hand off tasks to many services (like ordering from different counters in one food hall). For businesses, it creates a new way to reach customers inside Google’s AI tools.

Source: TechCrunch AI