Google Connected Apps: put your app inside Search and Gemini

Google opened a preview of its Connected Apps Platform on October 28, 2026. It gives developers one way to bring their app's services into Google Search and the Gemini app. Two Google group product managers, one from Search and one from Gemini, announced it on Google's official blog, along with new partners including Adobe, Calm and Peloton.

A user types a request in AI Mode or Gemini, and a connected app handles part of the task inside the conversation. The user may then go to the app itself to finish a step such as checkout. Until now, building a connected app meant working closely with Google, as 9to5Google reported.

What is Google's Connected Apps Platform?

Connected Apps is a Google platform that lets any developer put their app's services inside Google Search and the Gemini app, so people can use them with a typed request instead of opening the app. A user links their app account to their Google Account once, then reaches their data and takes actions in that service from Google products, according to the developer page.

The platform runs on the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Google says it uses open protocols instead of a custom integration for each company.

What exactly changed?

Google announced these details on October 28:

• The platform is open to developers as a preview, with access granted in phases.
• Developers connect in one of two ways: a cloud-hosted MCP server, or Android MCP through the AppFunctions APIs in an Android app.
• They register, test and submit the app in a new tool called Google Connected Console.
• Before review, they pick where the app appears: Search, the Gemini app, or both.
• After launch, they can track traffic, latency and error rates, and manage their brand identity, including a verified logo.

There are now more than 50 Connected Apps across Search and Gemini, covering productivity, event ticketing, and health and fitness. Adobe, Experian, Localiza and Peloton already work in Gemini, and Google says they will reach Search in the coming weeks.

Do Connected Apps work in Saudi Arabia and Egypt?

Not yet. Google Search Help says the feature is currently available in AI Mode in the US, in English. Google named no Arab market and no Arabic support. It said it will add more developers, markets and Google products over the coming months, without a date.

The help page lists Instacart for groceries, Canva for design, YouTube Music, and two fantasy football apps. None of them is a Saudi or Egyptian app.

What does a user need to use Connected Apps?

A user needs to be signed in to a Google Account and to have an account with the app, linked to Google. They type the request in AI Mode, and if the app is not linked yet, Google offers a link button.

They can remove the link at any time from myaccount.google.com/connections, which stops data sharing with the app. Age limits follow each app's own account rules.

What does this mean for businesses in Saudi Arabia and Egypt?

The news matters if you run an app or service that customers sign in to: appointment booking, delivery orders, event tickets, or an online store with customer accounts. These are the kinds of services Google already shows through partners such as OpenTable, Ticketmaster and Instacart.

Signing up for the preview is self-service through Google Connected Console, but the platform page lists no eligibility rules and no accepted countries. A developer can publish the same app to Search, Gemini or both, so the technical work can start before the feature reaches the region.

The Connected Apps policy sets four rules: no third-party ads inside the integration, the minimum data needed, a published privacy policy, and encryption in transit and at rest. Apps that keep crashing or failing sign-in are not allowed.

If you have no app, your visibility in AI answers starts with your website. We cover that in our guide to showing up in AI answers.

What should you do now?

1. Pick the service your customers use most, such as booking, order tracking or repeating a past order. That is your candidate for a connected app.
2. Ask your tech team two questions. Does this service have an API? Does sign-in work with OAuth? The developer docs explain how to connect an MCP server to the Gemini app with OAuth 2.1.
3. Review your app's privacy policy and how users delete their data. Google's policy requires both before publishing.
4. Apply for the preview on the Connected Apps developer page if your app serves customers in the US.
5. Open Gemini and type @ to see which connected apps your account offers, and check the help page to learn when Arabic support arrives.