Google opens one console for apps to plug into Search, Gemini

Summary

• Google launched a preview of Connected Apps, a single platform for building integrations across Search and Gemini.
• Developers register once, choose Search, the Gemini app or both, then track traffic, latency and error rates.
• More than 50 connected apps have already launched, with Adobe, Peloton and Calm among the integrations.

The latest

Developers can now build an integration once and ship it to both Google Search and the Gemini app, under a preview platform called Connected Apps announced on Google's official blog on October 28, 2026. Google describes it as a unified way to bring developer capabilities directly into Gemini and Search, reaching high-intent users across both surfaces from a single build.

Details

• The authors: The announcement was signed by Chips Mistry, group product manager for Search, and Mai Lu, group product manager for the Gemini app. Neither executive is quoted directly, and the post presents the launch as a platform-level change rather than a feature tied to one surface.
• How integration works: According to Google, developers can connect through a cloud-hosted MCP server or through Android MCP using AppFunctions interfaces. That gives two technical routes into the same distribution layer, one server-side and one running against Android app functions, rather than a single prescribed path.
• The console: Google Connected Console is the registration point, where developers submit apps, test them and push them to review. Before review, a developer selects whether the app launches in Search, in the Gemini app, or in both — making surface choice a configuration step instead of a separate build.
• Post-launch telemetry: Once live, developers can track traffic, response latency and error rates from the same console, according to Google. The measurement set is the standard operational trio for a served integration, giving developers a view of whether failures are theirs or sit upstream.
• Brand identity: Google says developers also control brand presentation inside the experience, including verified logos and authenticated accounts. That addresses a recurring concern for any company surfacing through an assistant: whether end users can tell which brand is actually answering them.
• The numbers: More than 50 connected apps have launched so far across Search and Gemini, Google said, spanning productivity, event ticketing, health and fitness. The company did not break out usage figures for those apps or say how many developers have been admitted to the preview.
• Named partners: Integrations from Adobe, Experian, Localiza and Peloton are available to Gemini users and are due to reach Search in the coming weeks, according to the post. A new Calm integration is set to launch in Search and the Gemini app simultaneously.
• Rollout terms: Access opens in phases, with more developers, markets and Google products added over the coming months. Google did not state how long the preview runs, which markets are covered first, what the acceptance criteria are, or whether commercial terms apply.
• Where to find it: Preview registration and documentation are at developers.google.com/connected-apps, and Google help center pages list which apps are currently available in Search and which in Gemini — a split that reflects partners arriving on the two surfaces at different times.

Between the lines

The design point is the single registration path. By making surface selection a choice inside one console rather than two separate builds, Google treats Search and the Gemini app as one distribution channel for third-party capability. The phased access, the unstated acceptance criteria and the review step before launch all indicate Google is controlling which developers enter and at what pace.

What's next

Watch for the Adobe, Experian, Localiza and Peloton integrations to appear in Search within the coming weeks, the Calm launch across both surfaces, and Google's disclosure of additional markets and products as access expands.

Source: Google