Google opens a developer route for Connected Apps

Google announced a developer preview of its Connected Apps Platform on October 28, 2026, opening an application route for integrations with Google Search and Gemini. The announcement introduced a way for developers to build and manage those integrations; Connected Apps had already reached AI Mode earlier, in July, according to The Keyword. Google’s announcement is here.

Two integration routes have different reach

The Keyword reported two routes. A cloud-hosted Model Context Protocol (MCP) server can connect an app with Search and Gemini across web, Android, and iOS. Android MCP uses AppFunctions APIs and reaches Gemini on Android.

The choice affects where people can use the integration. Developers aiming to reach Search and Gemini across web and mobile would need the cloud-hosted route; the Android route is narrower. The Keyword reported that an app’s route and selected category cannot be changed later, so both decisions deserve attention before submission.

What the reported review process requires

According to The Keyword, developers register through Google Connected Console, select a category, describe at least three user-visible tasks, and choose countries, languages, and Google products. Google reviews and tests submissions before publication. Apps that require sign-in must provide test accounts with realistic sample data, and Google may reject an app it cannot fully test.

Google’s Connected Apps policy, as described by The Keyword, bars third-party advertising and promotional material through integrations and requires an app to provide standalone value without advertising. The report also describes restrictions on broad or deceptive capability descriptions, instructions that dictate how other tools are used, and responses that return system instructions.

What users encounter in a custom-app flow

Developer review is separate from user-side setup. In an English-language tutorial published November 1, 2026, Julian Goldie says that connecting a custom app with a personal Google account requires Keep Activity to be on. He also describes Gemini asking users to confirm write actions. Those observations concern the custom-app flow in his tutorial, not a universal requirement for developer enrollment.

Availability reported for Search

Google said more than 50 Connected Apps had launched across Search and Gemini as of its October 28 announcement. The Keyword reported on October 31 that Connected Apps in Search’s AI Mode were available in the United States in English.

The Keyword also described Adobe, Experian, Localiza, and Peloton as live in Gemini and expected to reach Search in the coming weeks; it described Calm as planned for both Search and Gemini. These were the rollout stages reported in that October 31 account.