AIImpish
On October 28, 2026, Google opened its Connected Apps Platform in public preview, letting U.S. developers build and submit apps that users can work with directly inside Gemini and Google Search. It could become the next kind of visibility for businesses: not just ranking in search results, but being the app the AI uses to get the job done.
Coffee summary
- FACT: The Connected Apps Platform is in public preview for U.S. developers who join the waitlist; Google has not said when it opens more widely.
- FACT: Developers integrate through a cloud-hosted MCP (Model Context Protocol) server or Android MCP using the AppFunctions APIs, then register, test, and submit in the Google Connected Console.
- FACT: Gemini already has more than 50 connected apps, including Adobe, Experian, Localiza, and Peloton, and these are coming to Search over the next few weeks.
- FACT: Calm is a new partner and will launch on both Gemini and Search.
- OPINION: If your business already has an app or API, this is worth getting on the waitlist for now, before the space gets crowded.
What connected apps do
Connected apps let people link a third-party service to Gemini or Search and then take actions through it. TechCrunch's examples are designing a flyer with Canva or building a playlist with YouTube Music, all from inside Google's AI experience. Search currently has fewer integrations, such as Instacart, Canva, YouTube Music, and Yahoo Fantasy Football.
The idea, as TechCrunch puts it, is that people may shift from opening individual apps to using their favorite services through their preferred AI assistant. ChatGPT and Meta's Muse are pursuing similar ideas.
What developers get
Developers can choose whether their app appears in Search, the Gemini app, or both. Once it is live, they can track traffic, latency, and error rates, and keep control of their brand with verified logos and authenticated accounts.
Why this looks like the new SEO
For two decades, businesses competed to rank in search results. OPINION: if more people ask an AI to "book it" or "order it" rather than clicking links, being a connected app could matter as much as ranking. TechCrunch makes the same comparison, calling this one of the first steps for businesses that want to be visible on the agentic web.
What this means for you
- App and SaaS owners: check whether you already have an API you can wrap in an MCP server; that is the main technical step.
- Small businesses without an app: keep your website, product data, and Google Business details clean, because AI features still lean on them.
- Marketers: start tracking how customers find you through AI assistants, not only search clicks.
What we still don't know
- When the platform opens beyond the U.S. waitlist.
- How Google will decide which connected app to suggest when several can do the same job.
- Whether there will be fees or revenue sharing.
Bottom line
Google is opening the door for any business to become an action inside Gemini and Search. It is early and U.S.-only, but if AI assistants become how people get things done, joining the preview now is a cheap way to learn the rules first.
