Google Opens Up Gemini and Search to Outside Apps

Google announced the Connected Apps Platform, which lets developers integrate their apps with Gemini, Google's AI chatbot, and with Google Search. Until recently, Google alone decided which third-party apps could integrate with its products. Now developers can build their own integration by deploying a small MCP server. MCP is the protocol AI agents use to call external apps. They deploy it through Google's AppFunctions service. After that, they can apply for approval of their app in the Connected Console, a management interface for registering and testing integrations.

More than 50 apps are already listed as connected to Gemini, including design software from Adobe and the fitness company Peloton. In the coming weeks these apps will also show up in regular Google Search. Right now only four apps are available there: grocery delivery service Instacart, design platform Canva, music streaming service YouTube Music, and the fantasy football game Yahoo Fantasy Football. The meditation app Calm was the latest addition to the list, though for now it is only available to US developers who applied for early access.

Google itself compares this move to classic SEO, search engine optimization, where people tried to rank high in search results. Now, instead of a link from another site, companies can land directly inside Gemini or Google Search. There is still plenty of room for businesses to claim a spot, since the list currently holds just a bit over fifty apps. We have already seen other chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Meta's Muse, try to integrate with third-party apps. So this may be more of an attempt to diversify traffic sources than a finished product.