Google Opens Public Preview of Connected Apps for AI Mode and Gemini

Google has opened a public preview of its Connected Apps Platform, letting developers apply to run their apps inside AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app. Robby Stein, VP of Product, Google Search, announced on X Thursday that Google "just opened the public preview," roughly a month after the platform was announced on Oct. 28.

Google has already launched more than 50 connected apps across Search and Gemini, according to its blog post. The apps currently listed on Google's help page for AI Mode in the U.S., in English, are Instacart, Canva, YouTube Music, Yahoo Fantasy Football and Sleeper Fantasy Football.

How do developers get in?

The path, which Google had not explained when it first teased connected apps in July, is now documented. Developers connect through a remote MCP server (MCP, or Model Context Protocol, is the open-standard protocol AI models use to communicate with external tools) or via AppFunctions, which Google calls Android MCP. An MCP server reaches Gemini and Search users on web, Android and iOS; the Android MCP route reaches only Gemini users on Android.

Registration runs through the Google Connected Console, where the developer picks a category per app. The category sets minimum capabilities and cannot be changed after registration, per the Prerequisites Page. Developers must also declare at least three capabilities that users see when deciding whether to connect the app, plus specify availability by country, language and Google product.

Google reviews and tests every app before publication. Apps requiring sign-in must come with test accounts and sample data — and Google says an app it cannot fully test may be rejected. Once live, developers can view traffic, latency and error rates.

What stops apps from gaming the model?

Here the policy gets specific, and the stakes become clear. Google's Connected Apps policy bars an app from referencing other tools or dictating when they should be used. Apps must not:

"deceive or influence the model into performing an adverse action or behavior; for example, using overly broad or deceptive capability descriptions to influence the model into selecting the Connected App over another Connected App."

Google's MCP server guide says models rely on a server's instructions "to recognize when to delegate tasks to your server." The policy also excludes ads and promotional materials from other companies, though apps may carry their own branding. Violations carry real teeth: Google can reject the app, suspend access, remove it from the platform, or suspend or terminate the developer's account.

The caveat: enforcement depends on Google detecting manipulation in capability descriptions, and the policy text gives no detail on how that review works in practice.

What do users see?

On the user side, Google's Search help page says AI Mode may default to the last app used to complete a task. Users can name a different app in their request, or submit a general query and pick from a list of available applications.

What comes next?

Google says a phased rollout will add more developers, geographic markets and Google products "in the next few months." In the coming weeks, apps from partner companies currently on Gemini — including Adobe, Experian, Localiza and Peloton — will become available on Search, alongside a new Calm integration for both Search and Gemini.

Google Search Advocate John Mueller called connected apps an exciting search platform in a LinkedIn comment, while noting it is "still extremely early" and that he does not work on the product. The honest signal, for once, matches the state of the rollout.

In short: Google has published the rules of the road, but which apps the model actually chooses — and how rigorously Google polices the pitches — will decide whether this becomes a level playing field or an SEO-style arms race.