How do Google’s Connected Apps work in Gemini and Search — and how do you control which apps AI can use?

Google opened its Connected Apps Platform in preview to US developers on October 28, 2026, letting services plug into both Gemini and Search through one system. More than 50 apps are already connected, including Adobe, Peloton, Canva, Instacart and YouTube Music, with Calm newly announced — and you stay in control of which apps the AI can see and use.

Short answer: Google’s Connected Apps are services that plug into Google’s AI, so Gemini — and soon Search — can work inside them for you: order groceries through Instacart, find a workout in Peloton, or start a design in Canva without leaving the chat. On October 28, Google opened its Connected Apps Platform in preview to US developers, letting services connect to both Gemini and Search through one system. More than 50 apps are already connected, including Adobe, Peloton, Canva, Instacart and YouTube Music, with Calm newly announced, and Google says the Gemini integrations people already use will reach Search in the coming weeks.Why it matters: an assistant that can act inside your real apps saves real steps — but every connection widens what the AI can see about your life, and some connections can do things, not just read things.

The useful question is never “is it connected?” — it is “what can it see, and what can it do?”Take control, step by step:1. Open the list. In the Gemini app or at gemini.google.com, tap your profile picture and open Settings to find the connected apps; in your Google Account, look in the data and third-party access settings for the same list.2.

Read each entry. For every connected app, note whether it can only read information, or can also take actions — sending, ordering, booking or posting for you.3. Remove what you no longer use.

Open the app’s entry and choose disconnect or unlink. It takes seconds, and you can always reconnect later.4. Check before you connect anything new.

Read its permission screen: what data does it ask for, and can it act or only read? If the screen is vague, do not connect it yet.5. Re-check every few months, the same way you review which apps can see your location.Pro tip: connect read-only helpers first — a calendar viewer or a music finder — and never connect banking or password apps to an AI assistant.

Convenience is not worth handing an agent the keys to your money.Ad’s take: I like an assistant that can finish a job. I just keep the guest list short, and every guest easy to show the door.