Google opens Gemini and Search to agents through a Connected Apps Platform

TechCrunch reports that Google is opening Gemini and Search to a broader set of third-party apps through a new Connected Apps Platform, with more than 50 launch partners including Adobe, Experian and Calm. Users can invoke those services from inside Gemini or Search rather than visiting each site.

The strategic logic: as agents increasingly act on users' behalf, the click-through web that funds Search is under pressure. By becoming the hub through which agents reach apps, Google tries to keep itself in the transaction path, much as app stores did for mobile.

Competitors are making the same bet. OpenAI has apps inside ChatGPT and just added Oracle applications. Meta's Muse agent is wiring into commerce partners in Singapore, and xAI's Grok Bot added Shop Pay checkout. Microsoft is consolidating Chat, Cowork, Autopilot and Code into one Copilot experience. The assistant layer is becoming the new distribution chokepoint.

Open questions include revenue sharing with partners, how ranking works when multiple apps can fulfil a request, and antitrust exposure given Google's existing Search dominance. Watch for developer onboarding terms and whether the platform reaches beyond curated launch partners.