---
type: analysis
slug: research-google-opens-gemini-and-search-to-third-party-mcp-apps-but-only-us-devs-via-a
title: "Google opens Gemini and Search to third-party MCP apps, but only US devs via a waitlist"
description: "The Connected Apps Platform preview takes a remote MCP server or Android AppFunctions, one review flow and basic telemetry. Pricing, quotas and routing rules are not published."
published_at: 2026-11-10T00:00:00.000Z
topics: ["google","mcp","gemini","research"]
source_urls: ["https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/developers-tools/connected-apps-one-place","https://developers.google.com/connected-apps","https://developers.google.com/connected-apps/mcp","https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/28/as-ai-agents-reshape-the-web-google-opens-gemini-and-search-to-more-apps/","https://developers.google.com/connected-apps/gpc/prerequisites","https://developer.android.com/ai/appfunctions/create-manage-connected-apps"]
author: "Andrey Reshetnikov"
author_profile: https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.md
---
On October 28, 2026 Google launched a preview of the Connected Apps Platform, a single place for outside developers to build integrations that run inside the Gemini app and Google Search. Until now Connected Apps were a curated set of partner integrations; the newsroom's source excerpt confirmed the announcement but not who can join, how the integration works, or what limits apply.

It matters for builders because Google is standardising on MCP for third-party tools across its two largest consumer AI surfaces, the same direction ChatGPT apps have taken. An MCP server built once can now target Google's distribution, subject to Google's registration, review and operational rules.

## What we checked

- **Which partners, developer capabilities, access requirements, and operational limits does the Connected Apps platform actually include?** partly confirmed. Partners (Adobe, Experian, Localiza, Peloton, Calm), the two build paths, access gating (US waitlist, ToS by admin) and many operational limits (single global HTTPS Streamable HTTP endpoint, IP allowlist, domain verification, OAuth 2.1, fixed category, Play coupling) are documented. Pricing, rate limits and quotas are not stated. [1][2][5][3][6][4]
- **Is the remote MCP server built on the standard open protocol rather than a Google-proprietary format?** confirmed. Google's docs describe the platform as using the open Model Context Protocol with Streamable HTTP, testable with the standard MCP Inspector, so an existing remote MCP server can be reused with Google-specific registration and verification on top. [2][3][5]

## What we found

- Google's Connected Apps Platform, announced October 28, 2026 as a preview, has two build paths: a remote MCP server or Android MCP via the Jetpack AppFunctions SDK. Both register, test and submit through a new Google Connected Console, and developers pick Search, the Gemini app, or both before review. Google calls the remote MCP server its recommended default path because it covers Android, iOS and the web. [1][2][3]
- Named partners are Adobe, Experian, Localiza and Peloton, which are live in Gemini and coming to Search in the coming weeks, plus a new Calm integration for both surfaces. Google says more than 50 Connected Apps exist across Search and Gemini; TechCrunch notes Search currently has fewer, such as Instacart, Canva, YouTube Music and Yahoo Fantasy Football. [1][4]
- Access is gated and phased. TechCrunch reports the preview is for U.S. developers who join a waitlist, and Google says it will add developers, markets and products over coming months without a date. Inside Connected Console, an account owner or admin must accept the Connected Apps Terms of Service before team members can create apps. [4][1][5]
- The remote MCP path has hard operational constraints: a publicly reachable HTTPS endpoint on Streamable HTTP transport, a single global endpoint per app (no per-data-center URLs), IP allowlisting for Google's published fetcher ranges if you filter by source IP, a .well-known domain verification file, and OAuth 2.1 for user authorization. The app category fixes baseline capabilities and cannot be changed afterward. [5][2]
- Google's MCP guide asks for server instructions, readOnlyHint and destructiveHint tool annotations, typed schemas, and optional UI resource bindings rendered as sandboxed iframes, which aligns with MCP Apps. Testing runs through MCP Inspector locally and then Gemini Developer Mode with event logs and environment simulation. [3]
- Post-launch telemetry promised is traffic, latency and error rates plus brand controls. None of the pages opened state pricing, revenue share, rate limits, quotas or ranking rules for which app the model routes a query to. [1][2][5]

## What it means

If you already run a remote MCP server with OAuth 2.1, the incremental work to reach Gemini and Search is mostly packaging: Streamable HTTP on one global public endpoint, domain verification, IP allowlisting, metadata, test-user lists, and review. Write good server instructions and annotate tools with read-only and destructive hints, because Google says its models rely on those to route queries to your server. Choose the category carefully; it cannot be changed.

Do not plan around economics yet: there is no published pricing, revenue share, quota or ranking rule, and access is a US-only waitlist with no general-availability date. Android teams should note that the AppFunctions path couples connected app review to Play releases and can slow them, so use a dedicated test Play app as Google suggests.

## Competing readings

- **Google is opening a broad, MCP-standard app distribution channel that will widen to most developers** (likely, about 65%). What would tell it apart: Standard remote MCP path recommended as default and phased expansion of developers, markets and products promised [3][1].
- **The preview stays a gated, curated program where Google keeps partner selection tight for a long time** (unlikely, about 30%). What would tell it apart: Access is a US-only waitlist, and Search so far has fewer integrations than Gemini, with only a few named launch partners [4][1].
- **The platform is mainly an Android/Play extension rather than a cross-platform channel** (very unlikely, about 5%). What would tell it apart: Remote MCP is the recommended default while Android MCP is tied one-to-one to a Play app [3][6].

## Base rate

The New Runtime archive holds only 2 earlier announcement stories about companies or products from the last 12 months that are at least 3 months old: too few (minimum 5) for a base rate. The archive has too few cases to give a base rate: only 2 earlier announcement cases, 1 of which was followed by a release or access change, against a minimum of 5. So this conclusion rests on the primary documentation alone.

## What would change this view

- Google publishes fees, revenue share or strict per-app quotas for connected apps (pricing signal): The channel carries costs that change whether small developers should invest.
- The waitlist stays US-only with few new third-party apps months after launch (signal): The program is curated rather than open, favouring the gated reading.

## Still open

- Does Google charge fees or take a revenue share for connected apps or transactions?
- What rate limits, latency budgets or uptime requirements apply to MCP endpoints?
- How does Gemini or Search choose between competing connected apps for a query?
- When will access extend beyond US developers on the waitlist?

## Sources

1. [Build and manage Connected Apps in one place (Google blog)](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/developers-tools/connected-apps-one-place) (primary)
2. [Connected Apps Platform | Google for Developers](https://developers.google.com/connected-apps)
3. [Connected Apps Platform MCP server developer guide](https://developers.google.com/connected-apps/mcp)
4. [As AI agents reshape the web, Google opens Gemini and Search to more apps (TechCrunch)](https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/28/as-ai-agents-reshape-the-web-google-opens-gemini-and-search-to-more-apps/)
5. [Prerequisites for using connected apps](https://developers.google.com/connected-apps/gpc/prerequisites)
6. [Create and manage Connected Apps using AppFunctions and Android MCP](https://developer.android.com/ai/appfunctions/create-manage-connected-apps)

Author: [Andrey Reshetnikov](https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.md), AI product and AI engineering; profile for recruiters and agents: https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.json

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