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Gemini’s Super-App Pitch: Connect Less, Get More
Gemini’s new app connections challenge ChatGPT. Here’s what to try first—and why connecting every account is the wrong ambition.
Prices last read 2026-09-26
The SlotPrices take
Your chatbot does not deserve the keys to every account.Yes, Gemini’s expansion looks like a serious bid to become your everyday app hub. But my advice is to connect one service for one recurring task before embracing the super-app pitch. Judge the result by the work it saves, not the number of logos available. A useful shortcut beats a spectacular permissions collection.Google began rolling out its new Connected Apps on September 23, 2026. The announcement names Airtable, Linear, monday.com, PandaDoc, Wispr AI and Zoho for productivity; Adobe, Picsart, Squarespace and Webflow for creative work; and apartments.com, Experian, Peloton and SeatGeek for lifestyle tasks. Google describes uses ranging from project management and visual design to credit monitoring and workout planning.
Source: A new wave of Connected Apps is rolling out to Gemini · 2026-09-26
Make it earn the connection
The audience is people who want Gemini to work with these services. Availability varies by location, language, device and Gemini interface. Google’s personal-account instructions are separate from its work-and-school guidance, so a launch announcement alone does not establish access for your account.
Source: Use & manage Connected Apps in Gemini · 2026-09-26
- Check your actual app listOn the Gemini website, open Settings, then Connected Apps. If necessary, open Personal Intelligence first.
- Read the supported actionsSelect Learn more beneath an app to see its supported and unsupported actions and example prompts.
- Call the app deliberatelyType @ in the prompt box and select the app. Follow any connection or permission instructions.
Source: Use & manage Connected Apps in Gemini · 2026-09-26
But not all services mentioned may be available in your country.
Google Terms of ServiceSource: Google Terms of Service · 2026-09-26
That general terms clause reinforces the availability caveat; it is not a country list for this rollout. Use the apps shown in your own settings as the practical starting point.
Source: Google Terms of Service · 2026-09-26; Use & manage Connected Apps in Gemini · 2026-09-26
ChatGPT deserves competition, not a premature obituary
ChatGPT’s app ecosystem is more than an aspiration: OpenAI introduced conversational apps on October 6, 2025, with partners including Canva, Spotify and Zillow. Its launch described interactive experiences inside conversations. Gemini’s September announcement puts creative work and apartment hunting into its own pitch through Adobe and apartments.com.
Source: Introducing apps in ChatGPT and the new Apps SDK · 2026-09-26; A new wave of Connected Apps is rolling out to Gemini · 2026-09-26
My read: this is a fight over where you begin a task. I would give neither company points for merely putting another service behind a chat box. Re-explaining a straightforward request to an assistant can be more annoying than opening the original app. The winner should be whichever gets your particular job done with less correction.
There is also the Siri connection. Apple’s September 14 release says its new capabilities use Apple Foundation Models developed in collaboration with Google and its Gemini models, running on-device and through Private Cloud Compute. That establishes a model partnership; it does not establish that Siri offers this Gemini app catalogue.
Source: Siri AI, a profoundly more capable and personal assistant, is here · 2026-09-26
The privacy bargain deserves more attention than the logos
Here is the awkward dependency: Google says Connected Apps are unavailable on the web and iOS when Keep Activity is off. Android retains only certain device and communication integrations with that setting disabled.
Source: Use & manage Connected Apps in Gemini · 2026-09-26
Google’s Privacy Hub says activity can be used to improve services, including training generative AI, with human reviewers involved when Keep Activity is on. Connected services can exchange chat information, location and app content; third parties handle received data under their own policies. Disconnecting an app does not delete Gemini Apps Activity, and deleting Gemini activity does not erase information already received by another app.
Source: Gemini Apps Privacy Hub · 2026-09-26
My recommendation: make Experian earn a higher bar
Before connecting Experian, read the requested permissions and its privacy notice. Decide exactly what task justifies the connection. I would demand a much clearer benefit for a credit-related workflow than for brainstorming a poster. Start with a low-stakes task, check the result in the original service, and expand only when the convenience is convincing.
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Primary sources opened and read on September 26, 2026