Google announced that it is expanding AI Mode in Search to let users connect third-party apps directly to search results. Three apps are launching today: Instacart for grocery ordering, Canva for design templates, and YouTube Music for playlist creation. The feature works on both desktop and the Google Search iOS app, but only in the United States and only in English.
This is Google extending a playbook it tested in Gemini. Connected apps were already available in the company’s AI assistant; now Google is bringing the same functionality to Search itself, aiming to make queries more actionable. Instead of finding a recipe in search results and then switching to Instacart separately, a user in AI Mode can ask for recipe ideas and add ingredients directly to their Instacart cart without leaving Search.
What Connected Apps Can Do
The three launch partners offer specific capabilities:
- Instacart, add grocery list ingredients directly to shopping carts
- Canva, get template options for designs without navigating to Canva’s website
- YouTube Music, create and save playlists from Search queries
Google says more apps will follow, but has not named candidates or timelines. The feature is limited to AI Mode, which means it is not available in traditional Search results or in Search Generative Experience variants outside the US.
Google is collecting data on how users interact with Search and these new connected apps. The company suggests users enable history and personalized recommendations to “improve the Google Search experience,” which translates to using that data to refine its generative AI models.
It is unclear as to why would users opt for using these apps in AI Mode, as this directly competes with functionality in Gemini, which is also far more advanced and capable. The best approach would have been to integrate both AI Mode and Gemini so users do not have to to constantly switch between two sets of chats and histories, but Google does not seem to care for now.
