Google’s AI Mode now lets you link and interact with select apps

Google announced Thursday that its AI Mode now allows users to link and interact with select apps, including Instacart, Canva, and YouTube, expanding the conversational search experience from answering questions to completing tasks. The update aims to increase user reliance on AI Mode for planning and shopping while competing with rival integrations from OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude.

Google announced https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/connected-apps/ on Thursday that it now allows users to link and interact with some of their go-to apps right in AI Mode, the tech giant’s conversational search experience. At launch, supported apps include Instacart, Canva, and YouTube. With this new update, Google is expanding AI Mode beyond answering questions and into completing tasks across the apps they use regularly. The tech giant is also likely hoping that users will rely on AI Mode more often for things like planning and shopping. Plus, the rollout will allow Google to better compete with rivals like OpenAI’s ChatGPT https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/06/how-to-use-chatgpt-apps-doordash-spotify-uber/ and Anthropic’s Claude https://claude.com/connectors/ , both of which support app integrations. In one example, Google says that if you’re planning a barbecue and using AI Mode to create a grocery list, you can connect your Instacart account to add the ingredients directly to your shopping cart and quickly check out on the Instacart app or website. Or, if you’re working on a project and need design ideas, like for a flyer, you can ask Canva to show you a selection of templates. In another example, Google says you could use AI Mode to curate a playlist for your next party and instantly save it to YouTube Music. The update is rolling out to users in the U.S. Google says it’s working with a range of partners and plans to launch support for more apps soon. Today’s announcement builds on a capability Google launched earlier this year https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-app/next-evolution-gemini-app/ at Google I/O that lets users connect third-party apps to the Gemini app to complete tasks faster. Supported apps include Canva, OpenTable, Spark, Instacart, and more. Since its launch in early 2025, Google has been continuously building out AI Mode with more capabilities. Most recently, the tech giant announced that AI Mode can now help check whether an item https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/17/googles-ai-mode-can-now-help-you-find-products-in-stock-nearby/ you need is in stock at a nearby store. Google also recently added the ability for users to explore the web side-by-side with AI Mode https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/16/google-now-lets-you-explore-the-web-side-by-side-with-ai-mode/ to do things like compare details and ask follow-up questions while preserving the context of their search. Earlier this year, Google launched “Personal Intelligence” on AI Mode https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/22/googles-ai-mode-can-now-tap-into-your-gmail-and-photos-to-provide-tailored-responses/ , enabling it to tap into users’ Gmail and Google Photos to provide more individualized responses.