Apple Agent Store vs Gemini Extensions: What Actually Exists Right Now
Both names in this matchup are slightly off. Apple hasn’t announced an “agent store.” Google stopped calling Gemini’s consumer integrations “extensions” and now labels them Connected Apps. What you can actually use today is Siri AI on iOS 27 and Gemini’s Connected Apps. They attack the same problem, getting an AI to do things inside other apps, from opposite directions.
The short version: Gemini asks you to link accounts one at a time, then acts inside them. Apple asks developers to expose actions that Siri can call on the phone, and the agent storefront people keep guessing at hasn’t been announced. On paper, Gemini has the wider third-party reach today. Apple’s approach is newer, tied to recent Apple hardware, and leans heavily on developers showing up.
This comparison draws on Apple’s and Google’s own announcements and published reporting. It isn’t based on our own device testing, and we’ve marked the spots where a claim rests on a single report.
Where the “Apple agent store” idea came from
On May 13, 2026, The Information reported that Apple was looking for ways to bring AI agents into the App Store without giving up its rules. 9to5Mac’s write-up noted the report had no specifics. The tension is easy to see, though. Some agents build small apps on the fly, which sits badly with a review process that approves software before it ships. The same coverage pointed to Apple’s worry about agents that go haywire and wipe out a person’s email. It landed two months after several vibe-coding apps vanished from the App Store.
“Agent store” was the nickname that stuck. Apple never used it. Its WWDC26 announcement on June 8 and its iOS 27 launch post on September 14 cover Siri AI, systemwide app actions, and an on-device piece called App Toolbox. Neither mentions a separate agent marketplace. As of today there’s no new storefront. The route for developers is making their apps’ actions available to Siri.
That route is thin so far. Apple says Siri AI already works with apps like WhatsApp and Audible, and lists Outlook, Notability and Tripsy as coming. On money, Digital Trends, citing The Information, reported that Apple told developers not to charge a commission in the early stages but hasn’t ruled out one later. That’s reporting, not published policy.
One more caution. A few sites claim iOS 27 added a default-assistant slot where you can swap in ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini in place of Siri. We couldn’t find that in Apple’s own announcements, so we’re leaving it out until Apple confirms it.
What happened to Gemini extensions
Same feature, new label. Zapier’s guide says Google originally called these Gemini extensions and now calls them Connected Apps. The old word survives only in Gemini CLI, a separate developer tool for the terminal. In the Gemini web app the toggles sit under Settings, then Personal Intelligence, then Connected Apps. Some regions show Connected Apps directly on the main menu.
The catalog grew on August 12. At Made by Google, the company said a new slate of connected apps would roll out over a few weeks: Granola, Otter.ai, Wix, Fever, GetYourGuide, Localiza, OpenTable (UK), Ticketmaster, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Angi, Thumbtack and Zocdoc. 9to5Google notes they join Canva, GitHub, Google Home, Instacart, WhatsApp and others. Zapier counts roughly 18 third-party apps, plus Google’s own.
Connected apps do two jobs. They read, pulling context from your email, calendar or meeting transcripts. They also write, doing things like reserving a table or building a grocery order. For multi-step work there’s Gemini Spark, Google’s more autonomous agent. Zapier says Spark checks in before anything sensitive, such as sending an email or making a purchase.
Side by side
| Apple (Siri AI + App Store) | Google (Gemini Connected Apps) | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | No agent store announced; Siri AI in beta since Sept 14 | Live; 13 new apps rolling out since Aug 12 |
| Where it runs | iPhone 16 or later, iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, iPads and Macs with M1 or later | Gemini web, Android and iOS apps, Chrome side panel |
| How apps plug in | Developers expose actions to Siri | You sign in to each service and switch it on |
| Third-party coverage | Depends on developers; WhatsApp and Audible today, Outlook, Notability and Tripsy listed as soon | About 18 third-party apps plus Google’s own, varying by region |
| Autonomy | Chains actions within a request; no separate autonomous agent announced | Chat does one task at a time; Spark handles multi-step tasks |
| Custom tools | None announced | MCP connections, but only in Spark |
| Regional limits | English first; not on iPhone or iPad in the EU at launch; not in China | Some apps geo-restricted, such as OpenTable and Localiza |
| Cost | Free with daily usage limits; Apple says paid expanded access comes later | Spark on AI Ultra ($99.99/month), rolling out to AI Pro ($19.99/month) |
How they differ in practice
Where the work happens
Google’s connectors are account links. You sign in to each service, grant access, and Gemini acts through that connection. Apple describes something different. Siri AI uses a system orchestrator that taps the Spotlight index and App Toolbox, and Apple says those work entirely on the device. That’s Apple’s own account of its design, and it’s a privacy pitch as much as an architecture note.
Finding things
Gemini gives you a menu. Zapier’s tester said Gemini picked the right Google app on its own, but for third-party apps they had to tag the app with an @ in the chat. Apple gives you nothing to browse. You get whichever apps you already own that add Siri actions. That spares you from linking new accounts, and it also means the feature is only as good as developers’ follow-through.
Early impressions are thin. Tech Times relayed one hands-on report in which a search for a delivery email failed because the thread lived in Gmail rather than Apple Mail. That hints that Siri’s personal context favors Apple’s own apps. It’s one report, so watch for more.
Finishing the job
Zapier’s tester said Gemini often gets you most of the way and leaves the last step to you, like completing a ticket purchase or launching a website. Spark is Google’s answer to that gap. Apple’s example of a chained task is Siri searching your messages, pulling a recipe from an email and adding ingredients to Reminders. That’s multi-step, but it happens inside a single request rather than as a background agent.
The Google-inside-Apple twist
Apple says the new Apple Foundation Models were built in collaboration with Google and its Gemini models. The Gemini app also runs on iPhone. So on an iPhone this isn’t strictly either-or. You can run Siri AI and Gemini side by side, although which Connected Apps you get depends on your country.
Limits worth knowing before you commit
Siri AI on iOS 27:
- It’s a beta and opt-in. CNBC says some users may land on a waitlist.
- English only at launch. Five more languages follow in October.
- Not available on iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch in the EU at launch, and not in China.
- Needs an iPhone 16 or later, or an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max.
- Server-side features carry daily limits, and Apple says expanded access will cost money later.
Gemini Connected Apps:
- The catalog is small next to the MCP-based connector lists on Claude and ChatGPT, as Zapier points out.
- Google’s help page says Connected Apps aren’t available on the web or on iOS when Keep Activity is off. That ties the feature to saving your chat history.
- In Zapier’s test, third-party apps didn’t work in the Chrome side panel, though Google’s own did.
- Custom MCP connections exist only in Spark, which is paid, and Google says you’re responsible for supervising each server.
- Some apps are region-locked.
Which one fits you
A recent iPhone, English, and mostly apps you already own. Siri AI is worth switching on, as long as you treat it as a beta and expect gaps in app support.
An iPhone in the EU. Siri AI isn’t offered on iPhone there yet, so Gemini’s Connected Apps are the option that exists. Check which apps are available in your country first.
You want Canva, Wix, Zocdoc, Ticketmaster or Google Workspace wired in. Gemini. Those are named partners today, and Apple hasn’t named them as Siri partners.
You want to plug in your own tools. Neither consumer product does this well. Spark’s MCP support is the closest, and it sits behind a paid plan with you supervising the servers.
You build apps. On Apple’s side the open questions are the commission and how App Review will treat agent behavior. Google’s list is curated by Google, so getting on it is a partnership question rather than a submission.
FAQ
Is there an Apple agent store?
Not as a product Apple has announced. The name comes from reporting in May 2026 that Apple was exploring how to fit AI agents into the App Store. Our earlier coverage of that report is here.
Are Gemini extensions and Connected Apps the same thing?
In the consumer Gemini app, yes. Google renamed them. Gemini CLI still uses the word extensions for a different, developer-focused feature.
Does Siri AI run on Gemini?
Apple says its new foundation models were custom-built in collaboration with Google and its Gemini models, and that they run on device and on Private Cloud Compute.
Can I use Gemini Connected Apps on an iPhone?
Zapier lists the Gemini iOS app among the places Connected Apps work. Which apps appear depends on your region, and Keep Activity has to be on.
What to watch next
Four things will settle most of this. First, whether Apple ever names a dedicated agent storefront or changes App Review terms to cover agents. Second, whether the commission Apple has reportedly shelved for now comes back. Third, what Apple does about the EU, where it says it is working to find a path forward. Fourth, how many of Google’s August apps reach your country. Until those move, the honest comparison is a shipping product with a small catalog against a beta with a big idea.
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