Gemini’s new Customize hub puts skills and connected apps in one place

Announcement date: October 21, 2026

Google announced a central Customize hub in Gemini on October 21, 2026. It brings together two things that are easy to confuse: instructions for how an assistant should work, and connections that let it use information or services.

The company says users can manage skills, prompt preferences and connected apps in one place. For beginners, the most useful part may be having a clearer view of what has been customised instead of remembering changes scattered across different menus.

A skill and an app connection do different jobs

A skill can tell an assistant how to approach a repeatable task. For example, it might ask for a short summary, three action points and an open-questions section whenever you provide meeting notes.

An app connection concerns access. It can allow the assistant to work with another service, subject to the permissions granted. Writing a preference for shorter answers is quite different from allowing a tool to read files or interact with an account.

That distinction helps you make sensible choices. Decide first what you want the assistant to do, then consider whether it actually needs another connection to do it.

What Google announced

Google describes support for custom skills and more than 40 external services alongside its own apps. It says permissions can be reviewed and connections removed. The hub is rolling out across web, mobile and Gemini’s Windows and macOS desktop apps.

Google also notes regional limits for many connected apps. Its announcement says a gradual rollout began on October 13 and that the hub is available across account tiers. That does not mean every app connection is available in every language or country.

Start with a preference that needs no extra access

Try a simple instruction: “Assume I am a beginner. Explain unfamiliar terms. Use a short worked example. If information is missing, ask instead of inventing it.” Then test the instruction with a fictional set of notes.

Notice whether it improves the answer. A preference should make the output easier to use, not become a long collection of rules that contradict each other. If you ask for very brief answers and detailed explanations at the same time, the assistant has to choose a compromise.

Before connecting another service

Read the permission request and identify the exact task the connection will support. If you only need help rewriting a paragraph, pasting a non-sensitive example may be enough. If the task needs current account information, consider whether that access is appropriate for the account involved.

Workplace accounts may have administrator rules. Follow those rules rather than treating a visible Connect button as permission to link anything. Review old connections from time to time and remove the ones you no longer use.

QueryFun’s take

A central settings area is helpful when it makes the assistant’s behaviour and access easier to understand. Beginners should start with one useful preference, test it and add connections only for a clear purpose. More integrations do not automatically produce a better workflow.

For a broader introduction to these decisions, read our guide to protecting your privacy with AI tools.

Original source: Google Workspace’s Gemini Customize hub announcement. Company statements are attributed to their source. Practical examples and commentary are QueryFun’s explanation, not an independent product test.