Review apps connected to your Google account

Read the permission, not just the app name

Connecting an application can mean several things: using Google to sign in, letting two services exchange data, or granting an app permission to read or modify account information. A familiar name does not tell you which relationship exists. A forgotten calendar utility with broad permissions may matter more than a frequently used app with a narrow sign-in relationship.

The goal is a small, understandable list of connections. Removing every entry without planning can interrupt useful services and does not necessarily delete information already copied by an app.

Build a connection inventory

1. Open the genuine Google account settings and locate third-party connections. Confirm you are inspecting the intended personal or work account.
2. Open each connection's details. Record the developer, the type of relationship and the permissions displayed. Keep this inventory private because it can reveal which services you use.
3. Identify connections you recognise and still need. For each uncertain entry, verify the service through its known website rather than following a message claiming that the connection must be renewed.
4. Remove one unneeded connection using Google's account controls. If it belongs to a work process, check with the owner before interrupting it. Review the app's separate data-deletion options if previously copied information should be removed.

Test the result with a harmless action

Try the revoked integration's ordinary function, such as fetching a calendar entry. It should ask for a new authorisation or fail to access the account. The application may still allow a local sign-in or display cached data; that alone does not prove that live access remains.

Return to account settings and confirm the relationship is gone. Document what stopped working so you can distinguish an intended removal from an unrelated outage later.

Investigate unexpected reappearance

If a removed app appears again, check whether you or another authorised user approved a fresh connection. For a suspicious app, review account activity and devices, secure the account from a trusted device and follow the provider's recovery guidance. Changing a password is not a substitute for understanding every authorised connection.

Keep the list current

Repeat this review when retiring a service, leaving an organisation or investigating unusual account activity. Avoid routinely reauthorising broad permissions just to dismiss a warning. A useful service should have a clear purpose and an identifiable owner.