LinkedIn launches Connected Apps to verify skills with real app usage data

LinkedIn launched Connected Apps on June 18, 2026, a feature that links real software usage to user profiles and auto-generates descriptions based on actual activity in supported tools. The Microsoft-owned platform aims to replace self-declared skills with verifiable evidence of product usage.

Users cannot manually edit the summaries. “Once connected, each app generates a simple statement based on your real activity,” LinkedIn said. The company calls each summary “a structured, data-backed description of what you actually do with the tool.”

Supported apps and how it works

Initial supported apps include Descript, Duolingo, Lovable, Relay.app, and Replit. Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, and GitHub are among those coming soon. Users can add Connected Apps via their profile’s “Add section” menu. When a summary is added or updated, the user receives a notification. The platform controls the description language, not the user, which prevents inflation of claimed skills.

• Descript: auto-generates summaries based on editing activity.
• Replit: reflects coding projects and collaboration.
• GitHub: shows actual repository contributions and activity.
• Duolingo: demonstrates language learning progress.
• Relay.app: highlights workflow automation usage.

Implications for recruiters and professionals

CEO Dan Shapero said: “We’re building new ways for members to show real, credible proof of what they’re capable of.” The feature matters because LinkedIn profiles are full of claimed skills that nobody verifies. A recruiter scanning a profile has no way to confirm whether someone actually uses the tools they list. Connected Apps changes that by making usage provable. If you connect GitHub, your profile reflects what you actually do on GitHub, not what you say you do.

LinkedIn already collects detailed data about what software its users run, as TNW reported in April when the platform was found silently scanning 6,000+ browser extensions. Connected Apps takes a different approach: opt-in, transparent, and designed to benefit the user rather than the platform’s ad targeting. LinkedIn now has 1.3 billion members and grew revenue 12% year-over-year last quarter, even as it cut roughly 5% of staff in May. If recruiters start filtering by verified tool usage rather than self-reported skills, every professional who does not connect their apps is at a disadvantage. That is how a feature becomes a requirement.