LinkedIn, on 17 June, introduced the ‘Connected Apps’ feature, enabling third-party applications to provide verified, activity-based documentation of a user’s specific technical skills. Connected Apps allows users to replace general skills, like basic HubSpot knowledge, with specific technical skills, such as executing segmented campaigns in HubSpot Marketing Hub.
Under this new system, skill listings on the platform will automatically refresh to reflect actual tool usage. Frequent users may also qualify for a top user badge, providing a public indicator of their proficiency level.
The integration highlights specific features like employing automation for advanced customer engagement or managing segmented campaigns in HubSpot Hubs, moving beyond simple claims of general platform knowledge.
Why now
On LinkedIn, the demand for marketing experts with AI skills has increased in recent times. On the similar lines, hiring managers are looking for proof of accuracy rather than just a familiarity with specific software. Connected Apps will help in that by turning usage data into something visible and third-party-verified, rather than self-reported.
That matters more in India than almost anywhere else as India is LinkedIn’s fastest-growing major market, and it’s also been leading adoption of LinkedIn’s profile-verification tools over the past year. Connected Apps extends that same logic trust built on outside data rather than a user’s own word into the skills section of the profile.
What is for Indian creators on LinkedIn
On LinkedIn, the year-over-year demand for marketing professionals possessing AI expertise has surged by more than double. Employers increasingly want to know not just what tools a candidate has heard of, but how deeply they actually use them. Connected Apps turns real-world usage data into visible, credible proof on a professional profile.
India is LinkedIn’s fastest-growing market globally, with users reaching 161 million, more than 20% year-on-year. Connected Apps introduces a third-party source of truth into a self-reported system. And India is already leaning this way: LinkedIn’s fastest-growing market for profile verification in 2025 was India, with adoption up 38% year-on-year.
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The creator angle nobody’s talking about
India already produces 8 of the world’s top 50 LinkedIn creators but the B2B creator economy here remains largely unpaid. Connected Apps changes the credibility equation for this in a meaningful way.
This functionality provides credibility for Indian creators focusing on SaaS workflows or AI content, offering a level of trust that outshines standard sponsored content.
Furthermore, it redefines how partnerships function by utilising LinkedIn to pinpoint their most dedicated power users, brands can cultivate authentic advocates. This approach offers significantly more legitimacy than conventional influencer marketing strategies.
