Samsung’s Transition to Google Photos Integration
In a notable shift within its ecosystem, Samsung is set to replace the OneDrive integration in its Gallery Android app with a fresh partnership with Google Photos. This change comes on the heels of Microsoft’s announcement that OneDrive photo backup in Samsung’s Gallery app will cease operations after September 30, 2026. Reports from 9to5Google indicate that the new cloud sync feature with Google Photos is already being rolled out to select Galaxy users.
To activate this new integration, Galaxy users will need to ensure they have the latest updates for the Gallery Cloud Sync, Samsung Cloud, and Samsung Gallery apps. These updates are gradually becoming available for Galaxy phones operating on Android 13 or newer.
According to Google’s support page, there are specific limitations to be aware of: the Google Photos integration does not support personal Google accounts that are supervised by a parent, nor does it work with Google Workspace accounts. Once the feature is enabled, Galaxy users will have the ability to back up not only their primary camera roll but also specific albums and local device folders, such as Downloads and Screenshots, to Google Photos.
However, this integration does come with its own set of caveats. For instance, when the Google Photos backup is activated within the Samsung Gallery app, edited photos will be displayed as separate items in the Google Photos app. Additionally, photos synced from Samsung will not be accessible in all Google Photos features, including Memories and Live albums.
This transition follows Samsung’s earlier decision to phase out its own Messages app in favor of Google Messages, which offers end-to-end encryption for RCS messages. Despite these changes, the Samsung Gallery app will continue to operate alongside the Google Photos app on Galaxy devices. Furthermore, Samsung remains committed to developing its own web browser for Android and Windows, providing an alternative to the pre-installed Google Chrome.
