Samsung Gallery Google Photos Sync Is Replacing OneDrive: What Galaxy Users Need to Know

Introduction

Samsung Gallery is going through a major cloud storage change. Samsung’s built-in Gallery integration with Microsoft OneDrive is scheduled to end on September 30, 2026, and a new Google-based Gallery Cloud Sync system is beginning to appear on Galaxy devices. Samsung’s U.S. support site confirms the OneDrive end date, while Google has already published official documentation explaining how the new Samsung Gallery sync works.

This isn’t simply the same thing as turning on backup inside the Google Photos app. The new integration connects Samsung Gallery directly to your personal Google Account, allowing compatible Galaxy phones and tablets to back up selected photos and videos and access supported cloud media from within Samsung Gallery.

There are some important limitations, though. Not everything in your existing Google Photos library becomes visible inside Samsung Gallery, some Google Photos features treat Gallery Cloud Sync uploads differently, and deleting a synced photo can affect both services.

Here’s what Galaxy users in the U.S. should know before making the switch.

Samsung Gallery Google Photos Sync Is Replacing OneDrive: What Galaxy Users Need to Know

1. Samsung Gallery Is Replacing Its OneDrive Integration

For years, Galaxy users have been able to connect Samsung Gallery directly to Microsoft OneDrive. That integration made OneDrive function as the cloud storage layer behind Samsung’s native Gallery app.

That arrangement is coming to an end.

Samsung’s U.S. support documentation states that Gallery sync with OneDrive ends September 30, 2026. Photos and videos already stored in OneDrive won’t automatically disappear when the integration ends. They’ll remain accessible through OneDrive, but Samsung recommends downloading anything you want stored locally on your Galaxy device before the Gallery integration shuts down.

The replacement is called Gallery Cloud Sync, and Google has now documented its integration with Samsung Gallery. Google describes it as a way to automatically save photos and videos from a Samsung device to your Google Account and access supported synced media across Samsung devices and Google Photos.

That distinction matters: Samsung isn’t bringing back the old Samsung Cloud photo service. Your synced media uses storage in your Google Account.

2. What You Need for Samsung Gallery Google Photos Sync

Google’s current requirements are relatively straightforward. You need:

• A compatible Samsung device
• Android 13 or later
• A personal Google Account
• Access to Gallery Cloud Sync for your particular device, account, and region

Google Workspace accounts aren’t supported, and supervised Google Accounts are also excluded. Google additionally warns that availability can vary depending on your device model, account type, and region.

That last point is especially important right now. The existence of Android 13 on your Galaxy phone doesn’t necessarily mean the option will immediately appear.

The rollout appears to depend on Samsung software and app updates as well. Recent reports have identified Samsung Gallery version 15.9.01.7 as enabling the integration on supported devices, but users shouldn’t sideload an unofficial or leaked APK just to force the feature onto an unsupported phone. The normal rollout through Samsung’s software and app-update channels is the safer option.

When the feature is available, Google’s documented English menu path is:

Samsung Gallery → Menu → Settings → Sync Photos and videos

From there, you select your Google Account and authorize the connection.

3. How Samsung Gallery Cloud Sync Actually Works

The biggest misconception to avoid is thinking that Samsung Gallery simply turns into another interface for your entire Google Photos library.

It doesn’t.

Gallery Cloud Sync can back up photos and videos from your Galaxy device to your Google Account. You can choose particular device folders or albums, such as Camera, Screenshots, or Downloads, instead of necessarily uploading everything. Google says you can even disable Camera synchronization while continuing to sync other selected folders.

Supported metadata can also be synchronized, including information such as:

• Timestamps
• Location information
• Favorites status
• Selected albums and device folders

The resulting photos and videos are stored in your Google Account and can be viewed through Google Photos. According to Google, these uploads consume your Google Account storage and are backed up at original quality.

That means your available Google storage becomes an important consideration. The standard free Google Account storage allocation is shared among services such as Google Photos, Google Drive, and Gmail, while additional capacity is available through Google One.

There’s another important restriction: Samsung Gallery does not automatically gain access to every photo already sitting in your Google Photos account.

Google says Samsung can access media originally backed up through Gallery Cloud Sync, but not unrelated Google Photos items that weren’t backed up from a synchronized Samsung device.

For example, photos uploaded to Google Photos from another source shouldn’t automatically turn Samsung Gallery into a complete browser for your entire historical Google Photos collection.

4. Gallery Cloud Sync and Google Photos Backup Aren’t Exactly the Same

This is where the new system gets a little confusing.

A photo stored in your Google Account through Samsung Gallery Cloud Sync isn’t necessarily treated identically to a photo backed up using Google Photos itself.

Google specifically says that unless those items are also backed up through Google Photos, Gallery Cloud Sync media isn’t included in some Google Photos features, including:

• Memories and highlights
• Live albums
• Search

The files are still stored in the Google Account and can be used for basic functions such as viewing and sharing, but some of the more advanced Google Photos library features may not apply.

That makes the new integration more nuanced than simply saying, “Samsung Gallery now uses Google Photos.”

A better way to think about it is that Samsung Gallery now has its own synchronization relationship with your Google Account, while Google Photos remains a separate app with additional backup, organization, search, and library features.

There may consequently be reasons to continue using Google Photos even after Gallery Cloud Sync becomes available, particularly if features such as Memories and Google Photos search matter to you.

5. Be Careful When Deleting or Moving Synced Photos

The new integration also changes how you should think about deleting photos.

Google says that when a synchronized photo or video is deleted from Samsung Gallery or Google Photos, the deletion is synchronized across the apps and cloud storage. In other words, you shouldn’t assume deleting something from Samsung Gallery merely removes the local copy.

Private and locked content requires additional attention.

According to Google’s documentation, moving a backed-up item into Samsung’s Private Album moves the local item while permanently deleting its Google Photos cloud copy without sending that cloud copy to the trash.

Secure Folder behaves differently. If you move an item into Secure Folder because you no longer want it stored in Google Photos, Google says you need to manually delete the cloud copy.

These behaviors make it worth checking the status of important photos before reorganizing a large library.

There’s also a difference between simply turning synchronization off and completely disconnecting your Google Account. Turning off Sync photos and videos stops new backups and removes cloud media access from Samsung apps, but it doesn’t completely revoke the connection between the services.

To fully remove that connection, Google instructs users to remove Gallery Cloud Sync from the linked apps section of their Google Account. Previously backed-up photos aren’t automatically deleted when you do this.

6. What Galaxy Owners Should Do Before September 30

If you currently depend on Samsung Gallery’s OneDrive integration, don’t treat September 30 as a deadline to delete or manually move your entire OneDrive photo collection.

Your existing OneDrive files remain there after Samsung ends Gallery integration. What disappears is the direct synchronization relationship between Samsung Gallery and OneDrive.

A safer transition is to first verify which photos and videos exist locally, which exist only in OneDrive, and which have already been backed up somewhere else. Download any OneDrive-only originals you want available directly on your Galaxy device before changing services.

If Sync Photos and videos with Google appears in Samsung Gallery, you can then evaluate the new service separately rather than assuming it automatically migrates your entire OneDrive library.

It’s also worth watching your Google storage usage. A large Galaxy photo and 4K video library can consume cloud storage quickly, and Gallery Cloud Sync uploads count against your Google Account storage.

Most importantly, avoid assuming that Gallery Cloud Sync and the normal Google Photos backup switch are interchangeable. Google’s documentation shows meaningful differences in library access and Google Photos features, so users who rely heavily on Google Photos may still want to keep its normal backup functionality enabled.

Conclusion

Samsung Gallery’s move from OneDrive toward Google integration is a significant change for Galaxy owners. The good news is that the replacement is no longer just speculation: Google now has official documentation for syncing Samsung Gallery with a Google Account, while Samsung has confirmed that its existing OneDrive Gallery integration ends on September 30, 2026.

The new Gallery Cloud Sync system can back up selected Galaxy photos, videos, folders, and supported metadata to your Google Account while keeping them accessible through Samsung Gallery and Google Photos. But it isn’t a complete mirror of Google Photos. Samsung Gallery only gets access to media associated with the Samsung synchronization system, and Gallery Cloud Sync uploads don’t automatically participate in every Google Photos feature.

For current OneDrive users, the safest approach is therefore not to rush the transition. Make sure important OneDrive-only originals are accounted for, wait until Gallery Cloud Sync officially appears on your supported Galaxy device, and verify that new photos are successfully reaching your Google Account before relying on it as your primary photo backup system.