Samsung Gallery Drops OneDrive Backup, Adds Direct Google Photos Sync

The change ends years of Microsoft OneDrive integration inside Samsung's default gallery app and gives Galaxy users a direct route to Google's cloud storage. Photos and videos already backed up to OneDrive are unaffected, and users who still want Microsoft's service can continue backing up through the OneDrive app, though the process is no longer built into Gallery.

Setting up the new sync requires a personal Google account. Workspace accounts tied to work or school are not supported. Gallery must be running version 15.9.01.7 or later, which users can check by updating the app through the Galaxy Store. Inside the app, users tap the menu icon at the bottom, choose Settings, open Sync photos and videos, select the Google account they want to use and tap Continue.

Gallery then displays the account's storage status and begins uploading. By default only the camera roll is backed up, a scope that can be widened through the Albums to sync option in the same menu, where toggles also permit syncing over mobile data or while roaming. If the account runs low on space, Gallery offers options to free up storage in Google Photos or upgrade a Google One plan without leaving the menu.

Once the connection is active, the two libraries stay in step. Backed-up items can be viewed in the Google Photos app or on the web, and deleting a photo in either app removes it from the other automatically. Edits behave differently depending on where they are made: a photo edited in Samsung Gallery is updated across the user's Samsung devices but appears in Google Photos as a new photo, while a photo edited in Google Photos is updated inside Gallery.

The sync does not deliver the complete Google Photos experience. Photos backed up through Gallery Cloud Sync do not appear in Google Photos Memories, Highlights, Live Albums or Search, so users who rely on those features must back up directly through the Google Photos app. Samsung Gallery also displays only photos and videos that were backed up through Gallery Cloud Sync, meaning items uploaded from another device through the Google Photos app will not show up in Gallery. Unlike Google Photos, Samsung Gallery offers no manual backup option for uploading specific photos and videos.

Backing up through Gallery carries its own advantage: users no longer need to keep the Google Photos app installed purely for cloud backup, and can keep managing their library inside Samsung's own app. The trade-off is that the resulting library misses parts of the Google Photos feature set, including web search for items uploaded through Gallery. Samsung has not published a statement on the change beyond the app's behavior, and the report notes that OneDrive remains available as a separate option.