Is Samsung Gallery OneDrive sync ending?

Yes. Samsung Gallery stops syncing with Microsoft OneDrive on September 30, 2026. Photos already in OneDrive are not deleted and stay available in the OneDrive app and on the web, but any photo stored only in OneDrive will vanish from the Gallery app.

How do I back up Samsung Gallery to Google Photos?

Open Samsung Gallery, tap the menu, then go to Settings > Sync photos and videos and choose your Google account. The option is rolling out gradually starting with Gallery version 15.9.01.7, so update Gallery, Gallery Cloud Sync and Samsung Cloud from the Galaxy Store if you do not see it.

Does Samsung Gallery Google Photos sync use my Google storage?

Yes. Photos and videos are backed up in original quality and count against your Google account storage, which is shared with Gmail and Drive. The free allowance is 15GB, so large libraries may need a paid Google One plan.

Can I see my whole Google Photos library in Samsung Gallery?

No. Samsung's apps can only see photos and videos that were backed up from a Galaxy device through the Gallery sync feature. Pictures added to Google Photos from other phones or computers stay in Google Photos only.

Can I use a work or school Google account for Samsung Gallery sync?

No. Google says the feature needs a personal Google account, so Google Workspace accounts and supervised Family Link accounts cannot be used. The phone or tablet also needs Android 13 or later.

Samsung Gallery Now Syncs to Google Photos as OneDrive Ends

Samsung Gallery version 15.9.01.7 has begun switching on a new Sync photos and videos option that backs Galaxy photos up to your Google account, with the files showing up in Google Photos. It arrives 12 days before Samsung's existing OneDrive sync shuts down on September 30, 2026, so anyone who relies on Gallery for cloud backup now has a direct replacement to move to.

The rollout is staged. The option was first spotted this morning on Gallery 15.9.01.7, but plenty of Galaxy phones on the same build do not show it yet. Samsung has not put out an announcement, though Google has already published a help page that spells out how the feature works.

Samsung Galaxy phone screen showing a grid of app icons in low light — A Galaxy phone's app screen. Google Photos backup is now appearing inside Samsung's own Gallery app.

How to turn it on

If your phone has the option, it sits inside Gallery rather than in the Google Photos app:

Open Samsung Gallery and tap the menu (three lines).
Go to Settings > Sync photos and videos.
Pick your Google account and grant the permission it asks for.

If the entry is missing, update Gallery, Gallery Cloud Sync and Samsung Cloud from the Galaxy Store, then check again. Samsung's cloud component for this is a separate system app called Gallery Cloud Sync, and all three pieces need to be current. Beyond that, availability is controlled on Samsung's side and there is no way to force it.

Who can use it

According to Google's help page for the feature, you need a compatible Samsung phone or tablet running Android 13 or later and a personal Google account. Workspace accounts from work or school do not qualify, and neither do supervised accounts managed through Family Link. Google adds that availability can vary by account type, device model and region, and no country list has been published.

What it backs up, and what it costs you

Photos and videos are uploaded in original quality and count against your Google account storage, the same pool shared by Gmail and Drive. The free tier is 15GB, so a phone with years of 4K video will fill it quickly. You choose which albums and local folders are included, such as Screenshots or Downloads. Timestamps, location and favourites travel with each file.

The link is one-way in an important sense. Samsung's apps can see only the items that were backed up from a Galaxy device through this sync, not the rest of your Google Photos library. So Gallery does not turn into a full Google Photos browser, which is how some other phone makers' gallery apps behave.

A few behaviours are worth knowing before you flip the switch:

Edits: an edit made in Samsung Gallery shows up in Google Photos as a new photo alongside the original. Edits made in Google Photos stay in Google Photos and do not overwrite Samsung's copy.
Deletions sync in both directions, and deleted items sit in the trash until its retention period runs out.
Private Album: moving a picture into Gallery's Private Album permanently deletes its cloud copy in Google Photos.
Secure Folder: moving an item there does not remove the cloud copy. You have to delete it from Google Photos yourself.
Turning it off stops new uploads but leaves existing backups in place. To cut the link completely, remove Samsung's access under your Google account's connected apps.

What happens to your OneDrive photos on September 30

Microsoft's own support notice says nothing already in OneDrive is deleted or changed. What stops is the connection: Gallery will no longer upload new shots to OneDrive, and every photo stored only in OneDrive will disappear from the Gallery app. Those files remain available in the OneDrive app and on the web.

If you want to stay with Microsoft, open the OneDrive app, sign in, go to your account profile, choose Camera backup and turn it on. If you want local copies of cloud-only pictures before the cutoff, use Gallery's Download originals option while the OneDrive link still works. For a wider comparison of where to keep your photos, see our guide to cloud storage and backup apps.

Google Photos itself recently changed how long deleted items stay recoverable, which matters now that Gallery deletions sync across. We covered that in our report on the Google Photos trash change. Galaxy owners waiting on Samsung's next big software update can check the One UI 9 release schedule.