Samsung is moving its Gallery app’s cloud sync service from Microsoft OneDrive to Google storage. The company has officially shared details about the change following the end of direct OneDrive syncing on September 30.
The new Google storage integration is now rolling out to select Galaxy phones and tablets running One UI 9. However, the rollout will happen in phases, and some markets may not receive the feature.
The integration uses your existing Google account storage. Users get 15GB of free space shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. More storage is available through Google One subscriptions. However, Samsung Gallery does not provide additional storage, so available space depends on your current Google account usage.
There is another limitation at launch. Samsung Gallery only displays photos and videos synced after users enable the new feature. Existing Google Photos libraries will not appear automatically. However, Samsung’s wording suggests this could change in a future update.
Meanwhile, photos and videos previously synced to OneDrive remain accessible through Microsoft’s app and website. Users do not lose access to their existing cloud backups.
Samsung has also introduced a new free up space feature. It removes original files from the device after syncing them to the cloud. However, thumbnails remain visible in the Gallery app.
The feature also makes switching to a new Galaxy device easier. Users can enable sync with the same Samsung and Google accounts to see previews of their existing library. They can then download original files whenever needed.
The move gives Samsung Galaxy users another way to manage their photos without relying on direct OneDrive integration. However, users will need to monitor their Google storage, especially if they already use it for Gmail and other services.
