Samsung Gallery now syncs with Google to back up your photos

Samsung announced that its native Gallery application can synchronize media with a user’s Google storage, a capability that becomes active through a cloud icon or a toggle in the app’s settings. The feature is limited to certain Galaxy phones and tablets running the latest One UI 9, but Samsung says the rollout will continue in stages. Once enabled, the synced items appear as thumbnails on any other Samsung device logged into the same Google account, and users can download the full files on demand. A “Free up space” option lets the phone delete the original files after they’ve been uploaded, leaving only the thumbnails in the Gallery. The backup consumes the user’s Google Drive quota—5 GB free by default, expandable to 15 GB after phone‑number verification, with paid Google One plans starting at $2 per month for 100 GB or $3 for 200 GB.

The move marks Samsung’s pivot away from its brief OneDrive partnership, which was terminated in September, toward deeper integration with Google’s ecosystem. Historically, Samsung users who wanted cloud backup had to rely on Google Photos as a separate app, creating a fragmented experience. By embedding Google sync in the native Gallery, Samsung reduces friction and aligns its flagship Android skin with the services that most Android users already consume. This mirrors a broader industry pattern where OEMs bundle third‑party cloud storage to compensate for the modest uptake of their own services, while also acknowledging Google’s dominance in Android‑based media management. Apple’s iCloud remains tightly coupled to iOS, but Samsung’s approach effectively makes Google Drive the default cloud for its Android flagship, potentially eroding the incentive for users to adopt Samsung Cloud or other proprietary solutions.

Looking ahead, Samsung’s reliance on Google storage could expose it to pricing changes or policy shifts from Google, and it may limit the company’s ability to monetize its own cloud offerings. The phased rollout means early adopters will test the sync stability and the “Free up space” deletion workflow, which could surface bugs or data‑loss concerns. Observers should monitor whether Samsung expands the feature to older devices, how it positions its own cloud services in parallel, and whether Microsoft seeks a new partnership after the OneDrive cut. Additionally, the impact on Google One subscription uptake among Samsung users will be a key metric of the integration’s commercial success.