An important change is coming to Samsung Gallery, which will see automatic backups to Microsoft OneDrive turned off in favor of a new integration with Google Photos. Users who want to continue backing up their media automatically should take action now to avoid leaving new photos and videos unprotected, and be aware of the trade-offs that come with the change.

The move, scheduled for September 30, ends Samsung Gallery’s seven-year-long tie-in with Microsoft OneDrive, which currently lets the app sync seamlessly with Microsoft-backed cloud storage. Samsung has already begun winding this integration down in preparation for the switch, after which future automatic cloud backups will require a personal Google account.

Google Photos sync from Samsung Gallery is rolling out now, subject to eligibility and region, and a new Google support page is already in place. Users have reported seeing the new feature starting from Samsung Gallery version 15.9.01.7.

Your OneDrive Backups Are Safe

It’s important to note that if you simply do nothing, you won’t lose anything you have already backed up. Samsung Gallery will no longer sync to OneDrive, but you’ll be able to access your existing backups via the OneDrive app or onedrive.com . Furthermore, OneDrive Camera backup remains available directly from the OneDrive app, but it’s an upload-only option that won’t sync media back down from the cloud.

However, new photos and videos will remain unprotected unless you switch to a new backup option.

Enable Google Photos Sync Manually In Samsung Gallery

If you want to maintain seamless cloud backup integration with Samsung Gallery, you’ll need to switch over to Google Photos manually when the feature becomes available to you.

To begin the process, open Samsung Gallery, go to Settings from the main menu, select Sync Photos and Videos, then follow the instructions. You’ll need Android 13 or later and a personal Google account. Availability also varies by device, account and region.

If you don’t see the new Google Photos option yet, you can use the option below to ensure continuity of your backups.

You Can Continue Backing Up To OneDrive Automatically

If you want to stick with OneDrive for photo backup, you can install the Microsoft OneDrive Android app and enable “Camera backup” there.

This will ensure your camera roll continues to back up to OneDrive regardless of how Samsung Gallery is configured. For full instructions, see Microsoft’s support article . This is probably the best option for users with large OneDrive quotas, like Microsoft 365 subscribers.

However, if you take this route, you’ll still lose OneDrive photo access from within Samsung Gallery. Your media will continue to back up safely, but the easy integration with Gallery will be gone.

The Two Backup Systems Give Different Features

A big bonus for many is that you get more free storage with Google Photos (15GB) than you do with OneDrive (5GB). However, that quota is shared with other Google services such as Gmail and Drive. Unlike OneDrive, Google Photos also offers a Storage Saver option, but this option isn’t available in Gallery Cloud Sync, which always backs up your media in original quality.

One potential disadvantage for existing Google Photos users is that media backed up through Samsung Gallery won’t appear in Google Photos Search, Memories or highlights.

The new Google Photos integration functions as a two-way synchronization, just like the current OneDrive integration. The OneDrive app’s Camera backup feature is upload-only and won’t sync back changes made in the cloud.

Samsung Gallery and Google Photos also handle secure or hidden content differently, so if you move a backed-up photo into a Private Album on Samsung Gallery, it will be permanently deleted from Google Photos following your confirmation. Moving media to the Secure Folder leaves the cloud copy intact until you manually delete it.

OneDrive To Google Photos: No Easy Transfer

The September 30 deadline only applies to new backups, so there’s no need to move your existing Samsung Gallery OneDrive backups to Google Photos. However, note that unlike Apple iCloud , OneDrive offers no direct cloud-to-cloud transfer tool. If you do want to migrate your data over, you’ll have to either download and re-upload your photos manually, or use a third-party cloud transfer service.

Remember that Google Photos offers a two-way synchronized backup of your media. Trashing a synced photo in Samsung Gallery also deletes the backup copy from Google Photos (unless another copy remains in Samsung Gallery).

Similarly, if you delete synchronized media from the Google Photos app or Google Photos on the web, they will also be deleted from Samsung Gallery. Deleted files remain retrievable for up to 30 days , but after that, anything you’ve deleted will be gone permanently. If you want to clear up space on your device without deleting your cloud backups, use Google Photos’ built-in “ Free up space ” feature.