Samsung Gallery finally syncs directly with Google Photos: Here's how to turn it on

Samsung Gallery now plays much better with Google Photos than it did before.

Earlier this month, it was rumored that Samsung would shift away from OneDrive as the dedicated cloud backup solution for its Gallery app in favor of Google Photos. And now, that integration finally appears to be rolling out.

As spotted by tipster Ice Universe on X, Samsung has started rolling out Google Photos sync inside the Samsung Gallery app. The feature is reportedly appearing with Samsung Gallery version 15.9.01.7 and adds a new "Sync photos and videos" option in the app's settings.

That said, we aren't seeing the integration live on any of our Samsung devices just yet. According to the tipster, though, the feature should start reaching more users very soon.

If you're unfamiliar with how this works, the new integration lets you sync photos and videos from Samsung Gallery directly to Google Photos without using the Google Photos app. You'll be able to keep using Samsung Gallery as your primary photo app while your media gets backed up to Google's cloud service in the background.

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Google Photos is replacing OneDrive in Samsung Gallery

Until now, Samsung has had a partnership with Microsoft that made OneDrive the dedicated cloud backup option inside Gallery. But that agreement is ending later this month, and Samsung is now switching over to Google Photos.

Other Android manufacturers, including OnePlus and Xiaomi, already offer direct Google Photos syncing from their gallery apps, so it's great to see Samsung getting on board as well.

Once the feature is available, you'll be able to choose which albums are synced to Google Photos and control things like whether syncing can happen over mobile data or while roaming. According to a Google support page, you'll need a Samsung device running Android 13 or later with both Samsung and Google accounts signed in.

The feature will use a service called Gallery Cloud Sync behind the scenes. Google also notes that photos and videos will be backed up in their original quality. And importantly, if you delete a synced photo from either Samsung Gallery or Google Photos, it will also be removed from the other app and the cloud.

There is one limitation, though. This doesn't turn Samsung Gallery into a complete Google Photos client. You'll only see photos in Samsung Gallery that were synced through Samsung's Gallery app. Older photos that were previously backed up directly through Google Photos won't appear inside Samsung Gallery.

If you want to check whether the feature has reached your phone, open the Samsung Gallery app and head to Menu > Settings > Sync > Sync photos and videos. If the option is available, you should be able to set up Google Photos syncing from there.

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