One UI is one of the best Android-based custom UIs. And unlike Google and Motorola, you do get a dedicated Gallery app, which also works great. However, it wasn’t perfect. If you wanted a proper cloud backup, you were stuck with OneDrive.
Now, Samsung is finally fixing that. Galaxy devices are gaining direct Google Photos integration inside Samsung Gallery. This lets users sync their photos, videos, and selected albums to a Google account without requiring users to abandon Samsung’s own app. The change arrives just as Samsung prepares to end its long-running OneDrive Gallery integration on September 30.
You can stay inside Samsung Gallery
Once enabled, the new Gallery Cloud Sync can automatically upload your camera roll and selected folders, including things like Screenshots and Downloads. Backups are stored at original quality and count against your Google Account storage quota.
This makes your media available through both Samsung Gallery and Google Photos, including on other compatible Galaxy devices signed into the same account. Timestamp, location, and favorite metadata can also carry across.
It is worth noting that Google requires Android 13 or newer and a personal Google Account. Workspace accounts and supervised accounts aren’t supported, while availability can still vary by device, account, and region.
You still have to keep this in mind
Keep in mind that this isn’t quite the same as uploading everything directly through the Google Photos app. Media backed up through Samsung Gallery won’t automatically appear in some Google Photos features, including Memories and Highlights, Live Albums, and Search. To get those features, you may still need to back the files up through Google Photos itself.
The integration is also properly two-way. Delete a synced photo from Samsung Gallery, and it can disappear from Google Photos and cloud storage too, and vice versa. Edits also sync between the two services, but Google warns that you may sometimes see both the edited and original versions depending on the app used.
Aside from this, I much prefer the more intuitive Google Photos integration to the Microsoft OneDrive or the Samsung Cloud experience.
