Samsung Gallery Will Stop Syncing With Microsoft OneDrive in September 2026

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Samsung and Microsoft are ending their cloud storage collaboration. At the close of September 2026, the integration between Samsung Gallery and Microsoft OneDrive will be fully deprecated, leaving millions of Galaxy device owners searching for alternative ways to back up their photos and videos.

The move, first flagged by Microsoft in a statement issued in mid-May 2026, severs a feature that has long served as a strong Google Photos alternative for Samsung users who prefer to avoid locking themselves into Google’s ecosystem. Here’s what’s changing — and what you can do about it.

What’s Happening and When

Microsoft confirmed that Samsung Gallery “will no longer sync directly with OneDrive,” with the change taking full effect on October 1, 2026. After that date, users will not be able to link the two services. Photos currently stored in OneDrive will cease to appear in the Samsung Gallery app on mobile devices, and sync-dependent features — including the ability to view synced photos on Samsung TVs and smart appliances — will stop working.

To its credit, Samsung has deployed verbose on-device announcements ahead of the change, giving users a several-month window to find alternative backup solutions. Users can use the Download Originals option in Samsung Gallery before the deadline to retrieve their full-resolution photos back into local storage.

According to Android Authority, Samsung already appears to be cutting OneDrive support ahead of schedule. Devices that never set up OneDrive sync have already lost the option in the Gallery app’s settings — a change Engadget was able to independently confirm. The feature is expected to be absent entirely at launch on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 and Flip8, which are expected to debut at Samsung’s Unpacked event in London later this month.

How to Keep Using OneDrive on Samsung

The word “directly” in Microsoft’s announcement is significant. While Samsung Gallery’s built-in sync is going away, users can still back up photos and videos to OneDrive — just not through Samsung’s own app.

The workaround is straightforward: download the official Microsoft OneDrive app from the Google Play Store. Once installed, sign into your Microsoft account, navigate to the Account Profile section, and enable the Camera Backup option. Grant the necessary permissions, and your photos and videos will continue syncing to OneDrive automatically.

Alternative Cloud Backup Options

If the OneDrive disruption has you reconsidering your cloud storage strategy, several solid alternatives exist:

Google Photos remains a robust option with powerful AI features, though users should be mindful of Google’s privacy policies and the risk of having media ingested for AI training.
Dropbox and Amazon Photos also offer reliable photo sync solutions for mobile devices.
For those seeking more control, open-source self-hosted options like Immich (a Google Photos alternative) and Nextcloud (a broader cloud platform) provide full ownership of your data. These options require your own hardware — such as a NAS or home server — and some technical know-how to configure networking and security properly.

A Partnership Unravels

Samsung has long sat in a unique position within the computing ecosystem: its phones run Google’s Android, but it also manufactures Windows PCs, giving it strong ties to both companies. The Samsung Gallery-OneDrive integration was a product of that dual allegiance, offering a seamless cross-device experience that neither Google nor Microsoft could replicate on their own. With this feature being discontinued, Galaxy users lose a convenient bridge between their phone’s camera roll and their Windows desktop.

The September deadline is firm, so Galaxy owners who rely on the OneDrive sync should make arrangements well before the end of September 2026 to avoid any disruption to their photo backup workflows.

Samsung-Gallery on Know the Tech

Samsung Gallery Will Stop Syncing With Microsoft OneDrive in September 2026

What’s Happening and When

How to Keep Using OneDrive on Samsung

Alternative Cloud Backup Options

A Partnership Unravels