Samsung has announced that its native Gallery application can now synchronize directly with users’ Google accounts for media backups. This update follows the company’s decision in September to discontinue the Gallery app’s previous integration with Microsoft OneDrive.
New Google Account Integration and Rollout Details
Previously, Samsung smartphone owners who wanted to utilize Google storage had to rely on the standalone Google Photos app rather than the default Gallery. With the new update, users can keep their media backed up while continuing to use Samsung’s native Gallery app. The feature is currently rolling out exclusively to select Galaxy devices operating on One UI 9, which is Samsung’s newest custom Android interface. The manufacturer stated that availability will expand to additional devices in a phased rollout.
To activate the new synchronization capability, users need to tap the Cloud icon located within the Gallery application or navigate to the Gallery Settings menu and toggle on the sync option for photos and videos.
Multi-Device Access and Storage Management
Because the media files synchronize with a Google account, they become accessible across multiple Samsung Galaxy devices. Users can log into the same account on a secondary device, enable the synchronization feature, and view previews of all synced photos and videos. Downloading the original files requires simply selecting them within the app.
Additionally, Samsung introduced a cleanup function called the Free up space option within the sync settings. This tool deletes the original media files from the local device after they have safely uploaded to Google storage, while keeping the corresponding thumbnails visible inside the Gallery app.
The synchronization process consumes storage space tied to the user’s Google account. Standard Google accounts provide 5GB of free storage by default, which increases to 15GB upon verifying a phone number. Because this storage is shared across various Google services, users requiring additional space can purchase a Google One subscription, priced at $2 monthly for 100GB or $3 monthly for 200GB.
