If you have been using Samsung Gallery to automatically back up your photos and videos to Microsoft OneDrive, there is something important you need to know right now. Samsung has begun removing the OneDrive sync option from its Gallery app without any warning and for many users, the option has already disappeared entirely. Here is the full story, what it means for your photos, and exactly what you need to do to make sure nothing gets lost.
A Partnership That Lasted Seven Years Is Coming to an End
Samsung Gallery and Microsoft OneDrive have been connected since 2019. For seven years, Galaxy phone owners could back up their entire photo and video library directly to OneDrive through the Gallery app itself, without needing a separate Microsoft application installed. It was a convenient, seamless integration that millions of people relied on without even thinking about it.
That partnership is ending. Microsoft officially confirmed that OneDrive integration within Samsung Gallery will be permanently discontinued on September 30, 2026. The announcement gave users a few months to prepare and find alternatives. What nobody expected, however, was for Samsung to start pulling the feature before that deadline.
Samsung Is Already Removing the Option Without Warning
According to reports first noted by SammyGuru, users who have recently updated their Samsung Gallery app are finding that the OneDrive sync option has simply vanished. No notification, no in-app warning, no explanation it is just gone. This is happening to users who had never previously enabled the feature, meaning the ability to turn it on for the first time has already been removed in newer versions of the app, weeks ahead of the official September 30 deadline.
If you already had OneDrive sync enabled before this change, you are in a slightly better position. Existing users who previously activated the feature can continue syncing until the end date on September 30, 2026. But for anyone who has not yet turned it on, that option is no longer available regardless of what the official deadline says.
What Happens to Your Photos If You Do Nothing
This is the part that matters most, and it is worth understanding clearly. If you currently have photos and videos stored in OneDrive through the Samsung Gallery integration and you decide to stop using OneDrive altogether, those files will no longer appear inside Samsung Gallery. They will not be deleted from OneDrive itself they will still exist in Microsoft's cloud but they will become invisible within the Gallery app on your phone. To access them, you would need to open the OneDrive app directly or log into the OneDrive website.
If the original file is already saved on your device, nothing changes for those local copies. The concern is specifically for photos that exist only in OneDrive as cloud backups and not locally on the phone.
How to Keep Using OneDrive for Photo Backup Going Forward
Even though Samsung Gallery is removing its built-in OneDrive integration, you can still use OneDrive to back up your camera roll. You just need to set it up differently through the dedicated OneDrive app. Here is exactly how to do it:
Open the OneDrive app on your phone. If it is not installed, download it from the Galaxy Store or Google Play Store. Log in with your Microsoft account note that this may be different from your Samsung account, so make sure you are using the correct credentials. Tap your profile icon in the top left corner of the app. Select Camera backup from the menu. Make sure the correct Microsoft account is selected. Toggle Camera backup on. Grant OneDrive access to your photos and videos when prompted.
Once this is set up, your camera roll will automatically back up to OneDrive just as before the difference is simply that it now runs through the OneDrive app rather than through Samsung Gallery directly.
What Are Your Alternatives If You Want to Move Away From OneDrive?
If this change makes you reconsider whether OneDrive is the right backup solution for you, there are several alternatives worth considering. Google Photos remains the most widely used option and integrates naturally with Android. Samsung's own cloud backup through Samsung Account is another option that works directly within the Galaxy ecosystem. Dropbox and iCloud are further alternatives for those who prefer cross-platform flexibility.
Whichever service you choose, the most important thing is to make sure your backup is actively running before September 30, 2026 to avoid any gap in your photo protection.
The Bigger Picture What This Means for Samsung and Microsoft
This change reflects a shift in how both companies are approaching their cloud storage strategies. Microsoft is increasingly focused on OneDrive as a standalone product rather than as an embedded feature inside partner apps. Samsung, meanwhile, has been pushing its own cloud services and Google's ecosystem more aggressively as the default path for Galaxy users.
For everyday Galaxy phone users, the practical impact is manageable the backup still works, just through a different route. But the sudden and unannounced removal of the option from newer Gallery app versions, weeks before the official deadline, is exactly the kind of change that catches people off guard and puts years of memories at risk if no action is taken.
Check your Samsung Gallery app today. If the OneDrive sync option is still showing, make sure it is turned on and actively working. If it has already disappeared, follow the steps above to set up OneDrive backup through the standalone app before September 30.
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