Samsung is planning to remove Microsoft OneDrive as the default photo backup option in its Gallery app on Galaxy phones, replacing it with its own Samsung Cloud service, according to recent leaks from an APK teardown. In One UI 8.5, strings such as “Sync with OneDrive ending soon” have been found, suggesting that support for OneDrive will be deprecated. While users will no longer have OneDrive deeply built into Gallery, they will still be able to sync via the OneDrive app itself if desired. No firm date has been set for the switch. Though this marks a significant shift in Samsung’s long-standing partnership with Microsoft—under which OneDrive has served as the baked-in cloud backup since 2019—Samsung appears to be moving toward greater reliance on its own cloud infrastructure.
Sources: Android Authority, Windows Central,
Key Takeaways
– Samsung is preparing to remove OneDrive integration from its Gallery app as the default photo backup service, based on internal strings in its upcoming One UI 8.5 release.
– In place of OneDrive, Samsung Cloud will take over the role of backing up photos and videos, including syncing across its devices.
– Users won’t lose the option to use OneDrive altogether, but it will no longer be deeply integrated; they’ll need to use the OneDrive app manually if they want that service.
In-Depth
Samsung’s forthcoming change marks a shift in how the company handles photo backups for its Galaxy phones. Since 2019, Samsung has leaned on a partnership with Microsoft that allowed the Gallery app on Galaxy devices to use OneDrive as the default cloud backup location for photos. This made syncing very seamless for users: out of the box, photos taken with the phone could be backed up, accessed across devices, and integrated into OneDrive’s ecosystem without extra setup. That partnership has meant that Samsung dropped parts of its own earlier cloud-backup mechanisms in favor of Microsoft’s infrastructure.
Leaks have surfaced in the code for One UI 8.5 that suggest Samsung will end this integration. Phrases like “Sync with OneDrive ending soon” and descriptions that OneDrive support will end are appearing in the APK teardown of the Gallery app. The plan seems to be to introduce or re-activate Samsung’s own cloud backup (Samsung Cloud) to cover photo and video syncing across its device portfolio. That means photos will be stored, synced, and accessed via Samsung’s infrastructure rather than Microsoft’s—though the OneDrive app itself will still function for those who prefer it. There is, however, no official date yet for when the switching-off will occur. Samsung will presumably give users time to migrate or adjust their backup preferences.
From a user perspective, this could have several consequences. Some will appreciate tighter integration with Samsung’s own ecosystem, potentially better sync and optimization for Galaxy hardware. Others may find the change disruptive: people who rely heavily on OneDrive’s cross-platform features or Microsoft-centric workflow might need to reconfigure backups, move data manually, or pay for additional cloud storage from Samsung if its terms differ. It also reflects a broader trend among device makers to reclaim services that had been outsourced or deeply tied to partners, perhaps to increase control or to capture more revenue and data. While the exact timing and full feature set aren’t yet confirmed, this is one of those shifts that could impact a lot of users quietly but significantly.