Here’s when Samsung will ditch Microsoft for photo backups

Samsung’s plan to end OneDrive integration in its Gallery app now has a date. According to a screenshot shared by X user Nirmal Sri, the feature is set to stop working on April 11, 2026. Once the cutoff arrives, users will no longer be able to sync their photos or videos from Samsung Gallery directly to OneDrive, with the company steering them toward Samsung Cloud instead.

This update builds on what we already learned earlier this year, when strings found in our Galaxy app teardown suggested OneDrive support would soon come to an end. At the time, the details hinted at a shift in Samsung’s cloud strategy, but the exact timeline was unclear. Now, the newly spotted date gives us a firmer idea of when the transition is likely to take effect. However, do keep in mind that there’s still a chance it could change before rollout, as the screenshot reportedly comes from a leaked beta build of One UI 8.5.

For users, this means the convenience of automatic OneDrive syncing via the Gallery app is on its way out. While OneDrive will still function as a standalone app, the built-in integration, which allowed seamless cross-device access, is expected to disappear. Samsung will instead encourage users to migrate their backups to Samsung Cloud, effectively reviving a service the company had largely phased out in favor of Microsoft’s solution.

The shift also underscores Samsung’s broader push to tighten its ecosystem. By consolidating data backups under Samsung Cloud, the company can reduce its reliance on Microsoft’s infrastructure while maintaining greater control over user data. Samsung Cloud already backs up essentials like device settings, messages, and call logs, so extending that to photos and videos fits neatly into its strategy of keeping everything within its own ecosystem.

Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed the April 11, 2026, timeline yet, but with the date now surfacing through internal builds, users who rely on OneDrive syncing may want to prepare for the transition sooner rather than later.