Samsung and Microsoft are ending their cloud storage partnership on September 30, cutting direct sync between the Samsung Gallery app and OneDrive. Microsoft announced the change in mid-May, stating that starting October 1, Gallery will no longer link to OneDrive, and photos stored in the cloud will vanish from the app, Samsung TVs, and smart appliances. The media remains accessible via OneDrive's website or app and can be downloaded back to local storage.

Samsung has already begun removing the OneDrive sync option from Gallery for users who never enabled it. Engadget confirms the setting is gone on test devices, and the feature will likely be absent at launch on the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Flip8, expected to debut at Samsung Unpacked in London later this month. The move severs a rare bridge between Samsung's Android phones and its Windows PCs, where OneDrive integration previously offered seamless cross-device photo access.

Users can still back up to OneDrive by installing the standalone OneDrive app from the Play Store and enabling Camera Backup. Alternatives include Google Photos, Dropbox, and Amazon Photos, though each carries privacy trade-offs. For full control, self-hosted options like Immich or Nextcloud require a NAS or home server but avoid vendor lock-in entirely.