topic Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!! in Galaxy S23

Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

Northernlight — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 22:33:34 GMT

Since my s7 edge or whatever model it was, Samsung Galaxy/Android os has become my worst nightmare. I'm finding that Samsung apps are competing with Google apps and systems rendering a strange purgatory or prison. Not quite related...My Gallery is no longer compatible with my s23 ultra. My Gallery storage is being held hostage because I'm out of storage. I get a persistant/invasive message to buy Microsoft storage when I have tons of space via Google. Gallery won't allow the transfer. Samsung developers NEVER respond to app issues and forget about Samsung support trying to unlink attached Microsoft account to Gallery. I bought an IPhone 17 pro and finding a new carrier. Please don't respond defending Samsung. Advice and insights welcome. I reported a complaint with Google about the Gallery app violations...which I researched. I've had too many Samsung app issues and a partially functional phone.

Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

Mujibar — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 04:30:02 GMT

Please note that if you turn off OneDrive sync as the other user (whose post is now deleted) suggested, your photos will no longer be backed up to OneDrive after that point. I suggest offloading your pics to an external drive and backing them up manually. You can then delete them from OneDrive and not have to deal with recurring storage reminders.

Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

nullandvoid — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:01:12 GMT

You could always log out of your Microsoft account. If you need to remain logged in, just go to your gallery, tap the line menu on the bottom right, select settings, and slide off sync with OneDrive. If it does not toggle off, clear the app cache for the gallery. In case you don't realize it, Microsoft and Google are two different companies, neither of which Samsung has any control over. Just because they allow linking, doesn't mean they have any responsibility for it. Microsoft does not know you have tons of storage with Google, it only knows you have used up your allocated space in OneDrive.

Your gallery is not being held hostage, you have it misconfigured. You can download your photos to a flash drive from either your Gallery or OneDrive. You can't direct transfer from one account to another - you can download and upload. The photos synced with one drive are likely duplicates of the Google backup.

Re: Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

Northernlight — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 02:02:09 GMT

I should be able to just transfer files to another cloud/storage account. Your suggestion is a last resort, like Plan Z. I have a feeling that will be an issue as well. My opinion is Gallery connected to OneDrive is inefficient. At least Google is concise and pretty much seamless. I should be able to use my phone and move my storage however I want without having my files held hostage and forced to buy storage in order to release my files in Gallery. There is a very serious problem with this tactic.
I believe the developers of Gallery app are in violation and many other users have reported the same exact issues. This isn't occurring in a vacuum and I'm clueless about how to use technology, it's a widespread issue for users which logically infers a significant issue with the app but on the developer end. I'm not letting this one go.

Re: Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

Northernlight — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 02:10:11 GMT

I appreciate your advice but I don't 100% agree with not being able to transfer storage. I've been able to move things around in accounts other than those affiliated with Samsung and such. This isn't an individual situation that is only experienced by myself. There are other users who have the same issues with Gallery and whatnot. I can't EVEN transfer to another OneDrive/Microsoft account. That shouldn't be an issue either. I shouldn't have to pay to do so either or have close the app at payment screen because it won't allow access to my files.

Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

meself — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 02:14:26 GMT

My 2 cents you only have so much space or storage if you have bunch or games or music for example taking up alit of space then uou phone will get low on space available

Re: Re: Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

nullandvoid — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 02:19:54 GMT

Every time I open One drive I get a pop up to go premium that I have to close out. It's annoying, but that's not on Samsung, it's on Microsoft. I have that popup even on my computer. You still have access to your files - big deal you have to close out a window. Close out the window and download your stuff to a flash drive. Then you can upload it wherever you want. If you don't want to dave to one drive, simply log out of your MS account or turn off sync to one drive.

Re: Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

Northernlight — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 02:26:15 GMT

My phone storage has plenty of storage. The issue is specific to Samsung Gallery app which apparently no longer works on my device and OneDrive. I understand the 'space' that is occupied in storage and how to clean up storage. I understand that storage is not infinite which was why I was trying to transfer some to an account other than Samsung and Microsoft. I wish I hadn't used either but if I could have managed storage in Gallery and OneDrive before I would have. I didn't have the foresight and utilized Google Drive forgetting about the Samsung specific storage.

Re: Re: Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

meself — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 02:27:47 GMT

I was giving example I understand your issue seems one drive took over for samsung cloud as far as I recall

Re: Re: Re: Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

Northernlight — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 02:36:13 GMT

I shouldn't have to close an entire app and start over because it freezes at the payment screen. That is a waste of time to reopen the app start over again only to get to the payment screen again. It's beyond annoying. Someone built that function into the app. It doesn't magically appear because of my settings. I'm not the only person experiencing this. Toggle sync off doesn't do anything except not back up files. It doesn't allow access to storage. It asks for payment!!!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

Northernlight — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 02:48:00 GMT

It's infuriating because it's the most inefficient way to manage storage accounts. I don't encounter anything like this with other storage accounts. It should be pretty seamless. I can't stand counterintuitive or systems that are messy. I'm over it. I've moved on from Samsung and Android os. I just want my storage files and I'm sure others with the same issue want resolution as well.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

nullandvoid — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 02:48:19 GMT

Again, it's a Microsoft issue. Have you ever performed maintenance on your phone, like wiping the cache partition? There's a lot of things in this world we shouldn't have to do. At least blame the correct party for your issue. Hint: it's not Samsung.

Re: Re: Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

Mujibar — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 03:31:57 GMT

Ok, have it your way 🙄

Re: Re: Samsung Gallery Held Hostage!!

nullandvoid — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:47:48 GMT

Provide a screenshot of the popup you are getting.