What to know

  • OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo and Realme users can integrate Google Photos into their default gallery app.
  • The update lets you backup images and videos from the gallery app to Photos app as well as allows you to view your Photos library in your stock gallery app.
  • Integrate Google Photos into Gallery app by going to Settings > Backup to Google Photos > Backup on your gallery app, then ‘Allow’ access on the Photos app.

Most Android phones have two gallery apps – one that is pre-installed by the OEM, the other Google Photos. But thanks to a recent update, users will be able to integrate Google Photos into their OEM’s gallery app so they won’t have to switch back and forth between the two.

The integration will allow you to view your Google Photos library from the default gallery app on your device as well as backup your images and videos from within the gallery app itself. 

The Google Photos integration is available for a few manufacturers’ devices, which include OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Realme. Users will be able to grant access to Google Photos from within their device’s default gallery app. To do so, open the gallery app, tap Settings > Backup to Google Photos > Backup. Depending on your OEM, the gallery app may refer to Google Photos as ‘cloud-sync’ or ‘cloud-backup’.

  • Image: 9to5google
  • Image: 9to5google

Then open the Google Photos app and grant access to the gallery app. 

  • Image: 9to5google
  • Image: 9to5google

Google’s support page details the steps for turning the gallery access on or off. The feature is available for device running Android 11 or newer, so many older phones will be able to take advantage of it as well. 

One thing to note is that even among these manufacturers, there are differences in the level of integration. Of the four OEMs, Xiaomi’s integration also allows two-way syncing of albums, which is not supported for others OEM gallery apps, and is mentioned on Google’s support page separately for that.