Google Photos is coming to Samsung TVs. There’s just one catch

If you’re rocking one of the best Android phones, chances are you’re using Google Photos to back up your shots and precious memories. And if you ever wanted to browse or share them on a bigger screen than your phone, tablet, or monitor, there’s good news – Google Photos support has now arrived on Samsung TVs. Well, some of them, at least.

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Google Photos support is only confirmed for eligible 2026 Samsung TVs, and neither Google or Samsung has said which specific models are supported yet, which isn’t entirely helpful.

This also means that if you were hoping to bring your existing TV up to speed, there’s no sign of that happening right now – though we’re not ruling out any future updates.

We can’t imagine the hardware requirements are too demanding, so the slower rollout might be due to the fact that the integration with Samsung’s OS is deeper than one imght imagine:

For those pioneers who do have a newer Samsung TV model that is supported, your photos won’t just appear in the Google Photos feed. Rather, they’re spread across Samsung’s interface, including the Daily Plus row – where a rotating selection of memories refreshes automatically – as well as a dedicated app launcher for full-screen viewing, and a widget that surfaces images throughout the day.

There are also, mercifully, a few safeguards to stop things getting awkward on a big screen. You can switch between Standard and Guest modes in Google Photos, with Guest mode automatically filtering 

That’s all the info we have for the time being, but we’ll update this story with confirmed models, as and when the info comes in.

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Esat Dedezade Contributor

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.