Summary: Samsung announced a partnership with Google to bring Google Photos natively to Samsung AI TVs starting March 2026, with the Memories feature exclusive to Samsung for six months. Users will browse curated photo stories organized by people, places, and moments directly on their TV screen through Vision AI Companion integration. Later in 2026, Samsung will add AI-powered creative tools using Google DeepMind’s Nano Banana model for photo transformation and video generation. The integration requires a Google Account with backed-up photos and will roll out first to 2026 TV models, then to older models via OS updates.
Samsung announced on December 28, 2025, that it’s partnering with Google to bring Google Photos directly to Samsung AI TVs, launching with an exclusive Memories feature in March 2026. This marks the first time Google Photos will appear natively on television screens, transforming how families view and relive their photo libraries in the living room. The integration goes beyond simple casting it weaves Google Photos into Samsung’s Vision AI Companion ecosystem with AI-powered curation, creative tools, and seamless daily display options.
What Samsung and Google Just Announced
Samsung and Google revealed a multi-phase rollout that begins with curated Memories in early 2026 and expands to AI-powered creative features later in the year. According to Kevin Lee, Executive Vice President at Samsung Electronics, the integration aims to make TVs more personal by “bringing to light the stories behind their photos right from the comfort of their living room”. Google Photos Vice President Shimrit Ben-Yair emphasized that the partnership helps people “enjoy their favorite photos on a larger screen and reconnect with their memories in new ways”.
Rollout Timeline and Exclusivity Period
The Memories feature launches exclusively on Samsung TVs in March 2026, with a six-month exclusivity window before expanding to other platforms. Create with AI and Personalized Results will follow in the second half of 2026, with select creative AI templates remaining exclusive to Samsung TVs. Samsung positions itself as “the first to launch Google Photos features” on television, establishing a competitive advantage in the smart TV photo viewing space.
Compatible TV Models
The integration will debut on Samsung’s 2026 AI TV lineup, which includes Neo QLED, QLED, OLED, and The Frame models equipped with Vision AI Companion. Samsung plans to extend support to select 2025 and older TV models through Tizen OS updates, though specific model numbers haven’t been confirmed. The feature requires Samsung’s Vision AI Companion platform, which debuted at IFA 2025 and powers conversational AI interactions across Samsung displays.
Three Major Features Coming to Samsung TVs
Google Photos on Samsung TVs delivers three distinct capabilities that leverage both Google’s cloud organization and Samsung’s on-device AI processing.
Memories (March 2026 Exclusive)
Memories automatically curates photo stories organized by people, places, and moments, creating narrative collections from your backed-up library. The feature uses Google’s machine learning to identify significant events, group similar photos, and surface forgotten moments without manual album creation. Users can browse Memories through the Vision AI Companion interface, with photos displayed in full-screen formats optimized for large displays. Samsung gains six months of exclusivity for this feature before it potentially reaches other smart TV platforms.
Create with AI (Second Half 2026)
The Create with AI toolset uses Google DeepMind’s Nano Banana generative model to transform photos with artistic styles and effects directly on the TV. Samsung describes capabilities including style transfer, object replacement, and video generation from still images. This feature requires on-device processing through Vision AI Companion, which handles AI inference locally rather than sending photos to cloud servers. Some AI templates will remain permanently exclusive to Samsung TVs as part of the partnership agreement.
Personalized Results (Second Half 2026)
Personalized Results enhances search within Google Photos by understanding natural language queries and family member identification. You can ask Vision AI Companion to “show photos from last summer’s beach trip” or “find pictures with grandma,” and the AI will parse your library accordingly. This feature integrates with Samsung’s existing Voice Assistant technology, allowing hands-free photo browsing while viewing from the couch.
- First native Google Photos experience on any TV platform
- Six-month exclusivity for Memories feature provides early access to AI curation
- No phone dependency – browse full library with TV remote or voice commands
- Integration with Daily Board turns any Samsung AI TV into a digital photo frame
- AI creative tools offer on-device photo editing without sending data to cloud servers
- Supports 4K HDR photo formats at full quality
- Seamless authentication with one-time Google Account sign-in
- Limited to 2026 Samsung AI TV models at launch, with uncertain 2025/2024 model support
- Create with AI features require Vision AI Companion hardware, excluding older TVs
- Six-month Samsung exclusivity delays similar features on Google TV and other platforms
- Requires active Google Photos backup – local-only photos won’t sync
- No offline viewing mode for photos when internet connection drops
- Unclear if shared albums from non-Google accounts will appear
How Vision AI Companion Powers the Experience
Samsung’s Vision AI Companion serves as the connective tissue between Google Photos and your TV’s interface, handling authentication, AI processing, and display management. The AI platform launched in November 2025 as Samsung’s answer to conversational TV interfaces, competing with Amazon’s Alexa TV integration and Google TV’s Assistant.
Integration with Daily+ and Daily Board
Google Photos integrates with Samsung’s Daily+ feature, which transforms your TV into an ambient display when not actively streaming content. Daily Board can now pull photos from Google Photos Memories, cycling through curated collections as a living room digital frame. This extends The Frame’s existing art mode functionality to all AI TV models, allowing any Samsung TV to display personal photos with professional formatting.
Seamless Sign-In Process
Users sign into their Google Account once through the TV’s settings, granting Google Photos access without repeated authentication. Vision AI Companion stores encrypted credentials locally, enabling instant photo access when you invoke the feature through voice commands or the home screen. Samsung emphasizes that photo data remains encrypted during transmission and doesn’t train its AI models on personal images.
Technical Requirements and Setup
Running Google Photos on Samsung TVs requires specific account configurations and hardware capabilities.
Account and Backup Requirements
You need a Google Account with photos backed up to Google Photos local device-only photos won’t appear on the TV. The integration accesses your full Google Photos library, including shared albums and partner sharing collections. Samsung recommends enabling automatic backup on your smartphone before using the TV feature to ensure recent photos appear within minutes.
Model Availability and OS Updates
The feature launches first on 2026 Samsung AI TVs running Tizen 8.0 or later, with support for 2025 models arriving through a mid-2026 software update. Older TVs (2024 and earlier) may receive limited functionality depending on hardware capabilities models without Vision AI Companion chips won’t support Create with AI features. Samsung typically provides three years of major OS updates, meaning 2023 flagship models could theoretically receive basic Google Photos viewing support.
What Makes This Different from Casting
Native Google Photos integration offers significant advantages over casting from your phone to a Samsung TV.
Native Integration vs. Screen Mirroring
Casting mirrors your phone screen at compressed quality and interrupts when you receive calls or notifications. Native integration renders photos directly from Google’s servers to your TV at full resolution, supporting 4K and HDR photo formats without phone dependency. You can browse photos using the TV remote or voice commands while simultaneously using your phone for other tasks.
AI-Enhanced Organization
Cast-based viewing displays photos in chronological order or manual albums you’ve created. The native Samsung integration leverages Google’s AI to surface Memories automatically, highlighting significant moments you might have forgotten. Vision AI Companion adds another layer by understanding contextual requests like “show Christmas photos” without requiring specific album names.
Google Photos on TV vs Other Platforms
| Feature | Samsung AI TV (2026) | Google TV/Chromecast | Apple TV 4K | Amazon Fire TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native Google Photos | Yes (March 2026) | Yes (ambient mode only) | No (third-party apps) | No (casting only) |
| Memories Curation | Yes (6-month exclusive) | Limited (screensaver) | Apple Photos only | No |
| AI Creative Tools | Yes (H2 2026) | No | No | No |
| Voice Search | Full natural language | Basic commands | Siri (Apple Photos) | Alexa (limited) |
| 4K HDR Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient Display | Daily Board integration | Ambient Mode | Screensaver | Ambient Experience |
What This Means for Smart TV Competition
Samsung’s Google Photos integration directly challenges Apple TV’s tight Photos app ecosystem, which has dominated living room photo viewing among iPhone users. By securing exclusivity for Memories and AI creative tools, Samsung creates a differentiation point that rivals like LG, Sony, and TCL can’t match until mid-2026. The partnership also signals Google’s willingness to fragment Google Photos features across hardware partners rather than maintaining feature parity on Google TV platforms.
For consumers, this represents a shift toward ecosystem lock-in based on photo libraries rather than just streaming services. Android users with extensive Google Photos collections now have a compelling reason to choose Samsung TVs over competitors, similar to how iCloud Photo Library drives Apple TV adoption. The move could pressure Amazon to finally develop native photo viewing features beyond basic Fire TV slideshows.
Samsung Google Photos Integration Timeline
| Phase | Features | Launch Date | Exclusivity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Memories (AI-curated photo stories) | March 2026 | 6 months |
| Phase 2 | Create with AI, Personalized Results | H2 2026 | Select templates permanent |
| Phase 3 | Expansion to 2025 models | Mid-2026 | N/A |
| Phase 4 | Potential 2024 model support | TBD | N/A |
Google Photos on Samsung TV Requirements
Account Requirements:
- Google Account with active Google Photos
- Photos backed up to Google Photos cloud storage
- Automatic backup enabled on mobile devices
Hardware Requirements:
- 2026 Samsung AI TV (Neo QLED, QLED, OLED, The Frame)
- Vision AI Companion chip for AI features
- Tizen 8.0 or later OS
- 2025 models (with future update)
Network Requirements:
- Active internet connection for cloud photo streaming
- Minimum 10 Mbps for HD photo viewing
- 25+ Mbps recommended for 4K HDR photos
Supported Features by Model Year:
| TV Model Year | Memories | Create with AI | Personalized Search | Daily Board |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 AI TVs | Full | Full | Full | Full |
| 2025 AI TVs | Via update | Limited | Via update | Via update |
| 2024 Models | TBD | No chip | TBD | TBD |
| 2023 & Older | Unlikely | No support | Unlikely | No support |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Will Google Photos replace Samsung Gallery on TVs?
No. Google Photos integrates alongside Samsung Gallery as an additional photo viewing option. Users can choose which service to use through the Vision AI Companion menu. Samsung Gallery still handles locally stored photos and Samsung Cloud content.
Can I view shared Google Photos albums on my Samsung TV?
Likely yes, though Samsung hasn’t explicitly confirmed. Standard Google Photos functionality includes shared albums, partner accounts, and collaborative libraries. These should appear in the TV app alongside your personal photos.
Does using Google Photos on TV count against my Google storage quota?
No. Viewing photos on your TV doesn’t consume additional storage it accesses photos already backed up to your Google Account. However, the original photos still count toward your 15GB free Google storage or paid Google One plan.
Will Create with AI features require a Google One subscription?
Samsung hasn’t announced subscription requirements. The integration description suggests AI creative tools are included with the TV purchase, processed on-device through Vision AI Companion rather than cloud servers.
Can I use Google Photos on Samsung TV without Vision AI Companion?
Not for the full experience. Basic photo viewing might work on older models via updates, but Memories, Create with AI, and Personalized Results explicitly require Vision AI Companion’s on-device AI processing.
How does Google Photos on Samsung TV handle privacy?
Photos remain encrypted during transmission from Google’s servers to your TV. Samsung states that Vision AI Companion processes images locally and doesn’t upload personal photos to train AI models. Google’s standard Photos privacy policies apply.
Will this feature work offline if the internet goes down?
No. Google Photos on Samsung TV streams content from Google’s cloud servers and requires an active internet connection. There’s no offline caching mode announced.
Can multiple family members use different Google Photos accounts on one TV?
Samsung hasn’t detailed multi-user support. Standard Samsung TV profiles might allow separate Google Account sign-ins per family member, similar to how Netflix profiles work, but this awaits official confirmation.
Featured Snippet Boxes
When will Google Photos come to Samsung TVs?
Google Photos launches on Samsung AI TVs in March 2026, starting with the Memories feature. AI creative tools and personalized search arrive in the second half of 2026. Select 2025 Samsung TV models will receive updates mid-2026.
Which Samsung TVs support Google Photos?
All 2026 Samsung AI TV models support Google Photos, including Neo QLED, QLED, OLED, and The Frame lineups. 2025 models with Vision AI Companion will receive updates. Older TVs may get limited support through Tizen OS updates.
What are Memories on Samsung TVs?
Memories automatically curates photo stories from your Google Photos library, organizing images by people, places, and events. It uses Google’s AI to surface forgotten moments and create narrative collections without manual album creation. Samsung has six-month exclusivity.
Do you need a phone to use Google Photos on Samsung TV?
No. After one-time Google Account sign-in, you can browse your entire Google Photos library using the TV remote or voice commands through Vision AI Companion. Photos stream directly from Google’s servers without phone dependency.
What are created with AI tools for Google Photos?
Create with AI uses Google DeepMind’s Nano Banana model to apply artistic styles, transform photos, and generate videos from still images directly on Samsung TVs. Processing happens on-device through Vision AI Companion hardware.
Is Google Photos on Samsung TV exclusive?
Yes, partially. The Memories feature is exclusive to Samsung TVs for six months starting March 2026. Some Create with AI templates remain permanently exclusive. Google may bring basic features to other platforms after the exclusivity period.
