By Harshit
NEW YORK, DEC. 29 —
Samsung Electronics announced plans to integrate Google Photos into its television ecosystem, aiming to transform Samsung TVs into immersive, large-screen galleries for personal memories.
The planned integration, expected to roll out beginning with select 2026 Samsung TV models, is designed to let users relive photos and videos—from vacations and hobbies to everyday family moments—on a cinematic display. The move reflects Samsung’s broader strategy to make televisions more personal, contextual, and integrated into daily life.
“Samsung TVs have always brought people together, and bringing Google Photos to the big screen makes that experience even more personal,” said Kevin Lee, Executive Vice President of the Customer Experience Team at Samsung’s Visual Display Business. “Through this partnership, we help users rediscover and relive cherished moments from the comfort of their living room.”
A Larger, More Emotional Way to Experience Photos
Google Photos is widely used for storing, organizing, and rediscovering personal memories. By bringing the service directly to Samsung TVs, selected images will appear in a larger, high-resolution format intended to feel more like a cinematic gallery than a traditional slideshow.
The TV-based experience is designed to surface curated memories organized by people, locations, and significant life moments. Users will be able to browse these collections casually, turning passive screen time into a more emotional and reflective experience.
Deep Integration With Samsung’s Vision AI Features
Samsung says the Google Photos experience will integrate with its Vision AI Companion, allowing photos to surface naturally throughout the day via features such as Daily+ and Daily Board. Rather than requiring users to manually open an app, meaningful images may appear contextually—such as family photos in the morning or travel memories in the evening.
This approach aligns with Samsung’s broader push toward ambient, AI-driven TV experiences that blend entertainment, information, and personal content into a single interface.
Three Planned Ways to Rediscover Memories
Samsung outlined three core experiences it plans to introduce with the Google Photos integration:
Memories:
Curated visual stories organized around people, places, and meaningful moments, similar to Google Photos’ existing Memories feature but optimized for the TV screen.
Create With AI:
Creative tools powered by Google DeepMind’s image generation technology, including themed templates, artistic style transformations, and features that can turn still images into short videos. Some AI creative templates will be exclusive to Samsung TVs.
Personalized Results:
Automatically generated slideshows based on themes such as travel, nature, or specific locations, allowing users to revisit collections like beach trips, hiking adventures, or city visits with minimal effort.
Availability and Platform Details
Samsung says Google Photos support will be available on 2026 Samsung TV models starting with the Crystal UHD U8000 Series and above. The experience will require a Google account with backed-up photos and videos, and only one Google account can be logged into a TV at a time.
For existing Samsung TV models, availability will depend on future operating system updates. Feature rollout timing may vary by region, with some experiences planned for early 2026 and others arriving later in the year.
A Shift Toward Personal, Ambient TV Experiences
The planned integration highlights a broader shift in how TVs are positioned in the home. No longer just screens for movies and sports, modern TVs are becoming personalized hubs that reflect users’ lives, memories, and routines.
By combining Google Photos’ powerful organization and Samsung’s AI-driven TV platform, the companies aim to make personal content as central to the living room experience as traditional entertainment—turning idle screens into meaningful windows into people’s lives.