Google Photos is finally coming to TVs — but not the Android ones
Samsung TVs are the first to get expanded Google Photos integration, with several features confirmed for 2026.
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Samsung will be the first TV brand to offer a native Google Photos experience.
- Three key features — Memories, Create with AI, and Personalized Results — will be introduced throughout 2026.
- Despite Google’s close ties to Android TV, there’s still no native Google Photos app or experiences confirmed for the platform beyond casting and screensaver functionality.
Google Photos serves its purpose exceptionally well on Android flagships, but sometimes you want to relive your best moments on a bigger screen. After being notably absent from TV platforms, Google Photos is set to arrive on TVs soon, but curiously, it will debut first on Samsung TVs, rather than Android TV.
Samsung has announced that it is working to bring Google Photos to Samsung TVs, letting users enjoy their photos and videos natively on the big screen. Users will be able to explore curated memories on their TVs, organized by people, places, and meaningful moments. Google Photos will also expand the suite of photo-driven experiences that integrate with Samsung’s Vision AI Companion (VAC), allowing photos to surface naturally through Daily Plus and Daily Board.
The Google Photos experience is coming to Samsung TVs in three ways:
- Memories: Samsung TV users will be able to see curated stories based on people, locations, and meaningful moments. Samsung states that this feature is planned to launch in March 2026 and will be available exclusively on Samsung TVs for a period of six months.
- Create with AI: This feature will introduce themed templates built on Nano Banana, and some of these templates will be available exclusively on Samsung TVs. Users will also be able to use the Remix feature to transform the art style of an image. They will also be able to use the Photo to Video to bring still moments to life as short videos. This feature will arrive later in the second half of 2026.
- Personalized Results: Users will be able to view related photos as a slideshow, organized by topic or the contents of their memories. This feature will arrive later in the second half of 2026.
These announcements come from Samsung, so they don’t talk about the Google Photos experience on other TV platforms. However, Samsung’s timed exclusivity on the Memories feature for the TV platform strongly suggests that the feature will be introduced to other TV platforms, indicating that the Google Photos experience will also expand to these platforms. It is also not immediately clear whether this is a native Google Photos app on Samsung TVs or merely an experience integration into the TV platform.
What about Google Photos on Android TV or Google TV?
Google Photos’ absence on Android TV is quite a curious omission. While users can always cast their photos and videos to Android TV, the experience isn’t always the smoothest, especially for 4K videos. Users can also utilize their Google Photos library for screensavers on Google TV; however, the experience is quite limited.
Sure, not everyone would want their entire photo library visible on their TV (since TVs are usually considered shared devices). However, there’s still demand for it, especially for reliving our memories on a bigger, shared screen. We hope Google shares more soon on Google Photos’ availability on Android TVs.
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