Samsung Cloud shutdown: Everything you need to know

In late 2020 Samsung announced that major features from Samsung Cloud sharing were to be shutdown, and as it turns out it is actually happening. It’s actually already begun.

But, there is no need to fret just yet - you’ll have until September 30 to transfer your files, and we’ve outlined everything you need to know below.

• What will stay and what will go?
• When is the Samsung Cloud shutting down?
• What do I have to do?
• FAQs

What will stay and what will go?

Once the Samsung Cloud shutdown is completed you’ll no longer be able to use Gallery Sync or My Files, but you can still store your contacts, calendar and notes on the platform. 

All premium storage accounts are being discontinued as well, so if you’re currently paying for extra storage on the Cloud on your Samsung device, you can cross it off your budget.

When is Samsung Cloud shutting down?

The shutdown is being rolled out in three phases, and the timing is different depending on which country you’re in. Australia is in the first group and these changes have already begun to take place. However it is not too late to act. Here are how the phases are planned to go down.

Phase 1
October 5, 2020 - July 31, 2021

From October 5 last year, Samsung stopped taking new registrations for the obsolete Cloud features. Existing users continue to have access to upload, and download files throughout this time until July 31, 2021.

Phase 2
August 1, 2021 - September 30,2021

As of August 1, all existing Samsung Cloud services will be discontinued and payments will automatically be cancelled.

Until September 30 all users will be able to access Samsung Cloud in order to download data, but the upload functionality will cease.

Phase 3
September 30, 2021

All data will be permanently deleted. You will need to have transferred your files before this date.

What do I have to do?

In short, you’ve got 2 options:

1. Transfer your cloud data to OneDrive, or
2. Download Cloud data to your personal storage

And, well technically you do have a third option which is to lose your data forever and start from scratch. It’s up to you.

Officially Samsung has backed Microsoft OneDrive as the manufacturer’s new cloud-based storage partner of choice. Therefore syncing your data with OneDrive is really simple but you could always opt to use Google Drive or another platform instead.

How to integrate your Samsung device with OneDrive

By now you should have already been getting push notifications, prompting you to sync your data with OneDrive. If you’ve followed the prompts on those, then congratulations! You’re already done.

On the other hand, if you’ve been ignoring them because they’re interrupting your TikTok hole - we understand. You can still manually sync your Samsung device to OneDrive, but you’ll need to do it on three different apps to make sure you don’t miss anything - here’s how.

Sync your Samsung Cloud data from the Samsung Cloud App to OneDrive

1. Open your Samsung Cloud app
2. Tap More > Settings > select Link with OneDrive

Sync your Samsung Cloud data from the Gallery App to OneDrive

1. Open your Gallery app
2. Tap More > Settings > select Cloud sync or Switch to OneDrive

Sync your Samsung Cloud data from My Files App to OneDrive

1. Open your My Notes app
2. Tap More > Settings > select Make the switch to OneDrive

Other options

If you don’t want to use OneDrive you absolutely do not have to, but if you go down this route you’ll need to manually transfer your data.

Two simple options that you may consider are backing up to Google Drive, or downloading your data to your PC or Laptop. Both are simple solutions but of course, if you decide to chuck your files on your laptop then you’re switching to a local rather than a cloud-based system. So you won’t be able to access them on your connected devices.

Here is how to use Google Drive in order to backup your Samsung Cloud data;

1. Download Google Drive to your Samsung device
2. Sign in to your Google account
3. Go to menu > settings > backup to back up your data
4. Select the content that you want to back up and click Start Backup
5. Note that backup can take several hours, so you’ll want to be connected to WiFi and plugged into a charger
6. On your new device, sign in using the same Google account you used to back up your data
7. All your data will be available through Google Photos, Google Calendar and your Contacts app

FAQs

How much storage will I get for free with OneDrive?

You’ll get 5GB free storage on OneDrive, but paying Samsung Cloud customers will get extra OneDrive storage capacity for free for one year.

Do I need to set up integration on all of my Samsung devices?

Yes, you will need to integrate on all your devices, even if you are using the same account.

What if I want my data deleted before September 30?

You can request Cloud data deletion at any time via the Samsung Privacy portal.

Anula Wiwatowska

Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram

Anula is the Off-Site Editorial Lead for WhistleOut Australia, and an award winning tech journalist. She has been writing about the Australian telco industry, and consumer technology for over five years, and has been known to tell her Uber driver which phone they should upgrade to next.

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