Most of us use our TVs to watch shows, but Samsung is hoping to give users a different experience. In an announcement on its website , Samsung has revealed its plans to bring Google Photos to Samsung TV devices in 2026. This would mark the first time a native Google Photos app is headed onto a smart TV .
Google Photos coming to Samsung TV in 2026
According to Samsung, they want to bring Google Photos to the TV in 2026. The company is positioning this move as making it easier for users to share and relive their memories. Plus, with TV screens being larger than our phones, tablets, and most computer monitors, it makes sense.
This means that users can gather family members around and go through albums. Whether it’s a photo album on Google Photos from their latest holidaying adventures, reliving childhood memories, or more. This doesn’t mean that right now, it’s impossible to share photos on your TV. Users can do that by connecting an external drive to their TV, linking it to a laptop, or casting it. All these are viable solutions, but not necessarily the most efficient.
But Samsung isn’t stopping there. The company expects to debut three features. This includes Memories, launching in early 2026, that will show users curated stories based on people, location, and meaningful moments. Then, there is a “Create with AI” feature planned for later in 2026. This includes themed templates that use Nano Banana for users to edit and have fun with their photos.
Lastly, there are “Personalized Results.” This is also expected later in 2026 and lets users view related photos in a slideshow.
TV as art
This isn’t the first time Samsung has thought that your TV should be more than just a device to watch shows or movies on. Some of you might be familiar with Samsung’s “Frame” series of TVs . For those who aren’t, Samsung has a lineup of TVs called the “Frame.”
The TV isn’t designed to look like a TV and more like a picture that hangs on your wall. The idea is that instead of a huge black box sitting awkwardly in your living room, you can use it to display artwork. It’s admittedly a novel idea, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad one.
Samsung’s decision to work with Google to bring Google Photos natively to its TVs seems to build on that philosophy. Google Photos support will debut on the company’s 2026 TV lineup but will be available for select older models later in the year.
