Google Photos not showing on Managed Home Screen allow-list on Samsung Galaxy A25 5G (Android 15) - Confirmed system app issue

Hello Android Enterprise Community,

I am experiencing an issue where Google Photos does not appear on the Managed Home Screen (MHS) home screen, despite being correctly configured in the allow-list. I have already contacted both Microsoft Intune Support and Samsung Support, and I would like to share their responses and seek further guidance.

Environment

Device: Samsung Galaxy A25 5G (Model: SCG33)
OS: Android 15
Enrollment: Android Enterprise - Corporate-owned Dedicated Device (Fully Managed, Dedicated)
Kiosk Mode: Multi-app kiosk (Managed Home Screen)
MDM: Microsoft Intune

Symptom

Google Photos (com.google.android.apps.photos) does not appear as an icon on the MHS home screen, even though it is correctly listed in the applications allow-list in the app configuration policy.

All other apps (Google Maps, LINE WORKS, Samsung Camera, Phone, etc.) are displayed and working correctly on the same MHS configuration.

What I have already verified

Google Photos is assigned as Required to All Devices via Managed Google Play
Device install status shows "Installed"
Android Device Policy app confirms Google Photos is listed under "Work apps that can't be uninstalled"
The applications allow-list JSON is syntactically correct and verified:

json{
    "key": "applications",
    "valueBundleArray": [
        {
            "managedProperty": [
                {
                    "key": "package",
                    "valueString": "com.google.android.apps.photos"
                },
                {
                    "key": "app_available_prior_to_sign_in",
                    "valueBool": true
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Device sync, reboot, and MHS pause/resume have been tried multiple times — no change
Attempted to register com.google.android.apps.photos as an Android Enterprise System App in Intune → Error: "An Android Enterprise app with package name com.google.android.apps.photos already exists"
The same MHS configuration works correctly on Google Pixel and Xiaomi devices 

Responses from Microsoft and Samsung Support

Microsoft Intune Support (Case #2606190030006230)

No issues found with the app configuration policy or assignment
Noted: "If the same app exists in Managed Google Play, you cannot create an Android Enterprise System App"
Suggested contacting the device OEM (Samsung) for confirmation of the package name and system app status

Samsung Support Response

Confirmed: Google Photos is configured as a system app on Galaxy A25 5G
Confirmed: Package name is com.google.android.apps.photos — no Samsung customization
Noted: Package name management is handled by Google (the developer)
Noted: No restrictions are applied on Samsung's side for package name-based app control

Root Cause Hypothesis

Based on the above findings, the issue appears to be:

Google Photos exists as a system app (pre-installed) on the Samsung device
The same package name also exists in Managed Google Play
Due to this dual existence, Intune cannot register it as an Android Enterprise System App
The MHS allow-list mechanism may not correctly recognize/display apps that are system apps on the device, even when the package name matches

This creates a situation where:

The app is installed ✅
The package name is correct ✅
The assignment is correct ✅
But MHS still does not display the icon ❌

Questions

Is there a known compatibility issue or limitation with the MHS allow-list and pre-installed system apps on Samsung devices running Android 15?
Is there any difference in how MHS identifies a system app version vs. a Managed Google Play version of the same package?
Is there a known workaround for this specific scenario?
Has this issue been reported or tracked as a bug in Android Enterprise or MHS?

Any insight from the community or Google team members would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.