Microsoft bans Android in China, asks employees to switch to iPhones by September
Microsoft has reportedly asked its employees in China and Hong Kong to stop using Android smartphones. The company is giving iPhone 15 to all its employees who are currently Android users to facilitate the switch.
Microsoft in China has banned Android and as a result, the company’s employees will soon have to switch to iPhones. According to a Bloomberg report, Microsoft employees in China have been notified to switch from Android smartphones to iPhones by September 2024. This was reportedly announced in an internal memo sent to employees by Microsoft China. The same order has reportedly been issued to the Microsoft Hong Kong office as well.
According to the report, employees have been told that anyone who is using an Android smartphone, including Chinese brands like Huawei or Xiaomi, will be given an iPhone 15 by the company. The company is reportedly creating dedicated points at its facility in China where employees can go to collect their iPhones.
One reason for this shift is the absence of the Google Play Store in mainland China, although it is accessible in Hong Kong. On the mainland, Android users rely on app stores operated by Huawei or Xiaomi. However, Microsoft has now restricted access to these platforms. “The US company will soon require Chinese-based employees to use only Apple Inc devices to verify their identities when logging in to a work computer or phone,” the report reads.
Since Apple’s iOS App Store is available in China, the plan is for all employees to switch to iPhones. The move will allow them to seamlessly use the Microsoft Authenticator password manager and Identity Pass app. Microsoft introduced support for Passkey in May 2024. Instead of relying on traditional passwords and standard authentication methods, Passkey enables apps to use the iPhone’s Face ID for biometric authentication.
The directive comes at a time when cybersecurity concerns are rising for Microsoft. Earlier this year, the company revealed that it was targeted by Russian government-sponsored hacking group Midnight Blizzard. The attack was described as a targeted reconnaissance mission that affected multiple US government agencies. Microsoft had begun notifying specific customers that their emails may have been accessed due to the breach.
