Microsoft China bans Android, demands staff use iPhones
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As part of an overall security drive, Microsoft in China has
told staff they will all be required to switch to iPhone.
As China's government has variously been said to be banning
iPhones, and not exactly banning iPhones, now Microsoft is
definitely doing the opposite in the country. According to a
Microsoft memo seen by Bloomberg, all staff in China must
switch to iPhone from September 2024.
<
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-08/microsoft-orders-china-staff-to-switch-from-android-phones-to-iphones-for-work>
The memo says that staff using Android smartphones, including
China's own Huawei or Xiaomi, will be provided with an
iPhone 15. Microsoft is reportedly setting up collection
points for iPhones across its facilities in China.
Significantly, it's also doing this in Hong Kong. One of the
issues prompting the switch concerns how the Google Play Store
is not available in mainland China, but it is in Hong Kong.
Android owners on the China mainland have instead had to use
app platforms run by Huawei or Xiaomi. Microsoft has now
blocked access to those sites.
As Apple's iOS App Store is available in China, the intention
is that all staff switching to iPhones will be able to use the
Microsoft Authenticator password manager, plus its Identity
Pass app.
Microsoft does not disclose how many employees it has in China.
But it has operated in the country since 1992, and says that
its "most complete subsidiary and largest R&D center outside
the United States is in China." That research center alone
employs over 6,000 engineers and scientists.
In May 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that it had asked
around 800 local employees to consider relocating to other
countries, including the US.
Neither Microsoft nor Apple have commented publicly on the move.
Separately, in May 2024, Microsoft added support for passkeys.
Rather than passwords and regular authentication, passkeys mean
an app can use the iPhone's Face ID for biometric authentication.
<
https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/07/08/microsoft-china-bans-android-demands-staff-use-iphones>
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