Microsoft Orders Workers In China To Ditch Android And Use iPhones For Work

Microsoft informed its employees in China that they will need to trade in their Android smartphones and begin using iPhones for security reasons, the timing of which comes on the heels of a hacking campaign targeting Apple IDs. Along with having to use a company-issued iPhone 15 for work, employees will also have to use Microsoft’s Authenticator password manager and Identity Pass to verify their identities when logging into work devices.

The tech giant remarked in a statement that the change was necessary because while the two apps required for logging into devices are available on both Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store, the lack of availability of Google Mobile Services in the region means employees will have to access them via an iOS device. Microsoft employees were told in the internal memo they will be able to pick up their new iPhones at specific locations in Mainland China, or Hong Kong.


While the news may not be a welcome one by all of its employees who love their current Android smartphone, it is not surprising that Microsoft is attempting to tighten its security. The company’s corporate email account came under a cyber attack earlier this year, along with a third-party cybersecurity firm also being able to access internal Microsoft data on the company’s Azure cloud server.

The corporate email attack, called Midnight Blizzard, stole emails from both employees and customers, which included sensitive information. It also drew the attention of government regulators, who are looking into how Microsoft protects user data. Federal regulators remarked following a review into a China-backed email hack Microsoft needed to make “fundamental” reforms to its cybersecurity policies, while adding the company’s corporate culture was to blame.

Microsoft has a large corporate presence in China, operating a large research and development center in the country. Hopefully, the employees who have to ditch their Android phones won’t have too hard of a time taking a bite out of Apple and their new iPhone 15.