[NEWS] Microsoft China baning staff from using Android phones

    Microsoft China bans Android, demands staff use iPhones
    -------------------------------------------------------
    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>