Microsoft wants its Chinese staff to use iPhones only!
Microsoft Corp. in a leap forward to enhancing its partnerships with Apple (reportedly) asked all of its staff in China to use iPhones instead of Android and other smartphones.
Taking it further to Microsoft’s Hong Kong office, the company is forcing employees to switch from Android to iOS-powered smartphones to enhance the security of its workforce.
The last date for employees to change their devices is September 2024 and the tech giant is going to help all the employees purchase an iPhone 15 by making the phones available at its facilities in mainland China.
While it looks like Microsoft is making such a bold move just because they are indirectly in partnership with Apple from OpenAI’s partnership for integrating ChatGPT into iPhones, the reality is different.
Microsoft actually wants all the China-based employees to use recommended security apps and since the Google Play Store is not available in China, they have to switch to iPhones to install apps such as Identity Pass or Microsoft Authenticator. - Bloomberg reported.
Trying to make it a must-change thing, Microsoft just decided to ban Android smartphones whether they are coming from brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi, or any other smartphone company.
Here’s the official statement:
“Due to the lack of availability of Google Mobile Services in this region, we look to offer employees a means of accessing these required apps, such as an iOS device,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in an official email.
There’s also a chance that Microsoft itself is forced to make this announcement as recently a Russian hacking group named “Midnight Blizzard” attacked Microsoft’s servers including U.S. government agencies and more forcing U.S. lawmakers to ask Microsoft for the required changes under the Secure Future Initiative (SFI) program.
So, all Microsoft employees who are working in China will have to replace their smartphones with iPhones ditching Android-powered devices and they have time till September 2024 to change their devices or they might have to leave the company.
