Microsoft asked workers in China to switch to iPhone
Microsoft employees in China will no longer be able to use Android devices to work: for security reasons, they will have to switch to Apple. In May, the company invited employees in the country to relocate elsewhere. All the details
From September, Microsoft employees in China will no longer be able to use Android devices for identity verification when accessing company accounts: instead, they will have to use Apple devices, such as iPhones.
The decision is part of the company's broader strategy to strengthen the security of its products and services, given the many hacker attacks it has suffered, and to ensure that all employees use the Microsoft Authenticator and Identity Pass applications.
THE PROBLEM WITH ANDROID IN CHINA
The problem with the Android operating system – developed by Google but also available in an open source version – lies in the fact that Google services are not available in China: given the absence of Google Play, therefore, the only place from which Microsoft workers in the country can download the two apps is the Apple App Store. App distribution platforms operated by Chinese companies, such as Huawei and Xiaomi – both of which produce phones and tablets with the Android operating system – are not considered equally reliable.
MICROSOFT CHOOSES APPLE
In a statement, Microsoft said that “due to the lack of availability of Google mobile services in this region, we seek to offer employees a means to access these necessary applications, such as an iOS device”: iOS is the system operating system developed by Apple for iPhones and the second most widespread in the world, after Android. For all workers using Android devices, including those from Huawei and Xiaomi, Microsoft will provide them with an iPhone 15; Android phones will still be able to continue to be used in non-work settings.
NOT JUST SMARTPHONES: MICROSOFT, CHINA AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Beyond the replacement of smartphones, in May the Wall Street Journal revealed how Microsoft had asked seven hundred to eight hundred employees in China to consider moving elsewhere – for example to the United States, Australia or Ireland – due to the growing competition over artificial intelligence between the Chinese and American governments.
Workers will still be able to choose to remain in China, but the company – according to what the South China Morning Post wrote – has suspended hiring in the country, in which it has been present since 1992 and where it manages a large research and development centre.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/primo-piano/microsoft-cina-iphone-android/ on Tue, 09 Jul 2024 07:09:31 +0000.