Microsoft giving iPhones to employees in China who use Android phones for work

Microsoft will give an iPhone 15 as a one-time-purchase and these will be available for collection at various hubs across China.

Microsoft is reportedly start providing iPhones to its employees in China who are currently using Android devices. The Satya Nadella company has mandated use of Apple iPhone devices for work from September for all employees in China, Bloomberg reported citing an internal memo of the company. This comes amid more and more focus of the company on improving security and ensuring access to necessary authentication apps, the report claimed.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks during the Microsoft Build conference at Seattle Convention Center Summit Building in Seattle, Washington. (AFP)

For those Chinese employees who use Android phones from companies Huawei and Xiaomi, Microsoft will give an iPhone 15 as a one-time-purchase and these will be available for collection at various hubs across China including Hong Kong where Google services are accessible. Although for personal purposes, employees can still use Android devices for personal purposes.

The report claimed that the decision has been taken owing to unavailability of Google’s mobile services in China which has prevented Android users from downloading critical security apps like Microsoft Authenticator and Identity Pass. The Apple App Store is the only platform where these apps can be accessed which makes iPhones essential for Microsoft's security protocols.

The mandatory use of iPhones is part of Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative (SFI), launched in November following a series of cyberattack which aims to improve security across the company by using AI to address cloud vulnerabilities, securing credentials, and enforcing multifactor authentication.