Microsoft to Offer Apple Devices to Employees in China, Citing Lack of Android Services

Microsoft plans to offer Apple iOS-based devices to its employees in China to give them access to authenticator apps, a company spokesman said Monday because Google’s Android services are unavailable in the country.

Microsoft has come under increased scrutiny following a series of security breaches, the latest of which occurred earlier this year by Russian hackers who spied on and accessed the emails of the company’s employees and customers.

The event was first reported by Bloomberg News, which, citing an internal memo, reported that the Windows operating system maker had instructed its employees in China to use Apple devices in the workplace from September.

The report added that the decision to switch to iOS devices is part of Microsoft’s global Secure Future initiative and is due to the lack of availability of the Google Play store in China, which limits employees’ access to security apps such as Microsoft Authenticator and Identity Pass.

“Due to the lack of availability of Google mobile services in this region, we are working to ensure that employees can access required applications, such as using an iOS device,” a company spokesperson told Reuters in an email.

Microsoft is among the American companies that have a strong presence in China. The company entered the Chinese market in 1992 and also operates a large research and development center there.

The company will provide iPhone 15 models to its employees who currently use Android phones across China, including Hong Kong, Bloomberg reports.