US Edition
Microsoft has ordered staff in China to swap their Android devices for iPhones amid mounting security concerns.
The US technology giant has told thousands of employees in China that they must make the switch by September, becoming the latest company to tighten up protections in the country.
The move comes as Microsoft attempts to tighten up staff security after a string of cyber security blunders.
Chinese state-sponsored hackers were able to access email accounts of government employees and US companies last year after a flaw in its Microsoft Exchange software.
The company has told employees that Android phones will be blocked from accessing services used to verify their identities and log into work devices, according to Bloomberg.
Apps needed to unlock computers such as its Microsoft Authenticator tool, will only be available on Apple’s App Store in China.
While Microsoft does offer the apps on Google’s Play Store for Android phones, the Google store is blocked in China, meaning Android devices must rely on local alternatives from companies such as Huawei and Xiaomi.
Microsoft has told staff they will be able to pick up iPhones at various offices in China and Hong Kong to replace Android devices such as those made by Huawei and Xiaomi.
Multinationals have introduced increasingly strict protocols for staff when visiting or working in China.
Consultancies Deloitte and KPMG told staff last year to use burner phones when visiting Hong Kong, having already encouraged the practice within China itself.
Microsoft is attempting to tighten up security worldwide as part of a “Secure Future Initiative” following a series of cyber intrusions.
The US heavily criticised the company last year for a “cascade of failures” that allowed a Chinese hacking group dubbed “Storm-0558” to access the emails of high-ranking government officials.
Meanwhile, Apple has faced its own struggles in China amid renewed competition from Huawei, which has overcome US microchip sanctions, and a government ban on using foreign devices including iPhones.
Microsoft has been seeking to move staff working on high-end artificial intelligence software out of China in recent months, as the US and China seek to compete in the technology.
Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment.