Microsoft tells China employees to only use iPhones and ditch Android

qz.com

19 points·mgh2··9 comments

Note this is less about Android being worse than iOS and more about the play store and Google services not being available in China, so people can't install the Microsoft Authenticator app from a trusted location.

Microsoft can't supply a trusted location to download their own apps? I don't think the Great Firewall breaks TLS.

> I don't think the Great Firewall breaks TLS.

It doesn't cryptographically "break" TLS, but it absolutely does monitor TLS handshakes and disrupt connections that it doesn't approve of.

How is Android viable in China? There must be some way that people are loading apps.

There are alternative app stores for Huawei phones etc

Huawei is ditching Android compatibility via AOSP completely and their version of Google Play Services and switching to their own ecosystem called "HarmonyOS Next" which will be pure.

The big China players like Tencent QQ support it but there is no incentive for Microsoft.

It is not the reason. Microsoft is already providing Authenticator in multiple different app stores in China. Just check:

https://www.microsoft.com/zh-cn/security/mobile-authenticato...

At least, it is officially provided in Baidu, Lenovo, Huawei and Samsung app stores. And for other vendors like OPPO, Xiaomi, VIVO, I they also have this app as it is already widely used. Not sure whether it is submitted by Microsoft or is just copied by these vendors.

I think the main reason is some internal App will use Google services, which is not available in China.

We can expect Chinese versions of Microsoft apps on the Play store to go downhill at this point.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40903750

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