(Yicai) July 10 -- The report that the China arm of US software giant Microsoft will force local employees to stop using Android devices and switch to iPhones is exaggerated, according to a worker at the company.

"The claim of 'not allowing Android devices' is overstated," the staffer told Yicai.

A report by Bloomberg News yesterday said that Microsoft has ordered its staff in China to switch to iPhones at their workplace and drop Android starting in September. The company will provide iPhones to those who do not own one, it added.

Microsoft China did provide iOS devices to some of its staff who did not have one, the staffer noted.

Microsoft will soon require employees based in China to use iOS devices to verify their identities when logging in, according to an internal memo cited in the report. The move, which will impact hundreds of workers, is part of the company's Secure Future Initiative aimed at improving products and preventing hackers.

"Microsoft Authenticator and Identity Pass apps are available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store," a Microsoft spokesperson told Yicai yesterday. "We hope to provide our staff the means to access these necessary apps."

Editors: Shi Yi, Martin Kadiev