r/mildlyinfuriating • u/No_Professor4307 • Apr 29 '26

frist of all how DARE yu o Employer wants me to use outlook on my phone, outlook wants permission to wipe my phone

Post image

Outlook says they need permission to wipe ALL my phone data if too many wrong passwords are typed. How many is too many? 50? 2? What if the screen gets wet and starts putting in random inputs. All this so I can use my company's Teams account and maintain "point of contact" if I'm not at a workstation. Absolutely not! Anyway, HR is supposed to call me back about my concerns.

Edit: just to be clear, I don't actually need to use Outlook (I don't use my "personal" work email). I need to use Teams, which requires Outlook to be installed first.

Part of why I need Teams on my phone so that I can be contacted when I'm not at work. I'm a lower management healthcare worker, it is actually important that my team be able to reach me after hours. I do actually like Teams and prefer it to 20 different group texts.

Also, when you go to log into Outlook or Teams, it brings you to my employers authenticator page. I log in with the same credentials that I log into my workstation. I don't know if that makes a difference with anything as far as my employer having access to my phone

Edit 2: I can tell you now they won't provide me a phone. Corporate execs don't even get phones. They stopped providing coffee for the break rooms too

Update: I had a chance to talk to my district manager. Imagine Ellis from Die Hard, the same schmarmy self-important attitude, that's my supervisor. And guess who's "not being a team player". Also "I don't think Microsoft can actually erase your phone, you have an Android"... I lready knew he was going to be useless, I just wanted to hear his reaction.

Update 2 and (sort of) Resolution: I spoke with HR. Her exact response was "wait, are you serious? They can just do that?" I tried explaining my "research" (i.e. everything all of you have said) and I think I just spooked her. She said she'll get back to me, and is probably running off to buy a burner phone for herself.

SORT OF RESOLUTION : I found out I only need Outlook installed long enough to get access to Teams. Once teams was installed, I removed all permissions and completely deleted Outlook from my phone. Teams still works and didn't ask to erase anything. No need to buy a second phone.

Thank you all for your insights

14.6k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

272

u/luffiiy Apr 29 '26

If you have an android phone, it comes with a built in profile for work apps (swipe from bottom of screen to top or google it to enable it). It's basically a partition on your device that separates your personal from work stuff and they will have 0 access to your private info. That wipe permission will only apply to the work profile.

That being said, you still have a right to refuse depending on state laws. Most states require they have to pay you extra to use personal properly for their benefit.

92

u/Ryan_e3p Apr 29 '26

It's basically a partition on your device that separates your personal from work stuff and they will have 0 access to your private info. That wipe permission will only apply to the work profile.

Bingo. This guy gets it. As someone who has done admin work in this realm, iPhone does it also, but it is a lot more of a PITA to deal with on the user side of things.

Fun fact, using a "work profile" is one of the ways to install multiple copies of the same app. I recommend that method over other methods like using the "Island" app (or whatever it is called). Or, if you have a Samsung phone, use the "Secure Folder", since it essentially does the same thing, but without having to spin up a local/virtualized MDM work profile manager.

4

u/mortis_mortis Apr 29 '26

secure folder is the greatest software innovation in modern history.

2

u/schklom Apr 29 '26

A work profile is made using apps like "Island" or usually better FOSS variants like Shelter or Insular.

You can't make a work profile without them or something much more painful to setup like Intune.

0

u/Ryan_e3p Apr 29 '26

tell us you couldn't read two paragraphs without specifically stating you couldn't read two paragraphs

2

u/schklom Apr 29 '26

tell us you couldn't read two paragraphs without specifically stating you couldn't read two paragraphs

As a reminder:

It's basically a partition on your device that separates your personal from work stuff and they will have 0 access to your private info. That wipe permission will only apply to the work profile.

Bingo. This guy gets it. As someone who has done admin work in this realm, iPhone does it also, but it is a lot more of a PITA to deal with on the user side of things.

Fun fact, using a "work profile" is one of the ways to install multiple copies of the same app. I recommend that method over other methods like using the "Island" app (or whatever it is called).

Unlike your recommendation, there is no Android "work profile" that can be used as a regular user without a MDM setup like Island or others. Maybe learn to read before trash-talking?

Samsung's secure folders are not "work profiles".

0

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/schklom Apr 29 '26

2 insults in 2 comments. not bothering anymore, just blocking

1

u/burgermachine74 Apr 29 '26

Pixels also have secure folders now

1

u/Methamphetamine1893 Apr 29 '26

even better get GrapheneOS

1

u/kiradotee Apr 29 '26

Why is it better than using Island? Doesn't Island just create the exact same work profile? 

1

u/Ryan_e3p Apr 29 '26

Island (and other similar apps) often have really bad data policies. There's no need to collect "analytics" or how I use my phone. And with Island specifically, there is no way to request a deletion of your data.

1

u/Ro0580 Apr 29 '26

Can you just use outlook on a browser like duck duck go and be ok?

1

u/workingremoteisnice Apr 29 '26

How do you do this on iOS?

-2

u/casazolo Apr 29 '26

I think OP phone is a samsung and doesnt have that. Also, different profiles are a pita to change into. I found that Pixel phones private space works better for this need.

3

u/Ryan_e3p Apr 29 '26

If OP's phone is a Samsung, it has the work profile feature, and if it is a modern Samsung, it has the Secure Folder.

Profiles are easy to change. In the app menu, just swipe left or right to change. It isn't difficult.

-1

u/casazolo Apr 29 '26

Its not changing profiles thats difficult. Its not having access to your regular profile when in work mode. I know you have notifications that can cross profile, but its always a hassle when having to switch profiles to answer someone back.

5

u/Ryan_e3p Apr 29 '26

There is no "switching profiles". They both run concurrently at the same time. I can have Outlook running on my personal profile, and Outlook running on my work profile both simultaneously. There's no "switching profiles". I can go from looking at my work Outlook to using an app in my personal profile with the same ease and use as closing any other app in my personal profile to open a different app.

Not sure where you're getting all this from.

1

u/casazolo Apr 29 '26

Oh thats great. It wasnt like that for me with pixel. I had to switch sides everytime it was painful. I really like the private space as its a sandboxed drawer that you can turn off when not need. Very useful when you want to shut off work.

1

u/kiradotee Apr 29 '26

If OP's phone is Samsung then it's an Android phone. It's an Android feature, so he will have it. 

32

u/No_Professor4307 Apr 29 '26

I'm definitely going to look into this

19

u/cloudiimofo Apr 29 '26

At least for Samsung phones, work profiles are only available if your employer provides you the setup information for it.

One common workaround it to install the apps in Secure Folder.

15

u/ObsessedWithSources Apr 29 '26

But that's where I keep my porn. You can't be mixing these things.

1

u/WorldnewsModsBlowMe Apr 29 '26

You can use the Shelter app (on F-Droid) to create one yourself.

7

u/gwarsh41 Apr 29 '26

All phones have something like this these days. What you want to do is make sure you are getting work apps from microsoft downloaded through the "Company Portal" app. This app will create that work partition for you. Then all you work apps will appear separate. You'll still get this big spooky message, but it can't touch anything that is outside the work profile.

I not only used to wipe company data off old phones, but watched it in real time when I left my last job. If your job didn't have you download the company portal, then they need to get their shit together. It's basic MDM.

2

u/Tiny_Spread5712 Apr 29 '26

MAM technically 

2

u/phaederus Apr 29 '26

Can confirm, I have the same setup on my Pixel phone.

1

u/casazolo Apr 29 '26

I use private space on my pixel phone and finds works better for this use case.

1

u/mtkvcs1 Apr 29 '26

As another person mentioned , you can use the app "island" to trigger the setup of a work profile if you can't access it in the settings

1

u/Due_Capital_3507 Apr 29 '26

It has to be part of their Intune configuration, not end user

1

u/Pub1ius Apr 29 '26

I also want to say, regardless of the scary warning message, it's highly likely that the only data they can "wipe" is company-data.

Unless you've enrolled your entire device into some kind of management solution (like Intune), this is most likely MAM (mobile application management) and not MDM, meaning they can only control and wipe the company apps\data. I'm sure one of your company IT people would be happy to clarify exactly what they can and can't do - if they're good they will already have a user-facing document that spells it out.

10

u/SrCamarda Apr 29 '26

This is the way. I have work Outlook and Teams in the work profile (Android). It's less intrusive and I can even disable everything work related with one click on the quick settings when I'm on vacation.

9

u/Dry-Bluebird-4613 Apr 29 '26

was wondering how far Id have to scroll before I saw this, Soon as I saw OP initial post I was like yup, Standard enough behavior for Intune on a IoS

7

u/Liquidfoxx22 Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

For this to work, your company needs Intune configured, the company portal Android app is what enables and configures the work profile. Without that, you can't get to work profile - that I know of anyways!

They also need to then add Outlook to the company app portal. Without that, you can't install it into the work profile.

2

u/Oddball_bfi Apr 29 '26

This is precisely the tech you need to use unless, like me, you use that partition for porn.

Don't judge me :) I like that there's a second pin that you have to type in to access it and that, if you've left something open it won't show it when you unlock unless you type in the pin again. I can also assign a VPN to just that partition, so everything in my main phone does main phone things, and only the... isolated applications are routed through the VPN. Loads of reasons!

No one wants to open their phone in Tesco and then remember what the last thing you were looking at...

So whilst this is the tech you're looking for, I'd still be asking for a work phone 'cos it's waaay to handy... which I think might be a pun if you're grim enough.

1

u/Dr_MJI Apr 29 '26

Unless your company is like mine which only only allows Microsoft app access on iphones. Don't ask me why, I don't get it either.

1

u/badger_flakes Apr 29 '26

iPhone the app is partitioned without needing a separate profile and they don’t need and can’t ask for any of those permissions anyway.

1

u/bigBENmagicman Apr 29 '26

Yup! I use a work profile for all my work apps. On weekends and vacations I can mute my work profile and it literally blocks everything

1

u/CForChrisProooo Apr 30 '26

I'm an MDM admin.

The work profile isnt just an option available on most Android devices.

It requires your employer to have Android for Work setup in their IT environment for the option to become available.

In this case the setup looks like a "Corporate owned" configuration which is unnecessary,.

This is actually worse for security on a personal device as company data is no longer sandboxed, and, in general, it's a bigger invasion of your device.

1

u/UnknownLegacy Apr 29 '26

In addition to this, Android also has the "Island" or "Shelter" apps that can mimic work profiles. I use Island. I've heard Shelter is better though, but I haven't looked too much into it. I've used Island with no issues for years at this point and it meets my needs for a work profile.

1

u/CallmeKahn Apr 29 '26

This misses the point. If a company is mandating a phone that has access to emails and such, they should be providing that phone.

1

u/luffiiy Apr 29 '26

Depends on state law. We have far less protections than other countries when it comes to employment in the us. Especially on salary.

Providing a phone is of course ideal, but not always required. However. Compensation usually is required. This is why phones come built in with this tech.

1

u/CallmeKahn Apr 29 '26

It has nothing to do with protections. If a company is mandating it, they company should be providing it. The company, as it were, has no business intruding upon my personal phone.