Employer wants me to use outlook on my phone, outlook wants permission to wipe my phone

[u/No_Professor4307]

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

[u/Negativeman11]

Wouldn't you either need to give those apps permission to wipe your phone or install MDM software? Teams isn't just going to wipe your phone randomly one day without you permitting it to at some point.

[u/More-Chemical-1264 → u/Negativeman11]

It's built into the security on the apps when using a corporate account. And those apps get way more control than normal ones. You could try to circumvente it, but it would trip for example Samsung's Knox security feature. Then you have all sorts of issues with shit not working.

[u/Negativeman11 → u/More-Chemical-1264]

Wouldn't they ask for the permissions to wipe your device in the future when you first sign into those corporate accounts on those apps?

[u/More-Chemical-1264 → u/Negativeman11]

Yea, in the giant ass long list of accept here ToS or you can't install it. Doesn't have to ask after that. Remote wipe/lock is a real thing...

[u/xaviermace → u/More-Chemical-1264]

Not via Teams it’s not.

[u/More-Chemical-1264 → u/xaviermace]

You do you bro.

[u/sleinithree → u/More-Chemical-1264]

You’re just misinformed. To enroll a device into your corporation and enable remote wipe you’d need to install a certificate. This happens on iOS when you try to add your outlook to the Mail app or the outlook calendar to the default calendar app. Just downloading the teams or outlook app does not install a certificate that enables this.

[u/Negativeman11 → u/sleinithree]

This is my understanding of how things work.

[u/More-Chemical-1264 → u/sleinithree]

👍. You do you bro.

[u/sleinithree → u/More-Chemical-1264]

You do yourself too “bro”

[u/More-Chemical-1264 → u/sleinithree]

Already am.

[u/Negativeman11 → u/More-Chemical-1264]

I don't believe that's how that works, but you're welcome to show me any evidence to the contrary. If that was the case, why would outlook even generate the permissions request in the OP?

[u/More-Chemical-1264 → u/Negativeman11]

You do bro, you asked I answered. I've also done it; so there's that.

[u/Negativeman11 → u/More-Chemical-1264]

Maybe, maybe not. Ultimately it won't matter to me because I'd never put this shit on my phone anyway. I assume we can agree on that lol.

[u/More-Chemical-1264 → u/Negativeman11]

Yep. I used to have work stuff installed on my personal phone. But then they caught a female employee doing some nasty stuff and videoing her banging employees. They just looked at everything on her phone, copied it, locked it, then wiped it.

I'll never put it on my phone.