iPhone and iPad Become First and Only Consumer Devices Approved for Classified NATO Information

Apple has announced that the iPhone and iPad are now the first and only consumer mobile devices in compliance with the information assurance requirements of NATO nations. The approval enables the devices to handle classified information up to the NATO restricted level without requiring specialized software or custom configuration.



The milestone follows rigorous security testing and extensive evaluation by Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, or BSI). iPhone and iPad previously received approval to process classified German government data using native iOS and iPadOS protections. Now, devices running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 are certified for use with classified information in all NATO nations and are listed on the NATO Information Assurance Product Catalogue.


As part of the evaluation, the BSI conducted exhaustive technical assessments, comprehensive testing, and deep security analysis to ensure Apple's built-in platform protections met NATO nations' exacting operational and assurance requirements.

Apple says its security model integrates protections directly across hardware, software, and Apple silicon. The company points to features such as hardware-backed encryption, biometric authentication with Face ID, and architectural safeguards like Memory Integrity Enforcement as foundational to meeting stringent government and international security standards for restricted data.

Ivan Krstić, Apple's vice president of Security Engineering and Architecture, said the certification reflects a shift in how secure mobile hardware is delivered. Rather than relying on bespoke, heavily modified systems reserved for governments and enterprises, Apple has built advanced protections directly into its consumer devices. He added that no other consumer mobile device has met NATO's assurance requirements at this level.

BSI president Claudia Plattner emphasized the importance of security by design, stating that secure digital transformation succeeds only when information security is considered from the earliest stages of product development. Expanding on its previous audit of iOS and iPadOS for classified German environments, the BSI confirmed compliance under NATO nations' assurance requirements.


The NATO approval requires devices to run iOS 26 or iPadOS 26. Apple continues to release regular security updates for this branch, most recently issuing iOS 26.3 earlier this month.