Apple iPhone and iPad become the world's first consumer-grade devices authorized to handle NATO classified information

Apple announced today that the iPhone and iPad are the world’s first and only consumer devices to meet NATO information security requirements. This means that iPhone and iPad can directly handle NATO classified information without additional specialized software or special configurations.

According to the official press release, Apple has integrated security capabilities into all products from the design stage, ensuring industry-leading protection across hardware, software, and Apple chips. This unique architecture allows Apple users to enjoy top-tier security features, including advanced encryption, Face ID biometric authentication, and memory integrity enforcement. These native protections have now been recognized as meeting strict government and international security standards, suitable for handling classified data.

IT之家 learned from the press release that, after a comprehensive evaluation by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), iPhone and iPad have been authorized to process sensitive data for the German government based on their native iOS and iPadOS security mechanisms. Currently, iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 have received similar certification in all NATO member countries.

In this certification process, the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) conducted detailed technical assessments, extensive testing, and in-depth security analysis to ensure that the built-in security capabilities of the Apple platform meet the operational and security requirements of NATO countries.

Apple states that this certification is a milestone for the Apple mobile platform: iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 have officially been included in the NATO Information Security Assurance Product Catalog, with their native security capabilities officially recognized.