Apple has announced that devices running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 have been approved to handle classified NATO information without requiring additional software or configuration.
The certification follows a technical evaluation led by Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), which assessed Apple's built-in platform protections against the security and assurance requirements of NATO member nations.
BSI's assessment covered encryption, Face ID biometric authentication and Memory Integrity Enforcement, a hardware-level security feature available on Apple silicon chips, the company said.
The approval means Apple's consumer devices are now listed under the NATO Information Assurance Product Catalogue, a register of technology products approved for use with sensitive alliance data.
The devices had previously received separate approval for classified German government use under native iOS and iPadOS security measures.
BSI president Claudia Plattner said secure digital transformation required information security to be built into mobile products from the outset.
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Apple's vice president of Security Engineering and Architecture, Ivan Krstić, said the certification represented a shift from an era when secure government devices required significant investment in custom-built solutions.
Apple said further details on its platform security architecture are available in its Apple Platform Security guide.
The recap
- Apple's iPhone and iPad cleared for NATO restricted-level classified information.
- Certification applies to devices running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26.
- More information is available in the Apple Platform Security guide.
