iPhone and iPad approved to handle classified NATO information

First and only, defining moment

Today, Apple announced iPhone and iPad are the first and only consumer devices in compliance with the information assurance requirements of NATO nations. This enables iPhone and iPad to be used with classified information up to the NATO restricted level without requiring special software or settings — a level of government certification no other consumer mobile device has met.

iPhone and iPad previously received approval to handle classified German government data on devices using native iOS and iPadOS security measures, following an extensive evaluation by the Federal Office for Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, or BSI). Now, iPhone and iPad running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 are certified for such use in all NATO nations.

As part of this effort, BSI conducted exhaustive technical assessments, comprehensive testing, and deep security analysis, ensuring Apple’s built-in platform security capabilities met NATO nations’ exacting operational and assurance requirements.

“Secure digital transformation is only successful if information security is considered from the beginning in the development of mobile products,” said Claudia Plattner, BSI’s president. “Expanding on BSI’s rigorous audit of iOS and iPadOS platform and device security for use in classified German information environments, we are pleased to confirm the compliance under NATO nations’ assurance requirements.”

The approval marks a defining moment for Apple’s mobile platforms, as iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 are now listed on the NATO Information Assurance Product Catalogue in recognition of their built-in security capabilities.

Source: Apple Newsroom

NB: There is a "movement" or inclination to reduce or eliminate dependencies among European countries and companies on US technologies. This is due to the perceived and actual threat posed by the current US Administration...

... The technologies oftentimes cited are AWS, Microsoft and Google. Apple is rarely mentioned. The issue with this approach is that the alternatives are either not available (open source notwithstanding) but also that they might be Chinese, a worse alternative. In the case of Apple the alternative of Samsung is hardly worth considering as it uses Android, another US technology. The problem gets worse when looking at search and AI as they are even more concentrated and more prone to manipulation.

However, this news shows that Apple technology is not only apolitical but that it's secure enough for military applications. That means that not only are users protected from external inspection but that Apple itself is considered a trusted agent for the technology.