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ZDNET's key takeaways
- iPhone and iPad are approved to handle NATO ‘restricted' classified data.
- This approval applies to standard consumer devices running iOS 26.
- Apple's built-in security met NATO-level assurance requirements.
Ahead of its March event, Apple has announced that NATO decided the iPhone and iPad are secure enough for classified work.
The devices are now officially approved to handle classified NATO information up to the “restricted” level. This is not about specialized, rugged phones built for the military or locked-down, government-only hardware. It applies to regular iPhones and iPads running standard iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. According to Apple, no other consumer devices currently have this distinction.
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While “restricted” is the lowest classified tier, below confidential and secret, it is still classified data. For years, the assumption was that consumer smartphones simply could not be trusted at that level. Apple has now proved otherwise.
Certified across all NATO nations
The iPhone and iPad previously received approval to handle classified German government data following an evaluation by Germany's Federal Office for Information Security, also known as BSI. As part of that process, BSI conducted technical assessments, testing, and security analysis, ultimately determining that Apple's devices also meet NATO nations' requirements.
Now, iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 are certified for use across all NATO nations. They are listed in the NATO Information Assurance Product Catalogue, alongside traditional defense and government vendors.
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This approval comes down to how Apple builds security into its products. Newer iPhones and iPads rely on Apple silicon with a Secure Enclave that isolates sensitive data like encryption keys and biometric information. They also use protections such as Face ID, Touch ID, and Memory Integrity Enforcement, which blocks entire classes of memory-based attacks before they can run.Â
On the networking side, iOS and iPadOS support industry-standard VPN protocols out of the box.Â
“Prior to iPhone, secure devices were only available to sophisticated government and enterprise organizations after a massive investment in bespoke security solutions,” said Ivan Krstić, Apple's vice president of Security Engineering and Architecture.Â
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“Instead, Apple has built the most secure devices in the world for all its users, and those same protections are now uniquely certified under assurance requirements for NATO nations -unlike any other device in the industry.”
The same devices in your pocket
To be clear, NATO has not crowned the iPhone and iPad as its official devices. But it is validating that Apple's everyday hardware meets the bar for classified government use. In other words, the same phone in your pocket is now trusted in environments once reserved for bespoke, locked-down hardware. It also reinforces Apple's claims that privacy and security are core company decisions.
