The iPhone and iPad have been approved to handle classified information up to the NATO restricted level, according to an announcement from Apple on Thursday.
“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,” Apple said in a release.
It’s the first time that a consumer device has been found to be in compliance with the information security requirements of NATO, meaning that it’s approved right out of the box. The “restricted” level is the lowest level of NATO classification.
The NATO Information Assurance Product Catalogue now lists iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, noting that they don’t require any special additional software or settings to comply.
“Prior to iPhone, secure devices were only available to sophisticated government and enterprise organizations after a massive investment in bespoke security solutions,” Ivan Krstić, Apple’s vice president of Security Engineering and Architecture, said in a statement posted online.
“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,” Krstić continued.
The NATO designation is noteworthy but perhaps a bit humorous given the state of that particular alliance right now. President Donald Trump has done everything he can to antagonize ally nations like the UK, France, and Germany while cozying up to authoritarians in countries like Hungary, Argentina, and El Salvador. The UK has even suspended some intelligence sharing with the U.S. over the American attacks on boats in the Caribbean that have so far killed at least 150 people.
Most shockingly, Trump has repeatedly insisted that he wants to “acquire” Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, in addition to his desire to make Canada the 51st state. The vast majority of people in both Canada and Greenland don’t want to be “acquired,” through military action or otherwise, and yet Trump is unafraid of openly threatening NATO allies with military action. Somehow, NATO still exists and will continue to exist until Trump makes the divorce official.
The head of the Federal Office for Information Security in Germany touted Apple’s new recognition in a press release from the company, and naturally didn’t address any of the current geopolitical tensions.
“Secure digital transformation is only successful if information security is considered from the beginning in the development of mobile products,” BSI president Claudia Plattner said.
“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.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook has also taken heat for getting extremely close with the Trump regime, even attending a White House screening of First Lady Melania Trump’s new movie on the same day that masked federal agents killed VA nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Cook sent a memo to Apple staff talking about America’s “highest ideals” and calling for de-escalation after receiving the criticism.
It’s more than a little bit amusing that we now have third-party confirmation that Apple’s devices can be trusted with classified information, and demonstrable proof that the Commander-in-Chief cannot. Maybe Tim Cook can give Trump some tips on best practices.