Apple has confirmed that the iPhone and iPad can now handle classified information up to the NATO restricted level after meeting strict information assurance requirements set by NATO nations. The company said users do not need special software or custom settings, because the approval applies to devices running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 with built-in security protections.
With this certification, Apple becomes the first and only consumer mobile device maker to reach this level of government clearance.
This approval follows detailed security testing and evaluation by the German government, which assessed Apple’s platform security architecture, hardware protections, and system-level safeguards. As a result, iPhones and iPads running the latest operating systems are now certified for use with restricted classified data across all NATO countries.
Apple announced the clearance in its official newsroom, stating that iPhone and iPad are now listed on the NATO Information Assurance Product Catalogue. The listing confirms that the devices can securely access Mail, Calendar, and Contacts using native apps under NATO restricted requirements.
Security design from the ground up
Apple said it builds security into its products from the start, integrating protections across hardware, software, and Apple silicon. The company highlighted features such as encryption, Face ID biometric authentication, and Memory Integrity Enforcement as core technologies that support this certification.
Claudia Plattner, president of Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security, said:
“Secure digital transformation is only successful if information security is considered from the beginning in the development of mobile products.”
She added that after BSI’s rigorous audit of iOS and iPadOS platform and device security, the agency confirmed compliance under NATO nations’ assurance requirements.
Ivan Krstić, Apple’s vice president of Security Engineering and Architecture, said:
“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.”
Apple noted that secure devices once required heavy investment in custom government solutions, but it now delivers the same level of protection to everyday users through standard iPhone and iPad hardware and software.
