Apple"s iPhone and iPad have become the first (and only) consumer devices to receive a green light from the NATO alliance. What this means is that iPhone and iPad running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 don"t need special software or settings to be used with classified information up to the "NATO Restricted" level.
NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an intergovernmental military alliance of 32 nations, including the US. Apple devices now meet the information assurance requirements, which is a government certification that no other mobile device has met, according to the Cupertino giant.
This builds on the previous approvals Apple got from Germany to handle classified government data using native iOS/iPadOS security features. Germany"s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) also conducted "exhaustive technical assessments, comprehensive testing, and deep security analysis" to make sure the security features built into iPhone and iPad meet the requirements of NATO nations.
Commenting on the approval, BSI"s resident Claudia Plattner said:
Secure digital transformation is only successful if information security is considered from the beginning in the development of mobile products. 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 has put iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 on the NATO Information Assurance Product Catalogue, making them fit to provide "secure access to Mail, Calendar, and Contacts data using apps built for iPhone and iPad." Apple"s iPhone is regarded as one of the most secure smartphones on the market, with strong encryption, Face ID biometric authentication that works for payments, Secure Enclave, and Memory Integrity Enforcement.
Apple has baked user-facing features such as Stolen Device Protection, which adds another layer of security if the iPhone is lost or stolen, and Lockdown Mode, which offers protection to users who are being targeted in a cyberattack. The recently released iOS 26.3 update introduces a new privacy feature that prevents telecom operators from knowing your exact location.