Your iPhone is secure enough to handle classified info

While we wait for a new iPhone possibly coming next week, Apple has issued a press release to let everyone know that the iPhone and iPad (when running iOS/iPadOS 26 or later) have now been approved by NATO for use with restricted-level information.

The German government previously approved these devices for use with its own classified information. Now, following an audit by the German Federal Office for Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, or BSI), they are approved for such uses in all 32 NATO member nations.

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 — unlike any other device in the industry.”

Apple says this makes the iPhone and iPad the only consumer devices approved for such use without any special software installed. The security provided by iOS/iPadOS 26 and Apple’s hardware alone is sufficient when using the appropriate options enabled. Handling classified information typically requires bespoke devices, custom operating systems, or additional custom security software.