NATO has authorized the use of Apple mobile devices to handle classified information within the organization, according to Apple. This makes iPhones and iPads the first (and currently only) consumer devices to meet NATO’s software security standards.
Apple mobile devices may soon help secure world peace.
Apple announced this week that iPhones and iPads have been approved to handle NATO’s secure and classified information, without the need for additional software or settings. In other words, iPhones and iPads are secure enough out of the box to handle classified NATO data.
This marks the first time a consumer device has received this rating. In the past, devices required significant modifications, both software and hardware, to meet NATO’s stringent security requirements. Apple devices are currently the only consumer devices approved for use by NATO.
Specifically, NATO only approves devices running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 with Indigo Configuration. The Indigo configuration is a specific configuration setting created by the German Federal Office for Information Security, or BSI. It is the German government office that oversees data and information security. Although this does not require installing any additional software on the device, it does require Mobile Software Management (MSM) and modification of some other settings.
NATO highlighted Apple’s Secure Enclave, Face ID, and Memory Integrity Management as key aspects of the iPhone and iPad’s security packages. Interestingly, at the moment, only iPhones and iPads have been approved by NATO; None of Apple’s computers have been approved yet.
