14 DAY TRIAL // UK military armed forces picked the iPhone 7 over Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 to safeguard military-level secrets. UK carrier BT will enhance security features on the new iPhone 7 units to be distributed to UK military personnel.
The UK military will be using the iPhone 7 devices to store sensitive data and discuss state secrets, according to TechRepublic. Steve Bunn, technical business manager for defense at BT, described the phone as the “device of choice.” He adds that the iPhone 7 is capable of switching between different modes in order to protect information that’s being exchanged during a call.
“We've been working very closely with them to develop what we've commonly called a ‘dual-persona device’,” he added. This means that the phone will be able to switch between different modes of operation and security levels, depending on the user’s needs.
The iPhone 7 was picked over the Galaxy Note 4
UK carrier BT is working with the Ministry of Defense in the country in order to create secure apps on the phone, which Steve Bunn called “storage containers,” to store sensitive and encrypted data.
Apparently, BT had originally started working on these features for the Samsung Note 4, a smartphone running Android, but determined that security on the phone was not good enough. During development and testing, the team from BT decided to switch to an iPhone.
Many military and security structures from all around the world use GSMK’S CryptoPhones, equipped with powerful encryption but running a simplified Android version to increase its security level.
This wasn’t the only reason BT decided to switch to an Apple device, Derek Stretch, business development director with BT said that the iPhone 7 already enjoyed wide adoption within the Ministry of Defense. BT officials didn’t provide further details about encryption and security features on the iPhone 7 because of security reasons.
Update: We've received a statement from BT regarding the use of iPhone 7 within the UK Ministry of Defence's armed forces.
The statement reads: "We would like to clarify that the MoD has not expressed any views about the suitability of dual-persona technology from specific handset/technology vendors and is prototyping a range of devices."