What is Apple's Secure Enclave?

Key Takeaways

Secure Enclave is a specialized hardware part of Apple’s system on chip (SoC).
The Secure Enclave is used for the creation and storage of unique encryption keys.
It ensures that stored keys and the OS remain separate, making it challenging for bad actors to access stored data.

Security is a core part of Apple’s corporate DNA. So much so, the company doesn’t shy away from featuring privacy and security in its marketing campaigns. A recurring feature of the company’s platform security strategy is the Secure Enclave. The Secure Enclave sounds impressive, but it can be unclear what it actually does. Let alone what makes it actually secure — or even an enclave.

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What is the Secure Enclave?

Specialized hardware

Apple

The Secure Enclave is a specialized part of Apple’s system on chip (SoC) dedicated to creating and storing unique, on-device encryption keys for the operating system (OS) and third-party applications installed on the device. The Secure Enclave has a dedicated processor, memory, and storage to encrypt and decrypt data when asked by apps or the OS.

The encryption keys stay local and only accessible to the Secure Enclave.

What makes the Secure Enclave uniquely secure is that while the OS and apps can request data to be encrypted and decrypted using the stored keys, they cannot access the keys themselves. The encryption keys stay local and only accessible to the Secure Enclave. Stored keys are also never stored on iCloud or any other cloud service — everything is always kept on the device. This deep separation between the OS and the keys stored on the isolated Secure Enclave is what makes it incredibly challenging for bad actors to access it and ensures its security.

Devices with a Secure Enclave include:

iPhone 5S and later
iPad Air and later
Apple TV HD and later
Apple Watch Series 1 and later
HomePod and HomePod mini
Apple Vision Pro
All Macs with Apple silicon
MacBook Pros with Touch Bar from 2016 and 2017 that contain the Apple T1 Chip
Intel-based Macs with an Apple T2 Security Chip

Apple outlines the technical details of the Secure Enclave in its Platform Security guide.

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What is the Secure Enclave used for?

Protecting sensitive data

Face ID setup on the left and Apple Pay on the right.

Apple / Pocket-lint

Apple’s Secure Enclave is an impressive piece of technology. It’s essential for keeping Apple devices secure and preserving the company as an industry leader in platform security. Still, you may want to know which services the Secure Enclave actually affects. While the Secure Enclave is a processor for encrypting and decrypting data, not a storage bucket, it supports securing a user’s most sensitive personal data.

Here’s a list of what the Secure Enclave helps secure: