A clever workaround lets the iPhone 18 Pro Max skirt battery shipping limits
The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a battery with more capacity than permitted to ship. To get around that, Apple is using a combination of hardware, software, and user authentication to slip under the regulatory wire.
Customers began receiving devices on September 18. An Apple support document published the same day explains why the iPhone 18 Pro Max arrives with a battery capacity restriction in place.
At full capacity, the iPhone 18 Pro Max battery exceeds 20 watt-hours, putting it above a threshold that brings extra shipping requirements in most countries and regions. Apple uses firmware to keep the battery below 20 Wh while the phone moves through its factory and shipping network.
The restriction disappears automatically once the owner activates the iPhone, restoring access to the battery’s full rated capacity, reports The Verge on Monday.
Apple can ship the iPhone 18 Pro Max below the 20 Wh threshold without permanently reducing the battery capacity available after activation. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is rated for up to 45 hours of video playback, six hours more than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Prepare to Ship puts the battery limit back
The process also works in reverse when an activated iPhone 18 Pro Max needs to be mailed for repair, trade-in, return, sale, or gifting. Apple’s Prepare to Ship feature lowers the battery below the shipping threshold and temporarily limits how much it can recharge.
- Open Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Prepare to Ship.
From there, users choose whether the iPhone is being sent for repair, trade-in, return, or another reason. If the battery is too full, the phone discharges itself until it falls below the required level.
Depending on the battery level, Prepare to Ship can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours. The iPhone may get warmer than usual while it discharges, but it remains usable unless it has already been erased.
A red Ready to Ship badge appears in Settings once the process is complete.
For repairs, trade-ins, and returns, Prepare to Ship limits charging to 80% for 14 days. Users can remove the charging limit after 14 days, while Prepare to Ship can be canceled at any time for a sale, gift, or other person-to-person shipment.
Unopened iPhone 18 Pro Max units don’t need the extra step because the factory restriction is still active. Owners also don’t need to use Prepare to Ship when carrying the phone themselves while traveling, including on an aircraft.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max is the only model that needs the feature. Other iPhones remain below the threshold without a temporary firmware restriction.