The iPhone 18 Pro Max offers a huge jump in battery life, partly because the battery itself is physically larger.
In a new support document published today, Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro Max has such a big battery that it has additional shipping requirements.
iPhone 18 Pro Max: New battery feature
Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro Max has a battery capacity over 20 watt-hours (Wh). As it turns out, most countries and regions have additional shipping requirements for products “with a single-cell battery over 20 Wh.”
To accommodate these requirements, Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses an “innovative battery-firmware solution.” That firmware will limit the battery capacity of the device to below 20 Wh until it’s activated by the user:
The shipping requirements, however, also apply to other scenarios like shipping the iPhone 18 Pro Max for repair, trading it in, returning it, selling it, or gifting it to someone else.
For this, Apple has added a new “Prepare to Ship” feature in the Settings app. This will discharge your device’s battery below 20 Wh and set a charge limit to keep it below that threshold.
The new option is in the Settings app. Open Settings, tap General, tap Transfer or Reset iPhone, then tap Prepare to Ship.
You can learn more in the full Apple support document.
My favorite iPhone accessories:
- Anker Nano USB-C wall charger with built-in screen
- AirPods Pro 3: Check the current sale price
- Charge all your Apple gear at the same time
- Bring wireless CarPlay to any car
- USB-C cable that shows how fast you’re charging
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