The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a battery capacity of over 20 watt hours, which means there are additional shipping requirements. If an iPhone 18 Pro Max is to be shipped somewhere, its maximum battery capacity must be limited via firmware.
According to Apple, the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses an “innovative battery firmware solution” that limits battery capacity to less than 20 Wh from the time the iPhone is manufactured until it is delivered to the customer. Activating the iPhone removes the limit to make the full charging capacity of the battery available. iPhones that are not yet activated or still in the box will not need to prepare for shipping as they are already limited to less than 20 Wh.
Customers who need to ship the iPhone 18 Pro Max for repair, exchange, or other purposes should use a new prepare-to-ship feature. Prepare to Ship discharges the battery below 20 Wh and sets a charge limit so that iPhone stays below the threshold during the shipping process.
The Prepare to Ship option can be accessed by going to Settings > General > Transfer or reset iPhone > Prepare to Ship. Apple warns that the iPhone may become “hotter than usual” during preparation for shipping if the battery needs to be discharged. Once completed, iPhone will display the status “Ready to Ship” in Settings.
If preparation for shipment needs to be canceled, there is an option in the same section of the Settings app to cancel preparation for shipment. Depending on the user’s chosen reason for the Prepare to Ship feature, there may be a 14-day waiting period before they can turn it off.
Apple emphasizes that the iPhone 18 Pro Max is safe for shipping and air transportation, and the limit was added to meet shipping requirements. Since no other iPhone has a single-cell battery larger than 20 Wh, this procedure is not necessary for other models.
