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 needs to be shipped somewhere, the 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 between the time the iPhone is manufactured and when it is delivered to the customer. Activating the iPhone removes the limit for the battery’s full charging capacity to be available. iPhones that are not yet activated or not yet in the box will not need to be prepared for shipping because 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 the iPhone remains below the threshold during the shipping process. The Prepare to Send option can be accessed by going to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Prepare to Send. Apple warns that the iPhone may become hotter than usual during preparation for shipping if the battery needs to be discharged. When finished, iPhone displays the “Ready to Send” status in Settings. If you need to undo sending preparation, there is an option in the same section of the Settings app to undo sending preparation. Depending on the reason the user selected the Prepare to Send feature, there may be a 14-day waiting period before it can be disabled. Apple emphasizes that the iPhone 18 Pro Max is safe for shipping and air travel, 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.
