Apple uses software trick to sidestep battery shipping limits
Apple's new iPhone 18 Pro Max ships with a temporary firmware lock that keeps battery capacity under international shipping limits, automatically lifting once the device is activated by its owner.
Apple has come up with an unconventional way to get around international shipping rules that cap the size of batteries carried in transit. According to the company's support page, the new iPhone 18 Pro Max includes a "battery-firmware solution" that artificially holds the battery's capacity below the 20Wh threshold set for single-cell batteries under shipping regulations.
Once a customer activates the device for the first time, this software restriction lifts automatically, and the phone reverts to its true rated charging capacity — about 21.75Wh for US eSIM-only models and 21.06Wh for European versions with a physical SIM slot.
Restoring the limit before shipping
If an owner later needs to send the phone off for repair or resale, the capacity restriction can be reapplied using a feature called "Prepare to Ship," which caps charging at 80 percent for 14 days. It's accessible through General settings, then Transfer or Reset iPhone, followed by Prepare to Ship.
Apple notes that the battery may need to discharge for the process to finish, and the device could run warmer than usual while it does. The feature can be switched off at any time by returning to the settings menu.
A different path than Android makers
The workaround reflects the broader tension phone manufacturers face between shrinking device sizes and extending battery life while still meeting shipping safety rules. Android manufacturers outside Asia typically address the same shipping limit by using smaller, dual-cell batteries instead, though that approach costs more and uses space less efficiently than a single large cell. Should Apple's firmware-based fix prove successful, other smartphone makers may eventually adopt a similar strategy.
