The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a battery capacity over 20 watt-hours, triggering additional shipping requirements. Apple uses an innovative battery-firmware solution to limit capacity below 20Wh from manufacture to delivery. Activated iPhones remove this limit for full use.

Unactivated or boxed devices already comply and need no action. For repair, trade-in, or reshipment, users must enable Prepare to Ship via Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Prepare to Ship. This discharges the battery below 20Wh and sets a charge limit for safe transit.

Apple warns the device may feel warmer than usual during the process. Upon completion, Settings shows a 'Ready to Ship' status. The feature can be undone in the same menu, though a 14-day waiting period may apply depending on the selected reason.

Apple confirms the iPhone 18 Pro Max remains safe for shipping and air travel, and this procedure is unique to this model as no other iPhone exceeds the 20Wh single-cell threshold.