Apple has added a new battery-shipping procedure for the iPhone 18 Pro Max because its single-cell battery exceeds 20 watt-hours. The Prepare to Ship feature temporarily discharges the phone and limits charging so the battery remains below the threshold during transport.

Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro Max is safe to ship and take on an aircraft. The software-based limit is intended to meet shipping requirements for devices with larger batteries, rather than address a safety defect in the phone.

Why the iPhone 18 Pro Max needs the feature

According to Apple, the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses an “innovative battery-firmware solution” to keep its battery capacity below 20Wh from manufacturing until the device reaches its buyer. Activating a new iPhone removes that factory shipping limit and makes the battery’s full charging capacity available.

Unactivated phones and devices that remain sealed in their boxes do not need additional preparation because their batteries are already restricted below the required level. Apple says other iPhone models do not need the same process because they do not use a single-cell battery larger than 20Wh.

How to prepare an iPhone 18 Pro Max for shipping

Owners sending an activated iPhone 18 Pro Max for a repair, trade-in or another purpose can find the option in Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Prepare to Ship.

When started, the feature lowers the battery charge below 20Wh and applies a charging limit to help keep it under that level while the phone is in transit. Apple warns that the device may become warmer than usual if it needs to discharge a significant amount of power.

Once the process finishes, Settings displays a “Ready to Ship” status. Users can also undo the preparation from the same section of the Settings app.

What happens after shipping preparation

Apple notes that disabling the shipping setting may not always be immediate. Depending on the reason selected when the feature was enabled, users could face a 14-day waiting period before they can turn it off.

The requirement mainly affects people who have already activated their iPhone 18 Pro Max and later need to send it somewhere. Customers receiving a new, unopened device should not need to take any action before delivery.

  • The iPhone 18 Pro Max battery exceeds 20Wh.
  • Firmware keeps new devices below 20Wh before activation.
  • Prepare to Ship discharges activated phones and adds a charge limit.
  • The option is available under Transfer or Reset iPhone in Settings.