Apple Introduces "Prepare to Ship" Feature in iOS 27 for iPhone 18 Pro Max Battery Requirements

The iPhone 18 Pro Max offers a significant leap in battery life, partly due to its physically larger battery. Apple recently revealed this substantial battery necessitates additional charging requirements, leading to a new iOS 27 feature. The company stated the iPhone 18 Pro Max battery stores over 20 watt-hours (Wh). This capacity triggers extra regulatory requirements in most regions for single-cell batteries exceeding 20 Wh, as reported by "9to5Mac" and reviewed by "Al Arabiya Business." To comply, Apple employs an "innovative battery firmware solution." This limits the device's battery power to under 20 Wh from manufacturing until factory shipment. Upon user activation, this restriction lifts, making the battery's full capacity available. These charging requirements also extend beyond initial transport. They apply to situations like shipping an iPhone 18 Pro Max for repair, replacement, return, sale, or as a gift. For this, Apple integrated a new "Prepare to Ship" feature in Settings. This feature discharges the phone's battery to below 20 Wh, then sets a charging limit to maintain it there. The device may need time to fully discharge; during this, its temperature might rise, which is normal and will revert once ready for shipment. Users can continue operating the device normally while the iPhone 18 Pro Max battery discharges. The process might take minutes but could last up to two hours if the battery starts fully charged. Upon completion, Settings displays "Ready to Ship" with a red badge. The new option is found under "Settings," then "General," "Transfer or Reset iPhone," and finally "Prepare to Ship."