Apple’s clever application resolution lets iPhone batteries skirt shipping limits

Apple has developed an unexpected workaround to forestall the iPhone 18 Pro Max from being hit by shipping restrictions on big batteries. There’s a “battery-firmware solution” in location on the new iPhones, according to Apple’s assistance page, which keeps capability below the 20Wh bounds for single-cell batteries set by international shipping regulations — but this firmware fastener automatically removes itself whenever the equipment is booted up for the archetypal time.

Following person activation, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is restored to its first rated charging capacity, which is about 21.75Wh for US eSIM-only models and 21.06Wh for European models alongside a bodily SIM slot. If the person needs to dispatch off their phone for repair or resale, the charging limitation can be restored using the “Prepare to Ship” feature, which caps charging to 80 percent for 14 days. The restoration characteristic can be established under the settings list by beginning General settings, tapping Transfer or Reset iPhone, and afterward Prepare to Ship.

Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro Max power division “might need to discharge for Prepare to Ship to complete,” and may rotate into warmer than customary during the process. Prepare to Ship can be impaired at any period by heading rear into the settings menu.

It’s a novel way to circumvent the power division capability limits as phone makers continue to chase longer power division life during shrinking devices. By comparison, Android manufacturers mostly lean to container their devices alongside smaller, dual-cell batteries exterior Asia to get about the identical shipping restrictions, but those solutions are costlier and small productive in conditions of bodily space. If Apple’s firmware fix pans out, we may see Android manufacturers offering a akin solution.