iPhone 18 Pro Max battery throttled to below 20 Wh for shipping: the jokes
What happened
Apple published a support document explaining that the iPhone 18 Pro Max battery exceeds 20 Wh. That triggers extra shipping rules in most countries and regions. A firmware limit caps capacity below 20 Wh from manufacture through transport, and the limit is removed when the user activates the phone.
- Prepare your iPhone 18 Pro Max to ship (support.apple.com)
16 jokes, ranked by readers
- 1
The perfect gift: your old iPhone 18 Pro Max. Open Settings. Tap General. Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone. Tap Prepare to Ship. Wait up to a couple of hours while it drains and gets warmer than usual. This is expected. Pre-warmed, for someone you love.
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"This is not throttling," said an Apple spokesperson of the iPhone 18 Pro Max. "Throttling is when we limit your battery and don't tell you. This is when we limit your battery and publish a support document calling it an innovative battery-firmware solution."
Needs votesShare - 3
Apple, Once Sued Over Secretly Throttling iPhone Batteries, Unveils Openly Throttled iPhone Battery As 'Innovative'
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Years ago Apple got in trouble for quietly limiting iPhone batteries. The iPhone 18 Pro Max battery is limited at the factory, lifted when you activate it, and fully documented on support.apple.com. Same throttle. Better copywriting.
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Introducing iPhone 18 Pro Max. In the box, it's iPhone 18 Pro Almost Max. The moment you activate it, the rest of the battery arrives. It's the only unboxing where the product gets bigger after you open it.
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Customs officer: Is this battery over 20 watt-hours? Sealed iPhone 18 Pro Max: Not until someone activates me, officer.
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Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro Max's battery, now over 20 watt-hours, is "a huge increase in battery life." So huge that the first thing the phone does is turn some of it off so it can get on a truck.
Needs votesShare - 8
"Over twenty watt-hours," said the Apple executive, pausing for applause. "And with our innovative battery-firmware solution, it ships at under twenty watt-hours." The slide behind him simply read "20."
Needs votesShare - 9
iPhone 18 Pro Max Battery Grows By Precisely The Amount Apple Must Switch Off Before It Can Be Shipped
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"Is Dad's iPhone wrapped yet?" "No, it's still in Prepare to Ship. Maybe two more hours." "Why is it hot?" "Apple says warmer than usual is expected." "We could just give him a gift card." "Those ship at room temperature."
Needs votesShare - 11
"Every year, we find the courage to remove something," said Apple. "With iPhone 18 Pro Max, we added a bigger battery. Then, at the factory, in firmware, we found the courage to remove part of it."
Needs votesShare - 12
Apple removed the headphone jack, the charger, and, in the US, the SIM tray. For iPhone 18 Pro Max it removes the top of the battery, and gives it back the moment you activate the phone. Courage, now with a return policy.
Needs votesShare - 13
Coming with iPhone 19 Pro Max: a battery limited at the factory, limited on activation, and unlocked in a future software update. For select languages, in select regions, on select charge levels.
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The iPhone 18 Pro Max leaves the factory with part of its battery locked in firmware, then unlocked when you activate it. T-Mobile, which just started charging $5 a month for Handoff, has been staring at that sentence for a very long time.
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Under Apple's new leasing program, you rent the iPhone. Under the firmware, the full battery only exists once Apple's activation says so. What you actually own is the box.
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Sending your iPhone 18 Pro Max back to Apple? Prepare to Ship caps charging at 80 percent for 14 days. Two weeks of paying for a Pro Max and getting a Pro Most.
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