Apple’s clever software solution lets iPhone batteries skirt shipping limits

Apple has developed an unexpected workaround to prevent the iPhone 18 Pro Max from being hit by shipping restrictions on big batteries.

There's a "battery-firmware solution" in place on the new iPhones, according to Apple's support page, which keeps capacity below the 20Wh limit for single-cell batteries set by international shipping regulations - but this firmware lock automatically removes itself when the device is booted up for the first time.