Herbalist Dr MziziMkavu
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 3, 2009
- 42,882
- 34,406
Having your cell phone or tablet stolen is not just a bad day at the zoo, it potentially compromises your safety and security. Thanks to the FCC (back in the age of the dinosaurs, the early '80s), ESNs were created to give a unique identifiers to mobile devices. Since then, usage of mobile devices has exploded, and the ESN of yore became the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) and the MEID (Mobile Equipment IDa superset of IMEI) of today.
If a phone, iPad, or other mobile device is stolen, carriers in some countries can blacklist the IMEI or MEID so that the thief cannot use the phone in any capacity (regardless of whether or not the SIM card has been replaced). This is a number you should keep on file, in a secure place, should the need ever arise. We'll show you a few tips on how to do this.
Steps
Keypad Method
The Battery Method
iPhone and iPad
Android
Motorola iDen Units
Lost or Stolen Phone
Warnings
If a phone, iPad, or other mobile device is stolen, carriers in some countries can blacklist the IMEI or MEID so that the thief cannot use the phone in any capacity (regardless of whether or not the SIM card has been replaced). This is a number you should keep on file, in a secure place, should the need ever arise. We'll show you a few tips on how to do this.
Steps
Keypad Method
- 1Dial it in. Most phones have a very simple key-in method to retrieve IMEI/MEID numbers: enter a 5-digit string*#06#and the number will be displayed on your phone.
- This is not true for all carriers or phones. For example, while an iPhone on the AT&T network will return the MEID number, an iPhone on the Verizon network dials the number and reaches a recording that says, "Your call cannot be completed as dialed." Good thing there are other methods!
- 2Go to the dial screen on your phone. On the keypad, enter *#06# without any spaces, as shown:
- 3Copy your IMEI. The IMEI will appear as you dial the final character, and should call the information automatically without your having to hit dial or send.
- Consider adding *#06# as a phone contact. That way you dont have to look it up again!
The Battery Method
- 1Turn the phone completely off. As with any electronic device, it's always best to power down before you start poking around the innards. It's doubtful the phone will give you a jolt, but you could fritz out phone easily, and then what good would there be in having your IMEI?
- 2Remove the back cover. Slide the back open carefully, and remove the battery.
- 3Find the IMEI. Look in the empty battery slot for a white label noting the IMEI (highlighted in yellow here). It should be 15 or 17 digits, not including a few forward slashes, and shouldnt contain any letters. Only the first 15 digits are needed.
iPhone and iPad
- 1Tap Settings. This will open up the Settings window where you can set and see all your preferences.
- 2Scroll down to General, and tap that. You will be shown a list of all the basic information about your pad or tablet. Tap the About field, hightlighted on the iPhone below:
- 3Locate your MEID. Scroll down the information list that tells you about your songs, videos, photos, etc. Towards the bottom, you will see MEID and to the right of that, a 14-digit number. This is your MEID. Shown below on an iPad:
- 4Look on iTunes. Connect your iPhone to your computer, and launch iTunes.
- 5Locate your phone. It will be listed on the left-hand column, under the heading Devices. At the top you will see a picture of your phone, along with your name, capacity, software version, serial number, and phone number.
- 6Click on your phone number. When you click on your phone number in iTunes, it will toggle between your number and your MEID.
Android
- 1Use the dial method. From the phone keypad, enter *#06#, and your IMEI will be displayed.
- 2Look under the battery. Like all phones with an accessible battery, the IMEI is located on a label underneath.
- 3Look in settings. From the home screen, press Menu, then Settings, then About phone, and then Status. Your IMEI (or IMSI) will be located on the resulting screen.
Motorola iDen Units
- 1Turn on your phone. Power up your phone and go to the dialing screen. Press the following key sequence in rapid succession: # * [menu] [right arrow]. Try not to pause or linger.
- 2Locate your IMEI. On units with SIM cards, scroll down until you see IMEI/SIM ID and select Enter. From here you can view your IMEI, SIM, and on some units, your MSN. The first fourteen digits are displayed; the fifteenth is always a 0.
- On older units without SIM cards:
- Continue to hit the [right arrow] key until you see IMEI [0] on the display. The first seven digits are displayed.
- Hit the menu key and then the "soft key" under "next" to display the next seven digits. The fifteenth and final digit is most often a 0.
Lost or Stolen Phone
- 1Locate the original packaging for your mobile device. Dont worry about the booklet; look for the box.
- 2Locate the barcoded label stuck to your box. It might have been placed over the opening to act as a seal.
- 3Look for the IMEI. It should be clearly labeled and is usually listed together with the barcode and serial number.
- Write your IMEI down before your phone gets lost or stolen.
- Not all phones have an IMEI number. Currently, its on all GSM and UMTS mobile phones commonly found in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and increasingly in America. AT&T & T-Mobile are the major US carriers using GSM with IMEI numbers, but there are growing numbers of regional carriers who are switching to GSM like Centennial Wireless, Highland Cellular, Dobson Cellular to name a few. Verizon and Sprint phones will generally not have IMEI numbers but rather MEID numbersunless they have a dual mode module for overseas use. Most pre-paid and non-contract phones in America dont have IMEIs; the same applies to disposable phones throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa.
- If your mobile phone is stolen, you can call or go to the nearest service center of your mobile network and give that IMEI number to staff to block your phone.
- If you are South African, you are required by law to report the theft to your service provider and to the police (either SAPS or your local Metro Police). It will be blacklisted across ALL networks so that it can't be used for criminal activities. If it is recovered, it is possible to de-blacklist it provided that you have proof of ownership.
Warnings
- Blocking a stolen or lost phone via the IMEI will cut off all communication between your phone and your carrier, making it impossible for the phone to be recovered via tracking. Only do this as a last resort if your phone contains sensitive information.
- Some thieves replace the IMEI numbers of phones they steal with the IMEIs of other devices. If you purchased a phone from someone or someplace you dont quite trust, try to research whether or not your supposed IMEI actually goes with that model of phone.
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