What is a phone IMEI, what is it for, how to find out and change it

Just like people, cell phones, smartphones, tablets and modems that use the cellular network to access the Internet have their own unique “identity document” that distinguishes them from each other. For a person, this can be an identity card, license or passport, but in the case of identifying mobile devices, this means the IMEI code.

IMEI (International Mobile Identity) is a unique digital code used to identify mobile phones, tablet smartphones and some types of satellite phones.

It can be found in the following places:

By entering the numbers on one of the many IMEI code websites. It is usually printed inside the battery compartment (next to the SIM card tray).
If the device has a non-removable battery, the numbers will be printed either on the removable SIM card or on the back cover of the device.
Alternatively, it can also be displayed on the device display when using special codes or clicking on the smartphone system menus.

The IMEI is used by the GSM network to identify the "correct" phones, so if a device is stolen it can be blocked simply by using this number. In the case of stolen or lost mobile phones, just call your cellular operator and, providing the number, ask to block the device. The code will then be placed on a "blacklist" of blocked devices that can no longer be used.

What is phone IMEI

IMEI is a unique number that is issued to any mobile equipment operating on mobile networks such as GSM, IDEN or WCDMA. For example, this number is received by mobile phones, satellite phones, smartphones, tablets and laptops with support for mobile Internet, 3G modems and other similar devices. The number of IMEIs received corresponds to the number of SIM cards that this device can work with. For example, if a phone supports two SIM cards, then it receives two IMEIs.

The abbreviation IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity, which can be translated into Russian as an international mobile equipment identifier. Manufacturers of phones and other mobile devices receive these identifiers from special international organizations that are authorized to issue them. For example, such identifiers are issued by BABT (British Approvals Board for Telecommunications). In the future, manufacturers distribute the received identifiers to specific phones that they produce, thus achieving the uniqueness of each IMEI.

As for the IMEI structure, it consists of 14 or 16 digits (in this case it is called IMEISV). The first 8 digits indicate the phone model and its origin, the remaining digits include the manufacturer-specified serial number and check number. In the case of IMEISV, which consists of 16 digits, the software version is also indicated.

Security issues

It is important to protect your IMEI and IMSI from the prying eyes of nefarious apps and trackers. Hackers can use your IMEI number to track and determine your location. Heck, they might even trick them into using financial apps after stealing your data.

By the way, if you come across a phone without an IMEI number, then it is either an invalid or a fake phone. You should not buy this, no matter how attractive the price. How do you know if your IMEI number is valid? Well, you can match the one shown in the software interface with the one printed on the back of it and on the packaging. Another way to test this is to use the LUHN Formula.

Similarly, IMSI numbers can be used by hackers to track users, intercept calls, messages and hijack mobile data. This is because the IMSI number is linked to the SIM card and is directly used to provide relevant services to the subscriber. Hackers can create a fake access point to intercept data associated with the IMSI number before relaying it to and from the nearest cell tower. Many Hollywood movies show this trick with call tracking and everything. However, the actual use of such technology is an extremely complex process. However, it is not impossible.

Since the IMSI number is tied to the SIM card and is used during communication with cell towers, it can also be used to track the user's movements. In this case, the location of cell towers is used to triangulate your position.

However, IMEI and IMSI can be extracted by mobile applications to create a personally identifiable profile based on your usage pattern. For example, depending on your browsing activity, multiple companies may serve targeted advertisements to you. And you may be wondering, how did this company know you wanted to buy a new jacket? Well, it could be any app that you have blindly allowed to access any information on your phone. Why else would you think that your phone is spying on you? This is how you get "personalized targeted advertising" from personally identifiable profiles.

What is the IMEI of a phone for?

As already mentioned, IMEI is a unique phone number, so it is convenient to use it to identify phones in the mobile operator’s network. Your mobile operator can use your IMEI to identify your phone model, as well as which communication technologies it supports. This also allows mobile operators to blacklist the phone and no longer service it.

Due to its uniqueness, IMEI can be used to track a phone even if its owner changes SIM cards. In addition, IMEI can be used by customs officers to determine the legality of the phone.

It should be noted that IMEI is the identifier of the phone, not its subscriber. To identify a subscriber in mobile networks, another unique international number is used, which is called IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) and is recorded on the user’s SIM card.

Why Fly

As can be seen from the illustrations, when preparing material on how to find IMEI, we were helped by the products of the British company Fly. We chose smartphones from this brand for affordability, performance and reliability, which is confirmed by grateful user reviews

The International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) is a unique 15-character number that each mobile device has. In particular, these are smartphones, satellite phones and tablets.

International Mobile Equipment Identity can only be assigned to a device by an authorized organization. An example of this would be the British Approvals Board for Telecommunications (BABT).

Back in 2002, it was found out that using some types of software it is possible to replace the IMEI of a device with a different number. By the way, in some countries (Belarus, Great Britain, Latvia) such actions will be criminally punishable. In Russia and Kazakhstan, harsh penalties were also applied against “craftsmen” who reprogram IMEI.

In modern times, it is believed that without replacing or reprogramming microcircuits, it is not possible to change the identifier. It is sewn into the device at the factory into a ROM chip.

How to find out the IMEI of a phone

After assigning an IMEI to a phone, it is recorded in several ways that duplicate each other. Any of these methods can be used to find out the IMEI of a phone.

Firstly, IMEI is written into the phone’s firmware, that is, into its software. This information can be viewed at any time using the request *#06# , which must be typed on the device keyboard. The code *#06# works equally well on both push-button phones and modern smartphones with a touch screen.

After entering this code, the IMEI that was assigned to this phone immediately appears on the screen. If several IMEIs have been assigned to the phone, then all of them will appear on the screen at once.

Secondly, the IMEI is indicated on the phone itself, usually on a special sticker located under the battery. And thirdly, IMEI is always indicated in warranty documents and on the phone box. Thus, the user always has several ways to view the IMEI of his phone.

Find out the number using a mobile phone

The IMEI code is indicated inside all devices. Changing the unique number is fraught with criminal prosecution in many countries. To determine the code, use a special key combination - *#06#. From its structure you can understand that this is the most common USSD command. The only difference is that here you do not need to press the call button after you dial the last hash in the combination.

After sending the request, a unique identification number will be displayed on the display of the mobile device. If two SIM cards are installed on the gadget at the same time, on the display you will immediately see two numbers for each card, respectively. The number of digits in this code is fifteen.

On devices running iOS, Android and Windows Phone, you can check the number in the same way. In some cases, along with the name code, a special barcode is displayed in which it is encrypted.

Sometimes phone owners think that the presence of a number inside indicates that it is not a fake, but an original. But in reality, such a code is indicated on all mobile phones, even if they are made in illegal workshops.

If you have a smartphone running on the Android operating system, you can view the code of your device directly in the menu. Just go to the settings, select the “About device” section, which has a special phone status item. The list of parameters contains the name code. If the phone operates on two SIM cards, two tabs will appear here with information on both cards and phone modules.

Is it possible to change IMEI

In older phone models, IMEI was changed quite simply. In particular, this could be done using a terminal program and several commands. But now everything is much more complicated, because manufacturers are increasingly recording IMEI in a special memory area that cannot be rewritten programmatically.

However, it is still possible to change the IMEI on some phones. For example, this is done through the engineering menu of the device or by obtaining ROOT rights (if it is an Android smartphone). If you need to change the IMEI on your phone, then you need to look for information specific to your device. There are simply no universal instructions for changing IMEI that would work on any device.

It should be noted that in some countries changing IMEI is prohibited and is a criminal offense. Therefore, before doing something like this, you need to check whether it will violate the laws of your country.

Is it possible to show it to someone

Technically, using the IMEI number, you can even turn your smartphone “into a pumpkin” by contacting the police to report the theft. In this case, the operator can block IMEI in its database. By the way, this is why it is better not to show this number anywhere.

A phone that has been blocked by IMEI by one mobile operator will be able to work on the network of another. This allows thieves to resell smartphones to other countries. There is no single blocking around the world, and therefore the victim will never be able to prevent him from using a smartphone stolen from him, say, in Greece.

It’s another matter if the person whose smartphone was stolen entered the IMEI into a special database - the Global black list. Then the device will not function in the networks of many cellular operators that use this database.

How to find out your phone model by IMEI

If you know the IMEI of a phone, then you can find out its model, technical specifications, production date, and country of manufacture. To obtain this information, you just need to go to one of the sites that have a database and enter your IMEI there. For example, you can search for information on sites such as:

https://www.imei.info
https://sndeep.info/ru

What is it for?

This code is stored in the firmware of your smartphone. The main purpose of IMEI is to identify the gadget on the cellular network. Acts as the serial number of the device when authorizing the device on the network. If your smartphone supports working with several SIM cards at once, then, accordingly, it will have several such identifiers.

Therefore, you can block the network access of a lost or stolen phone by simply telling your operator's IMEI support specialist. And even if attackers decide to use this device by replacing the SIM card, it will be useless to them. After all, the phone will be on the “black list” of all telecom operators (as you remember, the device is authorized on the network using this identifier), which will deny it access to their services.

Note that the IMEI on the network is determined by the gadget itself (that’s why the phone is searched by it), and not by its owner. Another number helps to find out the owner of the device and SIM card - International Subscriber Identity (IMSI, International Mobile Subscriber Identity).

Another important purpose of IMEI is to help track the location of the phone. This facilitates the work of law enforcement agencies: thanks to the identifier, police quickly find out where the stolen device is located.

What is a phone's IMEI? This is the same combination of numbers that will help you personally learn more about your gadget (its model and place of assembly).

Checking ID by check digit

Finding a phone is not the only thing that IMEI can help the owner of a gadget with. Using the ID, you can also find out whether the device is original or counterfeit. To do this, you need to use the Luhn algorithm:

Let’s take “have” 35-209900-176148-2 as an example. So, according to the Luhn algorithm:

Add even symbols: 5 + 0 + 9 + 0 + 7 + 1 + 8 =30.
Convert odd numbers: 3 = 6, 2 = 4, 9 = 9, 0 = 0, 1 = 2, 6 = 3, 4 = 8.
Add up the resulting numbers: 6 + 4 + 9 + 0 + 2 + 3 + 8 = 32.
Addition: 30 + 32 = 62.
The nearest round number is 60.
We count: 62-60 = 2.
The control number is also 2. That’s right, the product is genuine!