IMEI Check

Fifteen digits are enough to say which network holds a phone, whether anyone has reported it missing, and exactly which handset it is. Enter them and we read the record.

Network lockThe carrier the handset is tied to, named.
Blacklist statusWhether it is reported lost, stolen or unpaid.
Warranty positionWhere the handset stands with the manufacturer.
The device itselfExact model, storage and colour.

Run a full IMEI report

Results are almost instant.

To obtain your 15 digit IMEI number, dial *#06# on your phone or go to Settings

What the fifteen digits are

First eight — the model

The Type Allocation Code. Every handset of the same model and variant shares it, which is how a number alone can tell you the phone is an iPhone 15 Pro and not the iPhone 15 you were promised.

Next six — the handset

The serial, unique to that one device. Networks and registers key on the whole fifteen-digit number, but this is the part that makes it one handset rather than a model, so it is what separates your phone from every other one like it.

Last one — the check digit

Arithmetic, not identity. It exists so a mistyped digit fails immediately rather than returning a report for somebody else’s phone.

Dial *#06# to see yours. It works on any phone, locked or not, with no signal and no SIM — and on a handset you are thinking of buying, it is a reasonable thing to ask a seller to do.

When it is worth checking

Before buying second-hand

A blacklisted handset powers on, holds charge and looks perfect right up until you put a SIM in it. An iPhone still signed in to somebody else’s Apple Account is unusable by anyone except that owner. Both are invisible in a photograph and both take seconds to rule out.

Before paying to unlock

An unlock is priced by network and model, so knowing which network actually holds the lock is the difference between ordering the right service and ordering the wrong one. If the phone turns out to be unlocked already, that is worth knowing before you pay for anything.

When a SIM will not work

“SIM not supported”, “no service” and a phone that will not register all look identical from the outside. The report separates a network lock, which we can lift, from a blacklist entry, which nobody can — and they are very different problems.

What the report is not: it is not an unlock, and it does not send you a code. It tells you what the record says so you can decide what to do next.

And it changes nothing it finds. A blacklist entry can only be lifted by whoever reported it — no service can clear it, ours included. Knowing early is the whole value.

IMEI checks — common questions

What the check tells you

What does an IMEI check actually tell me?

The full picture on the handset: which network it is locked to, whether the IMEI has been reported lost or stolen, the warranty position, and the device details themselves — exact model, storage and colour. Enough to know whether the phone in front of you is the phone you were told it is.

Does the check unlock my phone or give me an unlock code?

No. It is a report, not an unlock — it tells you which network holds the lock so you know what you are dealing with. Unlocking is a separate service, and knowing the network is the piece of information it needs.

What does a blacklisted result mean?

It means the IMEI has been reported to the national register — usually lost, stolen, or unpaid on a contract — and networks in that country will refuse it. The handset may power on and look perfectly normal, which is exactly why the check is worth running before money changes hands. Nothing removes a blacklist entry except the party who reported it.

Is the check free?

No — it is a paid report, and the price in your own currency is shown before you confirm anything. Free lookups exist and will usually give you the make and model from the first eight digits, because that part is public. What they cannot reach is the network lock or the blacklist register, and those are the answers that actually decide whether a handset is worth buying.

Finding and reading your IMEI

How do I find my IMEI number?

Dial *#06# on the keypad and it appears immediately — this works on every phone, locked or not, and needs no signal. It is also in Settings (General, then About on iPhone; About phone, then Status on Android), on the original box, and often on the SIM tray or printed on the back.

My phone shows two IMEI numbers. Which one do I use?

Dual-SIM handsets carry one IMEI per SIM slot, and eSIM adds another. Use the first one — IMEI1 — which is the number registers and networks are keyed on. They belong to the same handset, so the report is the same either way.

My phone shows a 16-digit number. Is that an IMEI?

That is the IMEISV. An IMEI is always 15 digits — an 8-digit model code, a 6-digit serial and one check digit. The IMEISV keeps the first fourteen and replaces the check digit with a two-digit software version, which is why it runs to sixteen. Enter the first 15 digits and ignore the rest.

iPhone and Samsung

How do I check an iPhone IMEI?

The same way as any handset — dial *#06#, or look in Settings, General, About. On an iPhone the network lock is held against the IMEI on the network side rather than on the device, so nothing on the phone itself will tell you which carrier it is tied to. That is precisely what the check reads.

How do I check a Samsung IMEI?

Dial *#06#, or open Settings, About phone, Status. Samsung sells the same model under several carrier-specific variants, so two handsets that look identical can be locked to different networks and carry different unlock methods. The report identifies which one you have.

Can I check a phone I have not bought yet?

Yes, and it is the best time to do it. Ask the seller to dial *#06# and send you the number — a seller who will not is telling you something. You need nothing but the digits: no account access, no password, and the handset never has to leave them.

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