Your phone's IMEI: where it is and what it is for
Fifteen digits that identify the handset itself. Here is where to find yours and why anybody buying it will write it down.
The IMEI is a fifteen-digit number that identifies your handset — not your SIM, not your account, the physical phone. Every phone has one, and anyone buying a used phone will want it.
Where to find it
- **Dial *#06# on the keypad.** It appears immediately, on any phone, with no menus.
- Settings. About phone on Android, or Settings → General → About on an iPhone.
- The box. Printed on the label, next to the barcode.
- The bill. Most invoices for a phone carry the IMEI.
A dual-SIM phone has two, one per slot. Both are the same handset.
What it is used for
It is how a handset is identified independently of whoever is holding it. Mobile networks can block a phone reported lost or stolen by its IMEI, which makes it useless as a phone on those networks. That is a good thing — it is also why the number is recorded when a used phone changes hands, so that both sides can show which handset was sold and when.
What it means for you
If you are selling a phone that is yours, it means nothing more than a number being written down. Keep the box or the bill if you have them; both carry the same number and both add a little to what you are paid.
If a phone was lost and then found, or came to you second-hand and you are not sure of its history, the IMEI is how you can check that it is not blocked before you try to sell it — and it is the reason to be straightforward about where it came from.
What it is not
It is not a lock. Removing your Google or Apple account is what makes the phone usable by the next owner; the IMEI has nothing to do with that. The sign-out list is here.
At the door
Our agent checks the device against the answers you gave online. Having the bill or box beside the phone makes that quicker, and both add to your price. Then the phone is reset in front of you and paid for before they leave.
See what your phone is worth
A price in about a minute, free doorstep pickup in a two-hour slot, and paid — cash or bank transfer — before our agent leaves.
Questions people ask
- How do I find my IMEI number?
- Dial *#06# on the phone's keypad and it appears on screen. It is also under Settings → About phone, printed on the original box, and on the purchase invoice.
- Why does a phone buyer want the IMEI?
- Because it identifies the handset itself. It is how a device is traced across owners, and how a phone reported lost or stolen can be blocked by mobile networks.
- My phone has two IMEI numbers. Is that normal?
- Yes, on a dual-SIM phone — one per SIM slot. Both belong to the same handset.