Finding the IMEI when you cannot open the phone
5 minute read · beginner
The IMEI is a 15-digit identity for the phone's radio. It is not an unlock code — it is how a carrier looks up financing, blacklist status and SIM policy. You can almost always find it on a locked phone without guessing a single passcode.
Try the dialer first
If the lock screen still lets you place an emergency call, open the dialer and enter *#06#. Many phones show the IMEI there without a passcode.
If the dialer will not show it
On iPhones without a SIM tray, Settings is closed to you while the phone is locked, so the box, the Apple Account device list or a carrier bill are the realistic sources.
- The SIM tray. Older iPhones and some Android phones print the IMEI on it.
- The barcode label on the original box.
- The original receipt or invoice.
- The device list on the owner's Apple Account or Google Account, viewed from a computer.
- A carrier bill or the device page in your carrier account.
Two IMEIs is normal
Dual-SIM hardware — including one physical SIM plus an eSIM — has two IMEIs. If the carrier asks, give them both.
Do not guess or make up a number. Carriers check it against their records and will notice.
Give the IMEI to your carrier, Apple or Google — not to an "IMEI unlock" site. Services that promise to clear a stolen flag or rewrite the number are not an owner path.
Stop and get help when
- An IMEI check says the phone is reported lost or stolen — that is a carrier and police matter, not a technical one.
- Someone offers to change or "clean" the IMEI.
Official route
Your carrier, which can read the IMEI from your account and tell you the device's status.
Who this is for: Owner or account holder. Read only what the device, box or your own accounts show.