How to find your IMEI

1. The dial code — works on any phone

Open the phone app, type *#06#, and the IMEI appears without you pressing call. This works on every make, on any operating system, and even on a phone that is carrier-locked or has no SIM in it.

On a dual-SIM phone you will see two IMEIs — one per radio. Both are valid; either identifies the device.

2. In Settings

• iPhone: Settings → General → About. Scroll to IMEI. Press and hold to copy it.
• Android: Settings → About phone → IMEI. Some manufacturers nest it under “Status” or “Hardware information”.

The exact path varies by manufacturer — the Apple and Samsung pages spell out where the IMEI lives on those phones specifically.

3. On the device itself

Many iPhones have the IMEI engraved on the SIM tray — pop the tray out and hold it to the light. Older iPhones have it etched on the back casing. Some Android phones print it on a label under a removable battery.

4. On the original box

The barcode label on the retail box carries the IMEI. This one is worth knowing for a specific reason: when you are buying second-hand, the box and the phone should agree. If they do not, you are holding a different device than the box suggests — see checking a used phone before you buy.

If the phone will not switch on

Then the dial code and Settings are out, and you are left with the SIM tray, the casing, the box, or your records. Two places people forget: the original purchase receipt or carrier contract, and — for a device previously signed in — the account page of the manufacturer or your carrier, which usually lists registered devices.

This is the practical argument for writing your IMEI down somewhere that is not the phone. If it is ever lost or stolen, the IMEI is the first thing your carrier and the police will ask for, and by then you cannot dial *#06#.

Once you have it

You can look it up free to confirm the make and model, and to check the number passes its checksum — which is the quickest way to catch a digit written down wrong.