IMEIProof

IMEI vs serial number vs MEID

An IMEI identifies the device to mobile networks and is 15 digits, standardised across all manufacturers. A serial number identifies the unit to its manufacturer, and its format is whatever that manufacturer chose. A phone has both, they are different numbers, and only the IMEI is meaningful to a network or a device database.

The identifiers, side by side

  • IMEI — 15 digits. Identifies the device to mobile networks. Standardised industry-wide, so the format is the same on every make. Structure: TAC + serial + check digit.
  • IMEISV — 16 digits. The same device identity with a two-digit software version in place of the check digit. Mostly seen in network diagnostics.
  • Serial number — no fixed format. The manufacturer's own reference for the unit. Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi all use different schemes, usually mixing letters and digits. Meaningful to that manufacturer's warranty and support systems, and to nobody else.
  • MEID — 14 hexadecimal characters. The CDMA-era equivalent of an IMEI. Largely historical now that CDMA networks have been retired, but it still appears in the About screen of older US handsets.
  • EID — 32 digits. Identifies the eSIM chip, not the device. A carrier may ask for it when provisioning an eSIM.
  • ICCID — up to 19 digits. Identifies a SIM card. Travels with the SIM, not the phone.

The distinction that actually trips people up

IMEI and serial number both look like “the device's number”, and they are not interchangeable:

  • Networks and device databases use the IMEI. Blocklists, carrier records and TAC lookups are all keyed on it.
  • Manufacturers use the serial number. Warranty checks, repair records and support cases key on that instead.

So “check the warranty from the IMEI” and “check the network status from the serial” are both asking the wrong system. Some manufacturers can translate between the two internally; you cannot.

Why a lookup here needs the IMEI

Model identification works because the first eight digits of an IMEI are centrally allocated per model. Serial numbers carry no such shared structure — there is no cross-manufacturer table to look them up in. That is why our lookup asks for the IMEI specifically, and why pasting a serial number into it returns nothing useful.

Finding each of them

*#06# shows the IMEI, and on many devices the MEID and EID alongside it. The serial number lives in Settings → About, next to the IMEI. Full detail in how to find your IMEI.

Related

Check an IMEI free — brand, model and checksum, no account needed — or browse by brand.