How to find your phone's IMEI number before you need it

Find your phone's IMEI number with a dial code, Settings or the box, and keep a safe copy for a police report or blocking request.

The IMEI is a unique 15-digit number that identifies your phone. You will need it for a police report, a CEIR block request or an insurance claim. Once the phone is lost, finding it is much harder. Spend two minutes now to note it down, and keep a copy that is not on the phone itself.

Steps

1. Dial the code. Open the phone app and dial *#06#. A box shows the IMEI. A phone with two SIM slots shows two numbers. Take a screenshot of it and note down both.
2. Check Settings. Open Settings, then About phone, and look for IMEI or Status information. Menu names differ slightly on Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, Realme and OnePlus phones, so use the Settings search box for IMEI.
3. Look at the box and bill. The IMEI is often printed on the retail box label and on the purchase invoice. Photograph both and keep the pictures with your important papers, on a computer or in a trusted person's phone, not only on this phone.
4. Check your Google account. On a computer, sign in to your Google account and look at the devices list. Some devices show their IMEI there, which helps when the phone is gone.
5. Save a copy away from the phone. Write the IMEI in a notebook, or email it to yourself and a family member. A copy on the lost phone is of no use. Add the phone make and model next to it.
6. Update it when you change phones. Each new phone has a new IMEI. Replace the old entry when you buy another. A small family list for every phone in the house is a good habit.

Menu names differ a little between phone makers and Android versions. If you cannot find a setting, open Settings and use the search box.

Why it matters

Without the IMEI, reporting a lost phone and asking for a block can take much longer and may not be possible. Many people find the number only after the theft, when the box is lost and the phone is not around. Writing it down once saves a lot of stress at a bad moment.

Watch out for

• Share your IMEI only with the police, your mobile company and official portals.
• A phone with a fake or changed IMEI is illegal and risky to buy.
• Check the IMEI of a second-hand phone before paying.
• Do not post your IMEI online.

How Safeavio helps

Safeavio's recovery information lets you keep details about your phone ready for when you need them. It is not a substitute for writing the IMEI down somewhere outside the phone. It cannot reveal an IMEI after the phone is gone, and it does not replace your own written copy of it.

Questions

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