How to find a phone by IMEI? Is it real determine where the phone is located by IMEI? Before I tell you what find phone by imei possible, you should find out what it is and what it is used for. If you have any questions, you can always ask them in our group or in the comments.
Each phone officially released for sale has its own identification number, it is customary to call it IMEI, which stands for International Mobile Equipment Identification (translated into Russian: International Mobile Equipment Identifier). You must know that IMEI is 16 or 17 digits digital code, usually consisting of numbers, but in some cases letters may be used. You can find this code on the back cover of the phone, on the original battery, in the warranty card, as well as on the phone itself.
How to find out your IMEI on iphone?
It's actually very simple here, all you have to do is unlock your phone, go to settings, go to "General" and then open the "About this device" tab. And at the very bottom there will be an IMEI line with the digital identifier of your phone.
How to find out your IMEI on other phones?
As I wrote above, you can find out your number on the battery of your mobile phone or just dial the following request: * # 06 # (IMEI will appear on the screen).
This digital number is assigned to each phone at the factory, and in the future, it is a passport for the device. That is why, you should not reflash the phone while it is under warranty. Otherwise, during the examination, it will not pass the test and they will not change it for you, because they will think that you are trying to sell them another phone.
It is also worth noting that when you turn on the phone, IMEI number your device is transferred to the operator and only then the network appears, but this happens very quickly and for regular user it's invisible. In addition, this happens at the network level and is not displayed on the screen.
If your phone has two SIM cards, then you will also have two IMEI. The first eight digits of this digital identifier characterize the origin and model of the phone.
How to track a phone by IMEI?
In fact, it is almost impossible to track your own mobile phone using the IMEI code. The only thing that can be done is to contact the police and apply for the need to return the loss. You provide them with the IMEI and if you have convinced them of the importance of finding your phone, then they will help you.
There is another way, you can contact the operator mobile communications explain the situation to him and ask for help. You may be asked to come to the nearest official salon to provide your passport details and other necessary documents. The problem with this method is that if someone stole your phone or you lost it. They will immediately get rid of your SIM card and use their own, respectively, if you had a megaphone and another person uses Beeline, then the operator is unlikely to be able to help you.
What then to do? How can I find the missing phone myself?
Today, many manufacturers build anti-theft protection into the phone, for example, in Samsung phones and iPhone. You enter a permanent phone number, such as your wife's or parents' number. And if your phone is stolen or you lose it, as soon as the SIM card is replaced, a message will be sent to the number you specified with a new number (which belongs to the new owner of your phone).
Also, now there are many programs and applications that you can install on your phone so that in the future you can find your mobile phone. For example, for iPhone there is a program "Find my iPhone" (Find my iPhone). And for Android, there is the Device Manager app. We wrote about it in our publication:
Do you have an opinion? Want to ask a question? Write in the comments or in our group.
Find a stolen phone by IMEI in the current conditions it is theoretically possible, but practically difficult. Everyone who tries to return their lost mobile device must be convinced of this. It seems that everything should be solved simply: Phone IMEI code"where to go" - took action - figured out the offender - returned the phone (or, at worst, blocked it).
Alas, for a number of reasons, everything is not so simple. Further in the text, of course, I will talk about these reasons, give them my assessment and recommend the best course of action for this situation. But is it worth considering the search by phone code as the main search option? I tried to answer this question in this study.
I must say right away that along with the indicated issue, related topics will also be considered, namely, the reasons and methods for stealing phones, measures to protect against theft, and what needs to be done immediately after the theft in order to increase the chances of returning your property. I will also give an example from my own life - how I dealt with this. As a result, the material turned out to be quite voluminous, so for the convenience of familiarization, I divided it into several parts /read in the following posts/:
What is a mobile phone? The answer to this simple question depends on whose hands it is in. For the owner, this is a communication device with a set of additional useful features, an indispensable assistant in official affairs and in personal matters. For a certain category of citizens, this is also additional opportunity emphasize the level of their wealth and social status. But for a group of people engaged in theft, a telephone is, first of all, a very attractive source of profit, which can always be quickly and profitably realized due to its high liquidity. It is the latter circumstance that, firstly, generates criminal interest in handsets from scammers of all stripes, and secondly, has led to the fact that the scale of mobile phone theft has taken on serious proportions and is ahead of other types of theft in terms of development. If you try to pose the classic question: who is to blame and what to do, you get something like the following.
Who is guilty or the reasons that provoke the growth of mobile phone thefts:
- The already mentioned high liquidity of mobile devices, which attracts attackers;
- Imperfection of electronic anti-theft measures due to the lack of the necessary legal framework, and, as a result, the complexity of implementation Phone IMEI code according to his appointment;
- Legislative imperfections that help impunity for perpetrators. Lack of legislative interest for mobile operators to counteract the theft of phones and, as a result, poor assistance provided to victims by law enforcement agencies.
Until these causes are corrected, my innate pessimism tells me that the second part of the classic question is: what to do if your phone is stolen and what should be phone theft protection- will remain relevant for a long time. But we will consider this issue a little later, but for now it makes sense to detail the reasons a little, having considered them, as they say, point by point.
On point the first, I probably will not stop because of its obviousness. One can only add that a mobile terminal, as an object of theft, attracts both gopniks and drug addicts and more prepared categories of intruders. Partially at their expense, the secondary market for sales of mobile phones is formed. Item two . We are talking about have a code, and its usefulness for locating a stolen phone. What Phone IMEI code? This is a 15-digit number that encodes information about the model of the mobile terminal, the country in which it is produced, and its unique number itself. You can see him at back wall phone under the battery, as well as on the screen of a mobile phone when entering a special request on the keyboard using the key combination * # 06 # . Physically, the IMEI code of the phone is located in the software part of the mobile device. The same code is displayed on the receiving part of the operator's equipment. cellular communication every time the subscriber logs on to the network. That is given code Kind of like a human fingerprint. As planned, this is protection against theft - with any GSM card, with any telecom operator, there is no difference - if you entered the network, you were "seen", and with reference to your location in the GSM space. And then, as they say, it's a matter of technology - you can either permanently disconnect the stolen terminal from the network or try to "calculate" and detain the new holder this terminal. "Over the hill", in the good old naive Europe, this method of electronic anti-theft works and is used as the main one. We have the following problems:- The legislative framework is built in such a way that the operator can provide information about the manipulation of the stolen device, i.e., track its movement along Phone IMEI code only at the request of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And this greatly delays the time: a request can be worked out for a month, so during this time stolen goods can be sold in Africa. Although technically this is done in ten minutes.
- The mobile operator has no legal right to deny a stolen terminal access to the network until evidence is provided.
- The IMEI code of a stolen phone can simply be reflashed, i.e. replace with a new one. It's like replacing fingerprints with others. Moreover, this is done not only artisanally, but also on an industrial scale (for example, when purchasing a promotional batch of goods abroad, which for various reasons cannot function in European networks). This is no less of a problem, because after changing to phone IMEI the probability of finding it is actually reduced to zero.
Item three . So, suppose (pah-pah) your phone was stolen, but at the same time you are an optimist and do not intend to give up. What will you do first? That's right, contact the police with the appropriate statement. We omit the details of this procedure, which will be discussed later. Let's move on to the question of what is the probability of a successful outcome of your hopeless case and what can be expected.
If you are an influential person, with connections, or, let's say, you know how to resolve issues, then you have a chance of success - a prompt response will be given to a police request operating company communication that will help you find a stolen phone by IMEI. If necessary, other measures will be taken that will give the desired result. In other cases, be prepared for the fact that:
- an application for theft may not be accepted at the police station due to the fact that, according to the criminal code, the police are obliged to open a criminal case only if the value of the stolen property exceeds a certain amount (in Russia, if I’m not mistaken, the figure was 3,000 rubles, in Ukraine - about 900 hryvnia, etc.) If the amount is less, it will already be classified as an administrative offense;
- if the application was accepted, it is not a fact that the stolen will be found, because the search procedure is very labor-intensive: it is necessary to first, having received the appropriate permissions, send out requests to all telecom operators with a request to provide information on IMEI, wait for answers, work out the sales markets and the potential contingent that does this in parallel, when a new owner is found on the phone network, persuade him to return the phone, etc. And if we take into account that all this can be crowned with success only if the IMEI code in the phone was not replaced with a new one after the theft, then the question “how find stolen mobile phone by IMEI and becomes completely rhetorical. And now think for yourself - is it necessary for the police?
In general, if you think about it carefully, it turns out that no one is interested in solving this issue at all. Judge for yourself.
Let's follow the logic of mobile operators.
At one time, initiatives were put forward by the police leadership to block the IMEI codes of stolen phones and prevent them from being serviced on the network, as well as introduce criminal liability for changing the IMEI code. But for some reason, they did not receive support. Apparently because the operator receives money from the subscriber and whether the terminal is “purple” stolen or not. Unofficially known to exist a large number of handsets that generally have the same IMEI codes and at the same time are successfully served by operator networks. Obviously, the introduction of such rules can hit the pockets of telecom operators and result in losses for them (or rather, the loss of part of the profits). By the way, the mentioned initiatives were put forward by the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. And if they found their support, and tougher measures would be taken, then in the future this would lead to the fact that stolen devices from Ukraine would begin to sell at an accelerated pace in other republics of the former Union. By analogy with how it is now happening with phones stolen and disconnected from service in European countries.
There was an experience when individual cellular operators (for example, in 2003, the network operator MegaFon OJSC) kept lists of stolen phones on their own initiative and took appropriate countermeasures. But since other network operators did not adhere to this, you yourself understand that the continuation of the “good initiative” would lead to an outflow of customers and losses. And if we take it on a more global scale, then the situation is similar. The organization that maintains a black list of IMEI codes for phones throughout Europe (except for us, of course) is located in Ireland. To connect to the list of this organization will require, firstly, very significant costs on the part of the cellular network operator (about one million dollars). And secondly, if any telecom operator dares to do this, then as a result, thousands of "gray" phones will be turned off and its subscribers will switch to other less principled operators. That is, the operator himself, who went for it, with his own hands he will make a loss. The conclusion is clear, no one will step on his own throat on his own initiative.
So, here it is necessary, as in Europe, to introduce a measure simultaneously in all countries and for all operators.
And now, trace the possible logic of phone manufacturers.
Every day, dozens and hundreds of mobile phones are lost by their owners, become objects of theft, etc. If we take it on a national scale, the figure is impressive. Stolen devices, due to the reasons described above, are returned to their rightful owners in isolated cases. Well, the victims are simply forced, sighing, to go and buy new mobile devices for themselves, that is, read: increase the profits of their manufacturers. So, it turns out that it is simply not profitable for manufacturers to develop technical solutions aimed at countering theft?
However, maybe I'm wrong. After all, I argue from the bell tower of our domestic mentality.
In fairness, it must be said that there are still some attempts by phone manufacturers against theft. Read about it in the next subsection.
But before moving on to protecting your phone, it would not be superfluous to find out the details about
and what are the main methods practiced by swindlers and thieves.
Like any other communication device, a cell phone has its own unique identifier - a fifteen-digit IMEI code set by the manufacturer. During a call, the cellular operator receives data from the mobile device in the form of an IMEI-SIM pair, which makes it possible to identify the source of the signal. Unfortunately, cellular operators can only share device geolocation data with law enforcement agencies by court order. Most often, if the phone is stolen or lost, this is not a significant reason for going to court. But don't despair, this case you have every chance to successfully search for a device by IMEI, even if it is turned off, and SIM card was deleted.
Try calling your number
This point is quite obvious, but as it turned out not always. Often a person who has lost his phone, being in a state of shock, does not even try to call him. But do not forget that there are many people who will return the device for free or for a nominal fee.
Contact law enforcement
If the previous method did not work, immediately contact law enforcement agencies at the place of your registration. But do not forget that you will be required to indicate a fifteen-digit IMEI code and provide documents confirming that the device belongs to you. If the phone was bought “by hand” and there are no documents for it, this item can be safely skipped.
Use the built-in search function
Majority modern smartphones equipped with a factory search function. For Apple devices based on the iOS operating system, it is called Find iPhone. On devices on Android based a similar function is called Remote control Android - Google. Learn more about the methods of searching for a smartphone by IMEI (we make a redirect to the bottom of this page)
Leave a request in the LoSToleN service
LoSToleN - unified database of IMEI and serial numbers stolen phones, smartphones, cameras and other devices. After you leave a request with an indication of the amount of remuneration for the return of the device, you will have a chance that it would be more expedient for the seller to return the device than to engage in an expensive change of the IMEI identifier.
The loss of a mobile phone is a big stress for any person. The smartphone has become a new means of storing everything and everything: with its help, personal and business correspondence, it contains important and often compromising photographs, documents, data bank cards and accounts. The stress factor here is twofold: in addition to the fact that information is lost, falling into other hands does not add joy. In this article, we will describe how to find mobile device by identification number and several alternative methods.
The search for a lost phone by IMEI (or IMEI) is based on the unique identification of each means of communication using a number determined by the manufacturer and entering it into the state database. Such a number consists of 15 digits and is recorded on the box in which the device was packed upon purchase, in the battery compartment, and also directly in the operating system.
Image from elandroidelibre.com
The principle of the search is that IMEI is transmitted when connecting to the local cellular network as one of two identifiers (in addition to telephone number), which is used to detect or block the missing device.
To find out your identification number, dial *#06#
How to find a missing phone by IMEI
Unfortunately, it is not possible to do this on your own for the reasons described below.
ID number replacement
Although IMEI is written deep in the firmware, and manufacturers are trying to restrict access to this part of the code as much as possible, changing it is still real. If the attacker still managed to do this, then it is no longer possible to find the smartphone.
Search equipment
The database is stored directly with mobile operators, and access to it and the necessary software complexes possible only at the request of law enforcement agencies.
Online Services
Ways to find a phone via IMEI using third-party services are initially doomed to failure based on the reason described above. All sites offering a "fast and reliable method with 100% guarantee" are pure scams.
The working method is to file a complaint with law enforcement agencies. However, there is also a pitfall here. The police are not a lost and found office, and it is worth contacting their services only after the fact of theft has been unequivocally determined. The wording “disappeared under unclear circumstances” or “came home, but there is no phone in his pocket” are the reasons for refusing to search due to the lack of corpus delicti. And in no case should you think up the circumstances of the theft - this can only lead to administrative fines for the irrational use of police forces.
Remember that the speed of your actions greatly increases the chances of a successful recovery of the loss.
The standard operation of searching for a phone by IMEI through law enforcement agencies looks like this
- A request is made to the police at the place of the theft. Additionally, documents confirming the right to own the device and IMEI data are attached to it.
- When approving the application, law enforcement agencies submit a request to mobile operators.
- The operator conducts a search and finds out the ownership of the SIM card that is installed in the device (this is the second identifier when connecting to the network, remember?).
- The information obtained is forwarded to the police for further investigation.
Image from heaclub.ru
The only alternative, besides contacting the authorities, are databases of stolen phones. For example, if a person has lost a phone with Android OS, then you can find it by IMEI by leaving your contact details and identification number, as well as the amount of remuneration that he is ready to transfer to the finder. Naturally, no one wants to pay for their own device, but in most cases this is the only way out.
If the mobile phone was lost without a crime, then it is impossible to find it by IMEI. Therefore, it is worth using alternative ways, which are in open access and, for the most part, free.
Phone Finder Apps
Each operating system has its own protection against loss or theft, carried out at the software level.
iPhone
The iPhone, being a status and expensive phone, is always in demand among criminals with long arms. Apple is about users and has created a special Find my iPhone service that works like a blocker, additionally indicating the location using GPS. You can use it only if the smartphone is tied to iCloud and the function has been previously enabled. By logging into the iCloud website with your account, you can lock the device using a four-digit pin code, erase all data from it and track your location. If there is no Internet connection, then the changes will be applied the next time they appear on the network. Criminals will not be able to unlock a smartphone without the mail and password of the previous user, even if they reflash it. This cannot be bypassed for those phones that have iOS 7 and higher installed.
How to find a lost Android OS phone by IMEI
Due to the fact that devices based on the operating android networks are produced by several companies, then the mobile phone search tools were not standardized for a long time - each major vendor built in its own software. But now Google has installed a unified for Android software. It's called Android device Manager and serves the noble purpose of finding and locking your smartphone. This can be done through a special website, provided that the device is connected to a Google account.
The functionality is almost the same as that of Apple, with the exception of one thing - protection is quite easy to bypass by resetting the settings to factory settings or (in extreme cases) flashing. In addition, if the attacker unties account and install its own, it will be possible to find the phone only through IMEI. For the service to work, you must enable the option "Remote android control" in settings.
Image from money.cnn.com
Windows
Smartphones on Windows have not been able to firmly enter the market, but they still have their own circle of fans and owners. For them Microsoft company has built in a feature called almost the same as the previous developers described in this article - Find my Phone, and works under the same conditions - if the phone is signed in to a Microsoft account. It is worth noting one big problem that is already discovered after the fact - it is impossible to connect to the device through the search service after replacing the SIM card. This is treated by enabling the option "Speed up connection to services", after which control will be carried out not through SMS messages, but using push notifications. Also, you must first enable "Save location every few hours" for tracking the device on the map. Phone control is carried out from the official website of Microsoft.
Most often, the main criterion for the success of the search is the speed of response and the correctly chosen algorithm of actions. If you are sure that the device was stolen - contact the police. If not, then try to find it on your own or throw a cry on the aggregators of stolen phones or on the city forum. But you should take care of installing and configuring special services in advance. And if now it does not seem such an important task, then later half an hour spent on parsing functions search engine manufacturer, can save you nerves, time and money.
A service that is rapidly gaining popularity among the population every year is a search by IMEI. The development of cellular communications inevitably entails the improvement of mobile software. Many are interested how to find phone by imei, and what programs exist for this.
Indeed, some of them are designed to collect and transmit the necessary data from a mobile phone, while allowing for the interception of calls and SMS, as well as establishing the location of the owner of the device. Such software helps operators to provide remote access to the relevant information in cell phone. Also, such products allow you to efficiently search by IMEI. Modern software works effectively on phones that support operating systems Symbian and Windows Mobile. Although, to date, information about how to find stolen phone by imei exists both on the Internet and in the media and is quite accessible, many still do not know how to use the possibilities of a unique identification number.
IMEI is a combination of fifteen digits. This number allows you to search for the location of subscribers in communication networks. One of the most frequently asked questions on Internet forums is: how to find phone by imei. Some, asking such a question, hope that knowing the IMEI, they will be able to find the lost device on their own. Here we should immediately make a reservation that searching for a phone on our own by this kind of number is unpromising for a number of reasons, which we will now consider.
IMEI is a code assigned to the device during production. This is a kind of digital identifier that does not change after the loss. The mobile number can be changed by replacing the SIM card in it, with IMEI the situation is somewhat more complicated, because smartphone and phone manufacturers usually try to block the very possibility of changing the identification number, however, in rare cases, IMEI can be changed, and if this does happen, the phone is unlikely will ever be found.
How to find lost phone by IMEI? First of all, for this you need to have access to special equipment and databases of operators of the country where the search is made. Access to information of this nature can only be obtained by law enforcement officers, but even they rarely use this opportunity.
Software designed to search for mobile phones by IMEI is usually distributed free of charge during the entire test period. Anyone can test and purchase full version Software, however, you should remember that the program is installed directly into the phone's memory. Quite affordable even for an inexperienced user, it has a wide range of useful features. How to find a phone by IMEI With this program, you can learn from experts service center or on the website of software manufacturers.
By using modern technologies, the search for a subscriber can be carried out as soon as possible, from anywhere in the world. This program not related to the work of any particular mobile operator, the only limitation is the need to install the software in the phone's memory.
Even if the SIM card is replaced, installed program will continue to work properly, and will transmit data to find a mobile phone and other necessary information to the server. Users with such software can be aware of all the events happening with their phone. This allows you to secure the handset from loss or theft, track the movement of the device and find out many useful information. Software functions will help solve the problem so that how to find phone by imei, and also to solve a lot of problems of a different plan.