How to read your phone's IMEI report

An IMEI check is the quickest way to learn the basics about a phone before you buy it or pay for an unlock. But a report is only useful if you know what it is telling you. This guide walks through the parts you usually see, what a good result looks like, and when to stop.

Reports differ between providers, and some fields appear only in a paid report. What follows is what each part usually means.

First, check you have the right number

Every report starts with an IMEI, a 15 digit number. Before you read anything else:

• Dial *#06# on the phone and compare the number with the one in the report.
• Check the number in the phone’s settings too. They should match.
• If the phone takes two SIMs, it may have two IMEIs. Either can be used, but stick with one.

A typo gives you a report for a different phone. Our IMEI field checks the number for typing mistakes as you enter it. See how to find your IMEI if you cannot find it.

Model and storage

The report shows the model the IMEI belongs to and sometimes the storage size and color.

Good sign: it matches the phone in your hand and the listing you saw.

Warning sign: a different model, or less storage than advertised. The phone may have had parts swapped, or the listing is not honest.

Carrier and lock status

This tells you which carrier the phone is tied to and whether it is locked.

• Unlocked: the phone should accept SIMs from other carriers. Still test it with your own SIM if you can.
• Locked to a carrier: the phone only works with that carrier until it is unlocked. That may be fine if you use that carrier, or if the phone is eligible for an unlock. Price it as a locked phone.

If you want to unlock it, the carrier route is often free when the phone qualifies. Read our carrier guides, for example AT&T or Verizon.

Blacklist status

This is the most important line, and it is part of the paid full report. A blacklisted phone has been reported lost or stolen, or blocked for another reason by a carrier.

• Clean: no report found in the data source that was checked.
• Blacklisted or blocked: do not buy the phone. It may not work on many networks, and it should not be unlocked. We refuse those orders.

A clean result is a good sign, not a promise for the future. A phone can be reported later, for example if the original account stops paying. That is why it also helps to ask the seller for proof of purchase. See how to check if a used phone is financed.

Other details you may see

Some reports add more fields, depending on the data source:

• Purchase or warranty dates. Useful to judge the age of a phone. Treat them as a guide.
• Network or region information. Helps you see whether the phone was sold for another country.
• Account lock information. If a report shows that an account lock such as Activation Lock is on, ask the seller to remove it before you pay. We never remove those locks.

A quick checklist

Before you buy, you want to see:

1. The IMEI on the report matches *#06# and the settings.
2. The model and storage match the listing.
3. The lock status is what you expected, and priced in.
4. The blacklist status is clean.
5. The seller has signed out of their accounts and reset the phone.

If any of these fail, walk away or ask the seller to fix it first.

What to do with the result

• Everything looks right: test the phone with your own SIM and check the screen, buttons, cameras and battery.
• Locked, but otherwise fine: check whether the carrier will unlock it, or whether a paid unlock is possible. We check eligibility first and show the price before you pay.
• Blacklisted, wrong model, or account locked: do not buy.

Summary

Match the number first, then read model, lock status and blacklist status in that order. A good report plus a real test with your own SIM is the best protection you have when buying a used phone.