Lost Your Phone? Learn How to Recover Your IMEI Number

Losing your phone can be a distressing experience, but knowing your phone's International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number can be a valuable tool for locating and potentially recovering your device. In this blog post, we'll explore what the IMEI is and how to retrieve it when your phone is lost.

What is an IMEI Number?

IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. It is a unique 15- or 17-digit code assigned to every mobile device, including smartphones and feature phones. The IMEI number serves as a distinct identifier for your phone, and it can be used for various purposes, including tracking your device if it's lost or stolen.

Methods to Retrieve IMEI

As you probably know, it is relatively easy to find the IMEI number of your mobile phone. While there are apps that will help you retrieve this number with a tap, you don’t really need one. Just open the phone dialer, call *#06# and the IMEI number will be displayed on the phone’s screen. Alternatively, you can open device Settings - About Phone - Status and long-press the IMEI number to copy it to the clipboard.

If you have however lost your phone but did not record the IMEI number beforehand, you can still retrieve the number from your Google Account.

Retrieve It from Your Google Account

If you're using an Android device and it's linked to your Google account, you may be able to find your IMEI number by following these steps:

1. Go to the Google Account Recovery page (https://myaccount.google.com/find-your-phone).
2. Sign in with the Google account associated with your lost device.
3. You'll see a list of your devices. Find the lost one and click on it to see its IMEI number.

Contact Your Service Provider

If you have your phone's original documentation, you might find the IMEI number listed there. Alternatively, you can contact your mobile service provider, as they may have your IMEI number on record.