If you have an old iPhone sitting around you want to unlock so it can be used on another carrier’s network you’ll need to its IMEI number. Read on to learn where it’s hiding.
When you buy a smartphone, including Apple’s iPhone, it’s typically locked to a specific carrier. Buy an iPhone for your AT&T account, for example, and the phone can’t switch the phone to T-Mobile without first unlocking it. Check with your carrier to see how long you need to have your phone before they’ll unlock it so it works on other cell networks.
IMEI, or International Mobile Equipment Identify, is a unique identifying number similar to a serial number. Cell services providers use the number to identify phones on their network and need that when you request to have your old iPhone unlocked.
Here’s how to find your iPhone’s IMEI number:
During 2000 to 2009, the serial number also made it easier to identify the Macs, as the 3rd, 4th, and 5th character of the serial number referred to the week. And year of the shipment date. How to recover your Mac's serial number Click on the menu. Select About this Mac. The serial number is listed under the Overview tab, which should be the first one to appear.
You can copy the IMEI number with a tap-and-hold so you don’t have to worry about mis-typing it in your cell carrier’s unlock request Web form.
The following are the four methods you can use to find the serial number on your Mac. “About this Mac” is the easiest way you can access your Mac’s serial number. This is found on the information panel. To get to this area, go to the Apple menu. In the menu, open the OS X version string.
Your iPhone’s About section includes some other useful numbers, too. Here’s what you can find:
You need to go to your carrier’s website to request to unlock an iPhone or any other smart phone. Be sure to check the requirements listed on the site before requesting an unlock.