IMEI number: what it is, how to find it on iPhone or Android, and how it differs from ICCID and EID

Nadezhda Semenova

7 years in business, co-founder of the Trippy travel service

Updated 20 Oct 2026 · How we check

What an IMEI number is

The IMEI full form is International Mobile Equipment Identity, and the number names one handset. DoT’s CEIR form for a lost phone has two fields, IMEI 1 and IMEI 2. Google explains the second one: “Pixel phones that can use both eSIM and SIM cards have two IMEI numbers, one for each kind of SIM.”

Google adds that “IMEI 1 is usually paired with the first SIM used to set up your phone” and says to confirm with your mobile operator. For the IMEI number on a SIM card, look at the phone instead. The places Apple and Google list include Settings, the box or packaging, their online device lists and, on Pixels and older iPhones, the SIM tray. No source we read breaks the 15 digits down, so we give no IMEI number format.

Find the IMEI on an iPhone, even one that won’t open

Open Settings, tap General, then tap About. Apple Support India 108037 (published 25 May 2026) says: “You may need to scroll down to find the EID, IMEI/MEID and ICCID.” Touch and hold the number to copy it.

If the phone will not open, Apple lists other places. Its list of models with the IMEI/MEID on the SIM tray ends with the iPhone 13 family; the iPhone 14 and later are not on it. On the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, SE (1st generation), 5s, 5c and 5 the number is on the back. Before setup, tap the Info button in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Apple also names the Finder (click Phone Number), the Devices section of account.apple.com and the barcode on the original packaging.

Find the IMEI on Android: IMEI 1 and IMEI 2

On a Pixel, Google (Pixel Help 10402530, no date on the page) lists four places: your phone’s box, the SIM card tray, Settings > About phone > “IMEI”, and Google Find My Device. A second number sits at “IMEI (SIM slot 2)” under About phone. To give you an eSIM for Dual SIM Dual Standby, Google says, “your operator may ask for your phone’s IMEI 2”.

We read no IMEI page from Samsung India or other Android makers, so we print no path for them. The eSIM phone list shows which phones take an eSIM, and the dual SIM guide covers two lines on one phone. Whether a phone is locked to one network is a separate check, in the carrier lock guide.

*#06#: who prints the dialler code

Jio, Airtel and Vi print the dialler code *#06#; the Apple and Google pages we cite do not. Jio’s eSIM FAQ says: “You can dial *#06# in your device to get details of your EID and IMEI information.” Airtel and Vi print the code for fetching the EID.

Apple 108037 and Pixel Help 10402530 point to Settings, the box, the tray and the packaging instead, so treat *#06# as those operators’ shortcut.

IMEI vs ICCID vs EID: which number for what

The IMEI names the phone, the ICCID names one SIM or eSIM profile, and the EID names the eSIM chip. Support asks for the one that matches the question. Our checkout asks for none of the three: its one required field is your e-mail address.

Jio’s eSIM page shows how two of the numbers combine: “Type GETESIM<32-digit EID><15-digit IMEI> and send it to 199”. The longer pages are the ICCID guide and the EID guide; the glossary and the help centre cover the other terms and checks.

Lost or stolen phone abroad: note the IMEI before you fly

Write the IMEI down before you travel, somewhere that does not depend on the phone. Apple’s packaging barcode, the Devices list on account.apple.com and Google Find My Device show it without the handset in your hand.

DoT’s CEIR user manual says: “The reported mobile device will be blocked across all the service provider networks.” A lost or stolen phone is reported on DoT’s CEIR site.

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