3 Ways How to Track Mobile Phone Using IMEI Number

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Over the years, there have been new methods now on how you can track your phone using IMEI. Here is the updated version of the method with some new few tips that you can do to track your mobile phone using IMEI number.

The last time we wrote about how to track the phone using IMEI number is way back in 2013. Some of the tips we offer at that time are still valid nevertheless. Check out the article here.

The mobile phone nowadays is equipped with GPS and also have a pre-installed app that can track your cell phone easily if you lost or got your phone stolen. However, sometimes having this advanced features is not enough. So, what happens if you just lost your phone and you could not track it using the pre-installed app such as Find iPhone and Android Device Manager? The second best option is to track your phone using your phone’s IMEI number.

WHAT IS IMEI NUMBER?

What is IMEI number

IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. It is a unique identifier for your phone in which phone manufacturer will need to assign it to all phone being manufactured. It is a 15 to 17 digit of numbers in sequence. Imagine a plate number or chassis number for your car.

Each car will have a different number as a way to identify them from other same car models. The same applies to your phone too. Your phone might have a similar model and colour, but the IMEI number is unique to every phone that has ever been manufactured in the world.

HOW TO FIND IMEI NUMBER IN YOUR PHONE?

Here are two quick ways how you can find your phone’s IMEI number or read here for more details

FIRST OPTION

How to Find IMEI number 1

Step 1
Go to your phone keypad

Step 2

Type *#06#

A string of IMEI number will appear on your screen. This method applies to all types of phone.


SECOND OPTION

How to Find IMEI number 2

Step 1
Go to your phone General Settings

Step 2
Go to About

Step 3
Search for IMEI number in the list of information

HOW TO USE IMEI NUMBER TO TRACK YOUR PHONE

The IMEI number has one important purpose, and that is to identify your phone in a cell network operator. With thousands of mobile phones connected in the same time as yours on the cell phone network, the network operator will use your SIM card number and also IMEI number as a valid identifier to your phone to differentiate from other connected phones. This way the network operator would know your cell phone usage for billing purposes as well as your phone’s location at the same time so that they can send and received any calls for you that they received from their network.

So, in a scenario, if you do lose your phone or got it stolen, as long as the SIM card is there; your phone is on, and the phone battery does not run out, your phone will continue to send a transmission to the nearest cell phone tower. Even if the SIM card is taken out, the cell tower can still identify your phone using the IMEI number of your phone through the Equipment Identity Register or EIR. The EIR is a database commonly GSM network used to list all valid mobile equipment that is using their network.

So, if you now understand what IMEI is and how it is used, here are the steps if you want to track the phone using IMEI number

1. REPORT LOST PHONE TO THE AUTHORITIES

This step is essential to provide legal documentation that your phone is lost. This will help you in the second step.

How to Track Phone Using IMEI number 1

What do you need to report? Among the critical information you need to provide to the police are:-
i. IMEI number
ii. SIM card number
iii. Phone’s model, brand and colour
iv. Any other unique physical identifier for your phone
v. Where do you think you lost it
vi. Where do you think it got stolen

2. REPORT LOST PHONE TO YOUR CELL PHONE NETWORK PROVIDER

How to Track Phone Using IMEI number 2

As explained earlier on, your SIM card number and IMEI number is the unique identifier for your cell phone network service operator. Using the Equipment Identity Register (EIR), a cell phone network operator can blacklist the stolen phone from using their network. That’s why it is vital that you make a police report first so that you can show this legal documentation to your cell phone service provider so that they can act.

The cell phone service provider can also help you to locate where your phone is if the phone does transmit an active signal to their nearest cell tower. However, a disclaimer here is that not all countries and cell phone network service provider will help you to do the blacklisting and also to track your phone using the IMEI method. It needs a clear government policy of allowing this to happen in certain countries. So, that brings us the last option.


3. REPORT LOST PHONE TO A NATIONAL DATABASE REGISTRY FOR STOLEN ITEMS

How to Track Phone Using IMEI number 3

Another method that has grown popular over the last few years are the establishment of a national database for stolen goods and properties. The way this database works is that if you submit your IMEI number there and report it as stolen or lost, the database will keep your data as a record.

If someone naively did buy your stolen phone from the thief and checked the IMEI number in the database, it will instantly alert the buyer that the phone was stolen property. Some of the database in certain countries also link this to the police database so that law enforcement can immediately act on it.

Here is some example in certain countries where this database have been developed to help customers retrieve back their phone using IMEI number.

In Australia, they have created a central database called the EIE Administration Node that helps to check the status of your phone by just providing an IMEI number.

In the United States, an organisation such as the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, CTIA offers free services to check if the phone you just bought was stolen or not. You can check their website here. You can submit your IMEI number there, and if someone did buy your stolen phone and check it in the database, the law enforcement could immediately investigate it.

If you are in the United Kingdom, similar services like this are the Immobilise website. The database has been there for a while, and the services do not limit to cell phone recovery only but also to all stolen goods and property.

So, there you have it. A step by step guide on how you can track your phone using the IMEI number. Please leave us a comment if you think this article might have been useful for you and can help you trace your lost phone.

Read also our previous article on the ultimate guide on how to track your lost phone.

How to Find Your Location History on Your iPhone (Significant Locations)

If you are wondering if your iPhone is tracking or not, well, the answer to that question is that it does. As iPhone wants to further improve its AI through Siri and Apple maps, it does keep track of your frequent locations or it calls it the significant locations. It will have a list of all the locations that you frequently go to and keep it as a record to further help Apple to customise your iPhone’ experience. Here we show you how do you want to see the location history of which your iPhone has helped to track and record for you.

WHY FIND YOUR LOCATION HISTORY ON YOUR IPHONE?

Here are some of the top reasons why some people want to find your location history on your iPhone:-

  1. TO KEEP TRACK OF WHERE YOU OFTEN GO – Sometimes it helps you to keep track of places where you often go so you can refer to it later or use it as a guide to other people
  2. TO KEEP TRACK OF OTHER PEOPLE’S OFTEN VISITED PLACE – If you have access to other people’s iPhones or your spouse or children, you would be able to know which places they often go just in case if there are some emergencies.

So, if you are interested to learn how to know your significant locations on your iPhone, here are the steps.

Step 1

In your iPhone, go to Settings

Step 2

In Settings, tap at “Privacy”

Step 3

In the Privacy settings, go to “Location Services”

Step 4

At the Location Services, scroll down and tap at “System Services”

Step 5

At the System Service, go to “Significant Locations”

Step 6

At Significant Locations, look at the “History” location that your iPhone has tracked and listed here. Tap to any location to get more details

Step 7

This will show you the date and how many times you come to this place or location.

You can also see the location on a map here as shown.

So, there you have it – Simple steps on how you can find the location history on your IPhone or other people’s iPhone. Please leave us a comment below on what are the reasons do you want to know the significant locations for.

Please also read our previous article on How to Setup Your iPhone So You Can Always Find it (Enable These Top 3 Settings)

How to Setup Your iPhone So You Can Always Find it (Enable These Top 3 Settings)

If you have an iPhone, you can track it or find back your iPhone if you lost it. However, make sure the iPhone has been set up so that it is discoverable via GPS or internet and you can track and find it. Here we are going to show you the important settings that you need to know so that you can always find your iPhone if you lost it or got it stolen.

WHY SET UP YOUR IPHONE SO YOU CAN FIND IT LATER?

  1. In case your iPhone got lost – If your iPhone got lost, the settings will help you to find and track your lost iPhone
  2. In case your iPhone got stolen – In case, your iPhone got stolen, the settings will help your iPhone to be connected to the GPS or internet and in the same time, allows you to track and recover back your iPhone.

So, if you are interested to learn how to do this, here are the steps:-

  1. ENABLE LOCATION SERVICES

Step 1

 In your iPhone, go to Settings

Step 2

 In your Settings, go to “Privacy”

Step 3

At the “Privacy” settings, go to “Location Services”

Step 4

Enable the Location Services by enabling this button to green

  • ENABLE FIND MY IPHONE

Step 1

At “Location Service”, go to “Share My Location”

Step 2

Enable the “Share My Location” so your iPhone can be found using Find My iPhone app

Step 3

 At “Find My iPhone” settings, enable the “Find My iPhone” here

Your iPhone now will be discoverable and trackable using “Find My iPhone” app if you log in using your Apple ID account

  • ENABLE “ALLOW APPS TO REQUEST TO TRACK”

Step 1

In the “Privacy “ settings, tap at “Tracking”

Step 2

At “Tracking”, enable the “Allow Apps to Request to Track” here by pushing the button to green.

So, there you have it- Simple iPhone settings that you need to know to enable your iPhone to be discoverable and trackable in the future. Please leave us a comment below on what other apps that you use to find the location of your iPhone.

Please also read our previous article on 3 Ways How to Track iPhone Without Internet

Top 7 iPhone Location Settings (And How to Turn it Off)

If you do not want your iPhone to be tracked, you need to know which location settings in your iPhone that needs to be turned off. Some settings completely blocked any location data from transmitting from your iPhone and there are some settings that only partially limit the location tracking of your iPhone. Here we are going to show you the top 7 location settings that are in your iPhone and the steps on how to turn it off.

If you are interested to know how, here are the steps.

#1 TURN OFF LOCATION SERVICES

Location Services is the GPS services provided on your iPhone. This allows all the features that require a GPS location to be active if you have enabled the location services in the settings. You can disable the location services if you do not want your iPhone to be tracked via the GPS.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

In your iPhone, go to Settings

Step 2

In your Settings, go to “Privacy”

Step 3

In “Privacy” settings, go to “Location Services”

Step 4

Push the green button at Location Services to the left to disable it

Step 5

A pop-up menu will be shown. Tap “Turn Off” to confirm

The button of your Location Services will no longer be green. This means your Locations Services has been turned off

#2 USE AIRPLANE MODE

Airplane mode is a quick feature where it will allow your iPhone to disconnect not just your location services, but as well as your internet connection. This will limit the ability of your iPhone to be tracked.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

In your iPhone, go to your Settings and go to “Airplane Mode”

Step 2

At the “Airplane Mode”. Tap the button to the left to make it green

Your iPhone will now be in Airplane Mode and therefore disabling any location tracking

#3 TURN OFF “FIND MY IPHONE”

The “Find My iPhone” feature is one of the most important features to be used if you have lost your iPhone. However, if you do not want your iPhone to be tracked even If you have lost it, here are the steps on how you can disable this function.

Step 1

At the Location Services, tap at “Share My Location”

Step 2

At “Find My” menu, tap at “Find My iPhone”

Step 3

At “Find My iPhone”, push the green button to the left to disable the function

Step 4

A pop-up menu will be shown requesting your Apple ID password

Fill in your Apple ID password to proceed to disable the “Find My iPhone”

#4 DISABLE IPHONE OFFLINE FINDING

Even if your iPhone is not connected to the internet, your iPhone can still be tracked via the Bluetooth connection.

Here are the steps on how you can disable this Bluetooth location tracking feature.

Step 1

At “Find My iPhone” menu settings, go to “Enable Offline Finding” and push the button to the left to disable it

Step 2

A pop-up menu will be shown. Tap “Disable” to proceed

#5 DISABLE IPHONE FROM SENDING LAST LOCATION

Your iPhone can no longer be tracked once it is turned off or not connected to the internet. However, it can still show the last time it was discoverable via the internet.

Here are the steps on how to limit your iPhone from sending its last location. 

Step 1

At “Find My iPhone” settings, go to “Send Last Location”

Step 2

Disable the “Send Last Location” by pushing the button to the left

#6 DISABLE LOCATION ALERTS

Your iPhone can also send location alerts where it will show your iPhone location in a map.

Here is how to disable this.

Step 1

Go to “Location Services” settings, tap at “Location Alerts”

Step 2

At “Show Map in Location Alerts”, push the button to the left to disable it

#7 DISABLE APPS FROM SHARING LOCATION

If you do not want to block your iPhone from location sharing, you can also just select which specific apps in your iPhone that be blocked from sharing your iPhone’s location.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

At the “Privacy” settings, go to “Location Services”

Step 2

At Location Services, scroll down to see the list of apps that uses Location Services.

Tap at Apps that are listed as “Always”

Step 3

Change the settings from “Always” to “While Using the App” or to “Never”

This will disable the apps from sending your iPhone location to a third-party services

So, there you have it – Top seven iPhone location settings and how you can disable or turn it off. Please leave us a comment below on what are the most common location settings that you would normally use.

Please also read our previous article on how to find iPhone when it is offline.