Read an IMEI from a photo — and check it is right
An IMEI is fifteen digits, and the fifteenth exists to catch exactly the mistake an image reader makes. We recompute it and tell you the answer.
Show everything the scan found
This tool runs in the browser. The app does the same from your camera, keeps a history, and works offline.
The check digit is the point
The first fourteen digits of an IMEI identify the model and the individual handset. The fifteenth is a Luhn check digit computed from the other fourteen. Change any single digit and the checksum stops matching — which means a tool reading an IMEI out of a blurry photo can tell you, with certainty, that it got a character wrong.
That is not true of most numbers. A serial number or a Wi-Fi key has no redundancy at all: read it wrong and nothing anywhere objects. Here, a red badge is real information.
Where to find yours
| Where | How |
|---|---|
| On screen | Dial *#06#. Works on essentially every phone, including feature phones, and gives the cleanest possible capture |
| iPhone settings | Settings, then General, then About |
| Android settings | Settings, then About phone, then IMEI |
| SIM tray | Etched into the metal on many iPhones — tiny, and the hardest surface to read |
| The box | Printed on the barcode label, usually the easiest photo to take |
If you no longer have the phone or the box, there are a few other places it turns up.
Dual-SIM phones have two
A dual-SIM handset carries one IMEI per radio, and *#06# shows both. If the tool returns two valid fifteen-digit numbers from one screenshot, that is why — and either may be the one your carrier or insurer wants, so check which slot they mean.
Questions
What does the red badge mean?
The Luhn checksum did not match, so at least one digit was misread. Retake the photo — a *#06# screenshot is the most reliable source.
Should I post my IMEI publicly?
No. It identifies your specific handset and is used for blocklisting. Share it with a carrier, an insurer or a buyer, not with a forum.
Why did it find two numbers?
Dual-SIM phones carry one IMEI per radio slot, and *#06# displays both.
Guides for this
The tool reads the number. These cover where it lives, why a read fails, and what to do with the result.
Do this with a camera instead
Your phone will offer its camera right here — the file picker above includes Take Photo. What the app adds is selecting a region on the photo it just took, a paid history of every scan, working with no connection, and no 7 MB engine download. The check-digit verification on this page is a web feature and is not in the app yet.