Today, no one can be surprised by the presence of a mobile phone, but quite recently, some 15 years ago, this type of communication was not just a luxury; only a few could afford it. The development of mobile communications is moving forward by leaps and bounds. Almost every month, a global brand offers its latest in mobile communications. Everyone already knows how to use it, but not everyone knows that the concept of IMEI is closely connected with the concept of a mobile phone. What is this term? In this article we will consider its significance.
So IMEI - what is it? IMEI is an abbreviation, it means a unique number of a mobile device. It is decrypted as follows - International Mobile Equipment Identifier. It consists of 15 digits, the producer country is encrypted in the first two digits, the model code of the device is encoded in the next 6, another six digits is the individual number of this particular phone, the last 15 is the spare identifier. Now we know the meaning of the concept of IMEI. What does this give us? How is this code useful? We will talk about this a bit later, but for now we’ll analyze how to determine the IMEI of your mobile phone. First of all, you need to know that this number is written on the box of your phone. Secondly, it is indicated on the body of the device itself - under the battery. If you don’t have a box at hand or you are too lazy to remove the battery from the phone, you can recognize it by dialing the code * # 06 # on the device’s keyboard and the number will be displayed on the phone screen.
Now let's talk about why it is needed, what is useful and what is "inconvenient". When you purchase a new or used mobile phone, you can perform an operation such as checking IMEI. The phone is checked on the basis of your country, and all the information is immediately visible to you: whether it is imported legally or not, whether it is “clean” or stolen. Also, when a mobile terminal is included in the network of a mobile operator, its individual number is transmitted. Why is this done? The main reason is to prevent unauthorized use of your device. For example, if your phone was stolen, law enforcement agencies with the help of mobile operators can easily figure out your handset. Of course, this is very good for honest citizens, but for those whose activities are balancing, as they say, on the verge, and for those who have long crossed it, this number is a serious hindrance. Of course, there is no talk about the secrets of the special services in this article, we will only slightly lift the veil.
Law enforcement has a number of elementary ways to calculate IMEI. What does this give them? Knowing this number allows the security services to listen not only to the SIM card, but also to the device itself. This is very important, since especially advanced criminals often change SIM cards, and in some cases use even disposable ones, and after one important conversation they destroy the chip. Some readers may wonder if IMEI change is possible. We answer this question unequivocally, no. Although earlier in older phones it was possible to reset the device number programmatically. Such a phone had a “zero” name; in modern mobile phones, software zeroing is impossible. There is a way to replace the processor unit with a new number, but such a procedure will be more expensive than the device itself. It’s easier to get a new phone.