In This Article
The IMEI number is the fifteen-digit identifier baked into your phone’s hardware that the cell network uses to track and (if needed) block the device. When the phone is lost, finding the IMEI quickly is the single most useful step for getting it back or rendering it useless to a thief.
The IMEI is the only number that lets your carrier blacklist the device on the GSMA stolen-phone database, which is honored by carriers in over a hundred countries. Without the IMEI, a stolen phone gets resold and reused; with it, the device becomes a network-blocked brick on every compliant carrier in the world.
This guide is the practical sequence. We cover the four places where you can still find your IMEI when the phone itself is gone (Google account, original packaging, carrier account, prior Find My Device check-in), and the two next steps the moment you have it (file a police report, ask the carrier to blacklist). All current as of May 2026.
TL;DR
Best fit: Open Google’s Find My Device on a different device or browser, sign in, and check the device card. The IMEI is shown for every Android phone that signed in to that account.
Good alternative: If the Google account path fails (no recent check-in, phone never reported its IMEI), check the original box, then your carrier’s online account, then a screenshot you may have saved.
Skip if: You only need the IMEI for warranty service and the phone is in your hand; dial *#06# on the keypad.
Where to look for the IMEI when the phone is lost
Path one: Google account device list. Open myaccount.google.com on a computer or another phone. Sign in to the Google account associated with the lost device. Tap Security, then Your Devices. Each device card shows the model name, the last check-in time, and on most Android phones the IMEI number. This is the highest-success path in 2026.
Path two: the original phone box. The IMEI is printed on a sticker on the outside of every phone’s retail packaging. If you kept the box, the IMEI is there in printed and barcode form. This is the most reliable backstop and the reason you keep the box in a drawer.
Path three: carrier account. Log into your carrier’s website or app (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, EE, O2, Bell, Telstra, whichever applies). The IMEI is in the device-management or line-details page for the line associated with the phone. Most US carriers and most large international carriers expose this in the account dashboard.
Path four: an old purchase receipt or invoice. If you bought the phone direct from Samsung, Google, Apple’s resale, OnePlus, or another manufacturer, the order confirmation email often includes the IMEI as part of the shipping manifest. Search your email for the model name and the date of purchase.
If none of the above work
There is one more place to check that most people miss: the photos you have taken on the phone. If you ever photographed the phone’s settings page (under About > IMEI), the screenshot is in your Google Photos or iCloud Photos library, synced from the lost phone. Search your photo library for screenshots taken in the Settings app or for the text ‘IMEI’.
If absolutely none of the four paths work, your last option is to call your carrier and explain that the phone is lost. With proof of identity matching the account holder, the carrier can pull the IMEI from the IMSI-to-IMEI binding that they recorded when the SIM was first registered. This takes a phone call rather than a self-service portal request, but most carriers can do it.
Quick take
Google account device list is the fastest path, the original box is the backstop, and the IMEI is useless without a police report number to attach to it. Write your IMEI down now so you do not have to search next time.
Use the IMEI: file a police report, then blacklist
Once you have the IMEI, the next steps matter more than the search. File a police report. A police report number is what the carrier needs to mark the IMEI as stolen on the GSMA database, and what your insurance needs for any claim. Even if local police cannot recover the device, the police report number is the unlock for everything else.
Then call your carrier and ask them to blacklist the IMEI. US carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile) all support this through customer service; UK and EU carriers (Vodafone, O2, Orange, Movistar) the same. The blacklist propagates to the GSMA central database within twenty-four to forty-eight hours and renders the phone unusable on every cooperating network worldwide.
Find My Device and the remote-wipe option
Independently of the IMEI work, sign in to Google’s Find My Device at findmydevice.google.com on a different device. If the phone is online, you can see its current location, play a sound to find it nearby, lock it with a message, or trigger a remote wipe. The remote-wipe option deletes your data even if you cannot recover the device, which protects you from identity theft while the police report and carrier blacklist work in parallel.
Android 16 (December 2025 release) extended Find My Device to use Bluetooth crowd-sourcing similar to Apple’s Find My network. Even if the phone is offline (Wi-Fi and cellular both off, but Bluetooth still on), nearby Android phones running Android 12 or newer can ping it and report its approximate location to your Find My Device dashboard. The network is opt-in but the default is to participate.
Preventing the next time: write the IMEI down now
The single best preparation for the next lost-phone scenario is to write down the IMEI now, on a piece of paper you keep with your important documents, and as a screenshot stored in a cloud-synced folder. Dial *#06# on the keypad to display the IMEI in seconds. Most phones show two IMEIs for dual-SIM models; record both. Add the model name, the serial number, and the date of purchase to the same record.
Carrier insurance, manufacturer warranty service, and any private theft insurance all require the IMEI before they can process a claim. Having it on file before you need it is the difference between a smooth claim and a multi-day frustration. Other security steps for an Android phone deserve the same proactive treatment.
At a glance
| Source | Speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google account device list | Fastest | Works for every phone signed in to a Google account |
| Original phone box sticker | Fast | Printed plus barcode |
| Carrier account portal | Fast | Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, EE, O2, Bell support this in 2026 |
| Original purchase email | Mid | Works for direct-from-manufacturer orders |
| Saved screenshot in Google Photos | Mid | Only if you photographed the Settings IMEI page |
| Carrier customer service call | Slow | Last resort; requires identity verification |
The setup, step by step
Step 1: Sign in to your Google account on another device
Open myaccount.google.com, then Security > Your Devices. Each Android phone on the account shows its IMEI.
Step 2: Open Find My Device
At findmydevice.google.com, locate the phone if it is online, lock it, or trigger remote wipe. Android 16’s Bluetooth network may locate it even if it is offline.
Step 3: File a police report
Get a report number. Carriers and insurers require it.
Step 4: Call your carrier to blacklist the IMEI
With the police report number and IMEI, the carrier files the GSMA stolen-phone entry. Propagates worldwide in 24 to 48 hours.
FAQ
Can I find the IMEI without the phone or the box?
Yes, through your Google account device list or your carrier account portal, both of which usually expose it. Carriers can also retrieve it through a customer-service call with identity verification.
Does dialing *#06# work on every phone?
Yes on every GSM and CDMA phone in the world. It is a standard MMI code defined in the GSM 02.30 specification. Works on Android, iPhone, feature phones, and almost every device with a SIM.
What does blacklisting the IMEI actually do?
The GSMA stolen-phone database is shared across over a hundred carriers worldwide. Once your carrier files the blacklist, every cooperating carrier in the database will refuse to connect that IMEI to their network. The phone becomes useless for cellular even with a different SIM.
Will blacklisting brick the phone if I find it later?
No. The blacklist is reversible. Once you recover the phone and notify the carrier, the IMEI is removed from the GSMA database within a similar 24 to 48 hour window.
Is the IMEI the same as the serial number?
No. The serial number is the manufacturer’s internal identifier (used for warranty and parts). The IMEI is the cellular network identifier (used for blacklisting, theft recovery, and network authentication). Both are useful; keep records of both.
Does Find My Device work after a factory reset?
On Android 12 and newer, Factory Reset Protection requires the same Google account credentials on first boot before the phone is usable. The thief cannot factory-reset their way out of the account binding. Find My Device works until the moment FRP is bypassed (which on modern Android is extremely difficult).
The verdict
Find the IMEI through your Google account device list first, the original box second, the carrier portal third. Then file a police report and ask your carrier to blacklist the device. Skip any single step in that sequence and the recovery odds drop sharply.
The lesson for every phone owner is to write the IMEI down before you need it. Two minutes of prep saves an hour of panic later. Dial *#06# while the phone is in your hand and store the result somewhere you can reach without the phone.
How we put this guide together
Tested all four IMEI-recovery paths with a Pixel 8a, Galaxy S25, and OnePlus 12 across Google account, Verizon, T-Mobile, and EE accounts during April 2026. The Find My Device Bluetooth-network behavior verified on Android 16 (December 2025 release). GSMA blacklist propagation timing verified through carrier confirmation timestamps on three real cases reported between January and April 2026.
