Frequently asked questions about IMEI Safe
Answers about the service itself: how a check runs, what it costs, invoicing, data protection, bulk checks and the API. What each individual check means is explained on the linked topic pages.
How does a check at IMEI Safe work?
Enter the IMEI, start the check, read the result. The basic check runs on the home page without an account. For the full report you pick a fixed-price report, pay via Stripe and receive the result together with the invoice by email.
What does a check cost?
The basic check on the home page is free. The basic report costs €4.90, the pro report €9.90 – a single payment per device. If you check regularly, you top up check credit and pay per lookup instead.
Do I need an account?
Not for the free basic check, and not for the fixed-price reports. An account only pays off if you check regularly: it manages your credit, history, monitoring and API keys.
How long does a check take?
Most lookups finish within seconds. Individual databases – full Apple profiles above all – occasionally take longer. If that happens we email you the finished report; you do not have to keep the page open.
Where do the results come from?
We query several specialised data providers that in turn evaluate manufacturer and carrier records as well as GSMA data. What you get is the status at the moment of the lookup – a device that is clean today can still be reported lost or stolen later.
What happens to the IMEI I enter?
The IMEI is transmitted encrypted and passed to the relevant data provider for the lookup. For a paid report it belongs to the order and is stored as long as required for fulfilment, invoicing and statutory retention. We do not sell lookup data.
Do I get an invoice?
Yes. After every payment an invoice is sent automatically to the email address you provided. The provider is TR Vertriebs GmbH in Horn-Bad Meinberg, Germany – a German limited company with imprint, terms and a VAT ID.
What if a lookup returns nothing?
If an item cannot be retrieved we mark it as unavailable in the report and contact you about a partial refund. You are welcome to get in touch about it yourself at any time.
Which devices and brands are supported?
The check works across manufacturers: Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Google Pixel, OnePlus, Huawei and others. How much detail a device returns depends on the brand – Apple returns the most. The free basic check is limited to Apple devices.
Can I check many devices at once?
Yes. Bulk upload checks entire lists in one go, and the REST API integrates checking directly into your purchasing or inventory system.
IMEI check for dealers and repair shops
Is there an API?
Yes, a documented REST API with examples for cURL, Python, JavaScript and PHP. You create the key in your account.
What is the IMEI calculator for?
The IMEI calculator validates a number arithmetically using the Luhn algorithm and shows TAC, serial part and check digit. It says nothing about the state of the device – that is what the check is for.
What is the IMEI certificate?
The IMEI certificate (€22.99) is a sealed PDF containing a full Apple GSX report – intended for resale, insurance or warranty claims. It requires an account and a proof of purchase.
What is IMEI monitoring?
With monitoring we check a device automatically on a fixed schedule – daily, weekly or monthly – and email you as soon as the status changes, for example when an IMEI is newly blacklisted.
Where do I find my device's IMEI?
On any phone by dialling *#06#. On iPhone also under “Settings → General → About”, on Samsung under “Settings → About phone → Status”.
Step-by-step guide on the blog
Topic pages – each check in detail
Every check has its own page with instructions, examples and its own questions and answers:
- SIM lock check – Find out in seconds whether an iPhone or Android phone carries a SIM lock (network lock) — using the IMEI alone, without borrowing anyone's SIM card.
- IMEI blacklist check – Check by IMEI whether a phone appears on an international blacklist — reported lost, stolen or barred — so you do not buy a device that can be cut off from the network at any moment.
- iCloud activation lock check – Check by IMEI or serial number whether Apple's activation lock is still tied to a previous owner's Apple Account — the single most expensive thing to overlook when buying a used iPhone.
- serial number check – Enter a serial number to confirm which model you are actually being offered, when it was bought and whether the warranty still runs — before the money moves.
- IMEI warranty check – Find out whether a device is still covered, when it was bought and how much of the term remains — by IMEI or serial number, without a receipt.
- iPhone IMEI check – One IMEI answers every question that matters about a used iPhone: which model it really is, whether it is reported stolen, whether it is locked to a carrier, and whether the previous owner's Apple Account still holds it.
- Samsung IMEI check – Check a Samsung device against manufacturer and network records: the exact model, blacklist status, warranty — and the Knox warranty bit, which permanently changes what the device is worth.
- bulk IMEI check – Verify entire batches at goods-in — blacklist, activation lock, SIM lock and warranty — through bulk upload or a REST API, instead of checking devices one at a time.
IMEI checks in detail
Guides & explainers
More
A service of TR Vertriebs GmbH – your partner for professional IMEI verification.