At the end of January, Apple removed a handy tool to check used iPhones for unknown reasons. Fortunately, there is now an alternative way. We will show you how to check the iPhone serial number.
Checking the iPhone serial number, that’s how it works
Until January 2017, you could use Apple’s Activation Lock tool to see if a used seller could be trusted. By entering the serial or IMEI number of the second-hand iPhone or iPad, you immediately saw whether it was not blocked.
However, when the tool was taken offline, you could no longer perform this check yourself. Fortunately, until Apple comes up with an official alternative, there is now another way to do this. UnlockBoot found that you can still do this check from the Apple Support page. Apple still checks the IMEI number if you want to send in an iPhone or iPad for repair. The same tool is used for this, although it is a bit better hidden than before. The list below shows you step by step how it works.
- Go to the Apple Support website
- Choose iPhone
- Tap a hardware category such as Battery or Repair & Damage
- Select a specific problem
- Click on ‘send in for repair’
- Log in with your Apple ID
- Enter the IMEI number of the device on the next page
A handy check for second-hand iPhones
The website may not ask for a serial number. In that case, you can select a different type of repair, until you come across one that does ask for the serial number. If the website does not display an error message after entering the serial number, it means that Activation Lock is not activated and you can therefore use the iPhone. However, if you get a message that the device cannot be repaired because ‘Find my iPhone’ is activated, it is probably smarter to find another seller.
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