IMEI and Serial number?

kirstyfromstratford wrote:

I would like to understand why a phone has both an IMEI number and also a Serial number please? what is the purpose of having two unique numbers for a phone??

Your phone has a lot more than IMEI and serial number. It also has a WiFi MAC address, a Bluetooth MAC address, an ICCID, an MEID, an SEID and probably a couple I have missed. Each has a specific purpose.

The serial number fits Apple's universal serial number system; from the serial number alone Apple knows what type of device it is (iPhone, iPad, iPod, Macbook, iMac, etc), when it was made, and it uses it to track the warranty status.

Only cellular products have an IMEI. So it isn't useful as a universal identifier for all Apple products. However, it is essential for your cellular carrier to manage your phone. And in general your cellular carrier doesn't know the serial number of your device unless you bought it from them, and even then they don't really care about it.

That said, Apple can use the IMEI to identify the phone, as there is a one-to-one relationship between IMEI and serial number, and their systems do use it. But it's only useful for cellular products. It isn't meaningful for a WiFi-only iPad or an iPod, for example.

All phones have IMEI numbers. They are the number that the carrier uses to link the device to their network (along with the SIM in the case of phones that use SIM cards). The serial number just like the serial number for any piece of hardware, a way for the manufacturer to track the device. Could Apple use just the IMEI instead of a serial number? Perhaps. But, it's not as if having two numbers takes up extra space or anything.

I would track both. They are used for different purposes. You'll need the serial number for warranty and out of warranty service and support. You'll need the IMEI for dealings with your carrier.

I suppose anything is theoretically possible. However, it would be very, very hard (and in some countries, illegal).

I would honestly recommend you track both. It really won't take much more time and, sometimes, one number is more useful than the other. If you want to check warranty status with Apple, the serial number is, I believe, more useful. If you want to check with your carrier about some issue, they will need the IMEI.

For the sixty odd phones I'm responsible for, I mostly only track IMEI but I'm not concerned about warranty. My concern is getting them shut down and blacklisted if they get stolen.