Every smartphone or iPhone has an IMEI number assigned to differentiate one phone from another. And this number also comes in handy when tracking lost or stolen devices.
IMEI is an acronym for International Mobile Equipment Identity, a unique number that identifies each phone uniquely.
Most users get tempted to change the IMEI number of their iPhones for several reasons and may get stuck finding how to go around it.
This article will show some quick workarounds to help you quickly change your iPhone IMEI number.
Due to the uniqueness of IMEI numbers for each device, Apple tries to make it impossible to change your IMEI number. Still, people can do a few hacks to change the IMEI number of their iPhones.
You must bear in mind that changing the IMEI number of your iPhone involves many risks, and there’s no way to change the IMEI number of your iPhone permanently.
Changing the IMEI number of your iPhone device can only be done for a short period. Therefore, the benefits of changing your IMEI number are few compared to the risk and problems that may arise from changing it.
If an iPhone user changes the IMEI number of their iPhone to the same IMEI number of another phone, their phone will automatically stop working.
There are also some legal boundaries you might cross once you change the IMEI number of your device. Therefore, it’s always advisable to weigh the reasons before changing the IMEI number of your iPhone device.
With that in mind, let’s change the IMEI number on the iPhone. You must first jailbreak the iPhone to change the IMEI number on your iPhone. If you’re new to the term, you can check other articles on jailbreak iPhones to know what it means.
But if you need to learn about jailbreak, it simply means replacing or modifying several vital components of Apple’s operating system with custom applications; This opens up your iPhone to several possibilities beyond what Apple typically permits.
Once you successfully jailbreak your iPhone, you can proceed with the following steps to change the IMEI number on your iPhone.
How to Change IMEI Number on iPhone
Using Ziphone
The first method is using the Ziphone app. To change your iPhone IMEI number, here’s what to do:
1. You must first confirm the current IMEI number of your iPhone; you can do this using your phone dialer on your iPhone device. To do this, open your dialer and dial *#06#. Dialing this code will help you see your current IMEI number.
2. Once you’ve gotten the IMEI number of your iPhone, the next thing to do is to switch to a laptop or PC to do the other process.
3. On your Laptop or PC, search for the tool ”Ziphone’ and download it.
4. Once you’ve done this, open your iPhone in Recovery mode. You can press the Home Button and Power Button simultaneously.
Continue pressing till you see an Apple Logo appear on your screen. Once this happens, release the Home Button, and the iTunes logo will appear on the net with a wire right beneath it.
5. While in Recovery Mode, Connect your iPhone to your Laptop or PC
6. On your PC or Laptop, open the Ziphone folder and right-click. Select the option ‘Start Command Prompt Here.
7. In the Command Prompt window, type in ‘Ziphone.’
8. Once you’ve done this, type ‘ziphone -u -I alMEINumber’ (Input the new IMEI number you want for your iPhone in place of ‘IMEI Number)
9. After typing the new IMEI number, wait 3-5 minutes for the Ziphone to complete the process, reboot your iPhone, and the process will be complete.
10. To verify you changed the IMEI number successfully, Dial *#06# in your iPhone dialer to check the new IMEI Number of your iPhone.
Using Ziphone is one of the most popular methods to change the IMEI number of your iPhone temporarily, but you must make sure you jailbreak it if you want the process to work smoothly.
For those who wish to change their IMEI number without jailbreaking their phones, you can try the method in the next paragraph, but you must understand that this method is less popular and less effective than the first one.
Using Fake IMEI Number
1. Open your iPhone in Recovery mode. You can press the Home Button and Power Button simultaneously.
Continue pressing till you see an Apple Logo appear on your screen. Once this happens, release the Home Button, and the iTunes logo will appear on the screen with a wire right beneath it.
2. Once you’re in Recovery Mode, connect your iPhone to a PC or Laptop.
3. Download the ‘Ziphone GUI’ app tool on your PC or Laptop
4. Go to your Pc or Laptop and open the ‘Ziphone GUI’ application on your PC.
5. Locate the ‘Advanced Feature Window’ on the ‘Ziphone GUI’ application.
6. Locate the option to ‘Fake IMEI’ and tap on it.
7. Once you’ve done this, type in the new IMEI number you want your iPhone to have.
8. Tap on ‘Perform Action to change the IMEI number on iPhone
9. Once you’ve done this, you can return to your iPhone and type *#06# to check the new IMEI number of your iPhone.
Using method two won’t require jailbreaking your iPhone, but you must know it’s less effective than method 1. Changing IMEI on iPhone isn’t advisable as this can lead to several problems, including making the device vulnerable to data breaches or iPhone shifting down ultimately.
Essential Things to Note Before Changing IMEI Number on iPhone
1. Changing your iPhone IMEI number will end your warranty period; hence it’s advisable to do so only after your Warranty time is over.
2. Changing IMEI could get your iPhone blocked or completely shut down if the new IMEI number isn’t authentic or resembles a stolen handset’s IMEI.
3. There is a high risk involved in this process. No one can guarantee that changing your iPhone IMEI number will have a beneficial effect.
4. Converting your iPhone IMEI may result in destructive results because Apple doesn’t support it; hence it is illegal.
Conclusion
In this post, we’ve uncovered all you need to know about changing an IMEI number on an iPhone. We considered two methods, one involving jailbreaking your iPhone first while the other doesn’t.
Hopefully, these methods will serve as a guide to help you get a new IMEI number for your iPhone device, but also remember that changing the IMEI number of your iPhone isn’t an advisable thing to do. However, if you still need to change your IMEI number, this article would benefit you.