Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the loss of IMEI, the unique device identifier, usually after a failed flashing, resetting a modem setting or buying a device without documents. On the Internet, you can find offers to “buy IMEI” or “restore IMEI for money”, but it is important to understand the nature of this process. IMEI is not a product that is sold in a store, it is a digital serial number sewn into the equipment.
Attempts to purchase this number or service by changing it to left-handed code often lead to serious problems with carriers and the law. In this article, we will discuss why the request “how to buy IMEI” is technically incorrect, what are legal ways to restore access to the network, and why using programmers or paid services to change the ID can turn your smartphone into a brick.
First of all, you have to realize that IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) is your device's passport on a mobile network, and carriers use it to identify your subscriber and lock stolen phones, and if you're looking for a way to buy a new number, you're essentially looking for a way to get around locking or hide the origin of the device, which is a violation of network rules.
What is IMEI and why you can’t just buy it
The unique IMEI code is assigned to the manufacturer by the international organization GSMA. It is the manufacturer Xiaomi writes this number in a special modem memory area (NVRAM) when assembled. Technically, this number is not sold separately from the device itself. When people talk about “purchase IMEI”, they often mean paying for flashing services of this value, which is illegal in many countries.
The change of the identifier is required, as a rule, in two cases: if the original number was lost as a result of a software failure (the firmware flew off) or if the owner wants to hide the real status of the device (for example, if the phone is wanted). In the second case, the purchase of a service to change the code is a way to completely lock the device by the operator at the first registration in the network, since the databases are not the only one that can be used. IMEI constantly updated.
It's important to understand the difference between re-establishing a native number and registering a random number. Re-registration is the return of a factory modem setting. Registration of a new one is the falsification of hardware data. Xiaomi smartphones have protection against unauthorized alteration of this data, so the procedure often requires special access rights or engineering cables.
- 📱 IMEI — This is a 15-digit code unique to each communication module.
- 🚫 Purchase of “clean» IMEI does not guarantee that it will not be blocked by the operator in the future.
- ⚖️ Change of change IMEI The purpose of circumventing the blocking is illegal.
⚠️ Attention: Use of change services IMEI The stolen phones can be criminally liable, and telecom operators can easily identify these devices from the twins on the network.
If your phone is no longer seeing SIM-a card or shows "Null" instead of a number, this is a signal about damage to the partition NVRAM. In this case, you do not need to look for where to buy a room, you need to look for a way to restore the factory, which is often duplicated on the sticker under the battery (if it is removable) or on the box.
Legal ways to restore IMEI on Xiaomi
There are several official and semi-official ways to get the communications module back on track, the first and most reliable way is to go to a Xiaomi authorized service center, where engineers have access to factory software that allows them to read backups from the manufacturer's server or recover data from internal memory if they have not been completely destroyed.
The second option is suitable for experienced users, if you have a backup of the persistent or modem_st1, modem_st2, You can try to restore them through Fastboot mode, which requires an unlocked bootloader and the Mi Flash Tool, but if you don't have a backup, this method won't help you create a number out of thin air.
The third way is to use the engineering menu, if it's available on your firmware version. By entering a special code, you can try to overwrite data, but on modern versions of MIUI and HyperOS, this feature is often blocked. Entering commands requires extreme caution, since an error can finally "kill" the modem.
☑️ Pre-reconstruction checks
It's worth noting that none of the legal methods require you to "buy" the code itself, you pay for the work of a specialist or the time it takes to restore the software, and if you're offered a simple "500 rubles code" without connecting your phone to the hardware, that's fraud.
| Method | Cost | The risk of blocking | Skills required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service centre | Tall. | 0% | Absent. |
| Recovery from the backup | 0 rub. | 0% | Tall. |
| Engineering menu | 0 rub. | Low. | Average. |
| Third-party software (Box) | Medium | High-pitched | Professional |
💡
The only guaranteed safe way is to restore the original factory number through a service center or backup.
Risks of buying services to change IMEI
The ID service market is full of offers that sound tempting but pose threats. When you buy a new IMEI firmware service, you entrust your data to third parties, often requiring a superuser rights transfer (Root) or even a bootloader unlock, which reduces the overall security of the device.
The used “bought” IMEIs may already be blacklisted by carriers, and as a result, immediately after flashing, the phone may start working, but after a few days or weeks, access to the network will be limited, and it will be impossible to refund the money for such a service, since the transaction took place in the “gray” zone.
In addition, poor firmware can damage other partitions of memory. Xiaomi smartphone may lose the ability to work with the new device. 4G/LTE, remain only 2G or stop defining SIM-Recovery from such interventions often requires a complete soldering of the memory chip, which is not economically feasible.
- 💸 High risk of running into scammers who take money and disappear.
- 📉 Decrease in the market value of the phone when trying to sell (buyers check) IMEI).
- 🔒 Inability to use banking applications and Google Pay after obtaining Root rights.
⚠️ Attention: After the change IMEI Xiaomi may stop using the Find Device feature, which makes the phone unprotected in case of theft.
Some "masters" use programmers who record random numbers, which leads to "doubles" appearing on the network. When the legitimate owner of a phone with the same IMEI (which was copied) goes online, your phone can be automatically locked by the operator's security system.
Technical methods: engineering menu and ADB
For those who choose to act on their own, there are technical tools, one of which is the engineering menu, and on older versions of Android and MIUI, you could type in code ##3646633# or similar, go to the Connectivity tab and find a field to enter CDS Information, but on modern Xiaomi, this path is often closed or requires a special engineer SIM card.
A more sophisticated method involves using USB debugging (ADB). If the phone has debugging enabled, you can try to send commands directly to the modem. This requires installing Qualcomm or MediaTek drivers on the computer. Commands are entered into the console, but their syntax is highly dependent on the processor model.
adb shell
echo -e "AT+EGMR=1,7,\"YOUR IMEI\" > /dev/smd0Important: this command is exemplary and may not work on your model. Incorrect data entry through ADB can lead to the modem switching to Emergency Download Mode (EDL), from which exit is possible only through a service cable and an authorized account.
If you are not sure about your actions, it is better not to experiment with your own. ADB-A mistake in one character can change the wrong memory register. Professional repairmen use special boxes (for example, a computer, Z3X, UnlockTool, which has access to hidden CPU functions, but the cost of such hardware is in the hundreds of dollars.
Checking the IMEI for cleanliness before buying
If your interest in the topic of how to buy an IMEI is related to the desire to buy a used phone, then you need not buy a number, but check the existing one. Before you trade, be sure to ask the seller for the code and run it through databases, which will save you from buying a stolen or locked device.
There are many online services to check, and type in a 15-digit code on the manufacturer's website or in specialized databases (e.g. imei.info or local carrier databases), and note the status of the device: "Clean" means the phone is clean, "Lost/Stolen" means stolen, and "Blacklisted" means the device is blacklisted.
Also check the IMEI displayed on the screen (set *#06#), with the number on the box and on the case (if you can look under the SIM tray), the discrepancy in at least one digit indicates that the phone was opened, changed the fee or sewed.
- 🔍 Check the lock status of the operator (Lock Status).
- 📅 Make sure the production date matches the appearance of the device.
- 🌍 Check which region the device is intended for (Global, China, RU).
Buying a phone with a "beaten" or altered IMEI is a lottery. Even if it works today, it can turn into a tablet without communication tomorrow.