How to make an IMEI on a Xiaomi phone: recovery and change methods

The situation when IMEI On a smartphone, Xiaomi turns to zeros or becomes "null," which is one of the most unpleasant things for the owner of the device. This happens after a failed flashing, resetting or mechanical damage to the motherboard, causing the phone to stop seeing. SIM-International Mobile Equipment Identity is a unique hardware identifier that is written into the non-volatile memory of the modem, and its loss actually turns a modern gadget into a pocket computer without the possibility of calls.

Recovering or modifying this code requires a deep understanding of Android architecture and caution, as inept actions can finally brick a device. In this article, we will detail legal and technical ways to bring a phone back to life using the engineering menu, ADB-team and specialized software, and explain why the independent change IMEI It may be illegal in your country.

Before you start any manipulation, you need to understand the risks. The procedure for recording a new IMEI is possible only if the modem hardware is working and the factory calibration data of NV (Non-Volatile) is stored in memory. If you just want to hide your location or bypass the lock on the blacklist of the operator, know that modern carriers and manufacturers are actively fighting cloning IDs, and such actions can lead to a complete lock of the device at the network level.

Diagnostics of the problem and checking the current status

The first step before any action is to make a thorough diagnosis, and you need to know if the problem is really a software failure or if the radio module itself has failed, and the easiest way to check is to type in the *#06# combination in the Phone app. If the screen displays numbers other than zero, but the network is not caught, the problem may be in the settings. APN or SIM-map.

In more complex cases, when you see the code saying “IMEI: Null” or a line completely empty, this indicates a loss of communication between the operating system and the Baseband module. In such situations, check through an engineering menu that is hidden from the average user can be accessed by typing code # #4636##, but on new versions of MIUI and HyperOS this input is often blocked by developers.

• 📱 Check the box from the smartphone: the sticker is always indicated by the factory IMEI, which must be the same as what is displayed in the system (if it is read).
• 📡 Please note the network icon: if instead of 4G/LTE If only an “E” or “G” is lit, or the icon is crossed out, this is a sure sign of loss of identification in the network.
• 🔍 Use diagnostic applications: utility like Device Info HW or Phone Info. Samsung/Xiaomi They can show the real state of the modem even if the interface is silent.

If the diagnostics confirm that the IMEI is lost, don’t panic. 80 percent of the time on Xiaomi devices with Qualcomm or MediaTek processors, the data can be recovered software, but if the phone fell, sunk or opened, there is a high probability of a physical malfunction that the software will not fix.

Recovery through the Engineering Menu (MediaTek)

Xiaomi smartphones powered by MediaTek (Helio, Dimensity) processors have built-in manual IMEI registration through engineering mode. This is the safest and most “native” method, without requiring root rights or a computer connection.

Once you successfully log into the engineering menu (often called the MTK Engineering Mode), you need to find the Connectivity tab or the CDS Information tab. This is where the data input fields are located. Attention: enter exactly the 15-digit code that your device originally had (you can take it from the box) or any other, if you realize the consequences. The fields are commonly called IMEI 1 and IMEI 2 for dual-simals.

⚠️ Note: Introduce incorrect format IMEI (Less than 15 digits or the presence of letters can cause the modem to freeze.

Once you enter the values, you need to press the "Set Data" or "Write" button and then restart the device. If the procedure is successful, when you type *#06#, you will see new data. It is worth noting that on some new versions of Android, this feature can be blocked at the kernel level, and the input fields will be inactive or reset after rebooting.

Using ADB and Fastboot for advanced users

For devices where the engineering menu is not available or blocked, the only option is to use a debugging bridge. ADB (Android Debug Bridge.This method requires a computer installed by Xiaomi drivers USB Driver and minimal command line knowledge. The essence of the method is to send special AT-commands directly to the radio module.

First, you need to start debugging the USB In the Developer menu, you can connect the phone to your PC, and after you open the command line and check the connection with the Adb device command, you can go to enter it. AT-This uses shell mode. The commands may vary depending on the processor model, but the basic syntax for writing often looks like a sequence of instructions that initiate the entry into the processor. NVRAM.

adb shell


su




echo -e"AT+EGMR=1,7,\"350000000000000\"" > /dev/ttyUSB0

The above is an approximate syntax, but real commands can be more complex and require pre-activation of the engineering mode via ADB. For example, the command adb shell am start -n com.android.engineeringmode/com.android.engineeringmode.EngineeringMode can run a hidden menu if it is in the system.Working with ADB requires accuracy: one extra letter in the command can lead to a script execution error.

Application of specialized software: MauiMeta and SN Writer

When standard methods are powerless, professional snails like MauiMeta or other snails come to the rescue. SN Writer. These programs are for service engineers and they work at the low-level driver level. IMEI, but MAC-address Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, and calibration data of antennas.

To work with MauiMeta (relevant to MediaTek chips), the phone needs to be switched to a special mode, often by turning off the device and pressing the combination of buttons (for example, volume up + power button) when connecting the cable, or through the ADB adb reboot meta command. The program reads the current parameters and allows you to download the calibration file or enter the data manually.

The table below compares the main tools for working with IMEI on Xiaomi devices:

Using software like SN Writer is especially effective when you need to recover not only the IMEI, but also the serial number of a device that may have also gone off, a process that takes a few minutes, but requires a precise matching of the program version for a specific platform (32 or 64 bits).

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Expert advice: Before starting MauiMeta, be sure to install MediaTek VCOM drivers. Without them, the computer will not be able to recognize the phone in Meta mode, and the program will show a connection error.

Qualcomm processor and Xiaomi-specific problems

Owners of Qualcomm-based devices (Snapdragon) face great challenges. The architecture of these processors implies greater data protection in the EFS and Persist sections. Simple recording through the terminal often does not work here. These devices usually require switching to EDL (Emergency Download Mode) mode and using the QPST or QFIL utility for backup and recovery of the EFS partition.

Xiaomi’s feature is that it links IMEI to Mi Account and server-side verification in some markets (China, India), and even if you successfully write a new code, the phone may need to be unlocked through an official service center if it detects a hash-sum mismatch in memory, which is part of the Anti-rollback and anti-stolen device protection system.

If you have a Snapdragon phone and your IMEI is missing, try the following algorithm:

• 🔌 Go to Recovery Mode and do Wipe All Data (this sometimes restores standard configs).
• 💾 Find the section dump on the Internet EFS For your phone model (the matching of the model is important!).
• 🛠 Fastboot Dumping with Fastboot Flash Continue efs_partition_file.img.

⚠️ Note: Firmware of someone else's section EFS (from another model) is guaranteed to lose the ability to connect to the network forever. Use only native backups or files designed specifically for your device.

Some users try to use paid boxes and dongle-s (e.g. Chimera, UnlockTool) that do this procedure automatically, a paid but often the only way to work for complex cases with Qualcomm processors when software methods are exhausted.

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The main difficulty with Qualcomm is the protected partition of EFS, the damage of which without a backup makes the recovery of IMEI extremely time-consuming process requiring paid software.

Legal aspects and risks of changing IMEI

It is important to understand that in most countries of the world, including Russia and the CIS countries, the change in the IMEI-The use of code on a device to hide its real identity is illegal. IMEI In the event of a duplicate or inconsistency, this procedure can only be performed officially to restore the factory code if there is a check and a box.

In addition to legal risks, there are technical risks: the “crooked” recorded by IMEI can cause the phone to warm up, discharge faster or lose signal in areas of uncertain reception, base stations can work incorrectly with a device that has changed the digital signature of the equipment.

If you decide to proceed with the procedure, remember:

• 🚫 Don't use it. IMEI Other people or random codes from the Internet – they may already be blacklisted.
• 📄 Keep the box and documents on your phone as proof of possession.
• ⚖️ Use the recovered code only for personal use of a serviceable device.

Ultimately, the best way to avoid problems is to back up the EFS/NVRAM section immediately after you buy a new Xiaomi smartphone.It takes 5 minutes, but saves you from hours of search for solutions in the future.