Some of us have wondered what an IMEI number really is, how to change our android’s IMEI, what tweaking is all about, tools to change our Android Smartphone’s IMEI, what MTK phones are, etc. Relax, because we’ve got you covered. Today, I am going to break all these things down so that you can understand all of them, and then be able to change your android’s IMEI to any other phone’s IMEI. Fasten your seat belt and relax as we cruise through all these.
Ok, to start, let us define an IMEI number.
IMEI NUMBER:
IMEI stands for “International mobile station equipment identity”. It is a number that is unique and used to identify GSM, UMTS, LTE, satellite phones and iDEN mobile phones. This is a number which differentiates a brand of phone from other brands, and also differentiates phones of the same brand.
It is found beneath the battery pack of a phone and is usually a 14, 15 or 16- digit numbers and can also be checked by dialing *#06#. This number helps mobile phone service providers (Mtn, Etisalat, Glo, Airtel, etc) to know the particular brand of phone used by a subscriber and also prevents phone theft.
For example, 358265015228270 is a blackberry 8300 curve IMEI number. This IMEI number tells a lot about the phone.
35824501– Tells us about the type allocation code.
35– is the Reporting body identifier.
522827– is the Serial number.
0– is the check digit.
Let me explain all of them
TYPE ALLOCATION CODE: This code is the first 8 digits of the 15 digit IMEI number used to uniquely identify wireless devices. It is used to identify a particular model of a wireless telephone. This means that all models of a phone like the Blackberry 8300 curve have these digits on each of their IMEIs.
REPORTING BODY IDENTIFIER: This is the first two digits of a GSM that indicates the GSMA- approved organization that registered a given mobile phone. From the above IMEI, “35” shows that the blackberry phone was registered in the United Kingdom.
SERIAL NUMBER: This is the part of an IMEI that distinguishes phones of a given brand. That is, the number that differentiates Mr. A’s Techno P5 from Mr. B’s Techno P5.
CHECK DIGIT: The last digit of an IMEI is the check digit. It is calculated according to LUHN FORMULA.
Having defined and explained what an IMEI number is, let us now discuss what IMEI TWEAKING is. Just relax, take a deep breath and let’s continue.
IMEI TWEAKING
This is a jargon which is used by local geeks. It simply means the act of changing the IMEI of your Android phone to another. Changing the IMEI of your Android phone makes network service providers see your android phone as another brand of the phone which you used it’s IMEI. For example, if I change my Techno P5 phone’s IMEI with that of a Blackberry, network providers will begin to see my android phone as a blackberry phone. Hope you’ve understood this?
Ok, let us now discuss how to generate and analyze an IMEI number:
IMEI GENERATION AND ANALYSIS
IMEI numbers can be generated easily. Having discussed the various parts of an IMEI number, we could generate as many IMEIs as we want. Assuming I want to generate another Blackberry 8300 curve IMEI, I already know that the type allocation code of all blackberry 8300 curve is the same, I will just copy it out i.e. “35826501”. Having copied it out, I can guess the serial number by just choosing numbers at random, e.g.” 832807”, and then, choosing another digit e.g. “3” as the check digit. At last, I have “358265018328073”.
But, it does not stop here; I have to really check if the IMEI is correct and valid. All thanks to an app developed by Vndnguyen for android phones called “IMEI ANALYZER” which can be downloaded from play store. This app will then be used to analyze the IMEI and find out whether or not it is valid. After downloading it from play store, enter the IMEI and click on ANALYZE. It will tell you if the IMEI is valid or not.
FEATURES OF IMEI ANALYZER
1. In addition to checking for the validity of your IMEI number, it can also suggest a check digit by using the LUHN algorithm. Just enter the 14 digits without the check digit, then click on analyze and immediately, it will suggest one check digit for you.
2. This app also breaks down the digits by telling you the part which is the type allocation code, serial number, etc.
Before I conclude this section, let me tell you that if you want to generate as many BLACKBERRY IMEIs as possible, there is an app that automatically does that for you before you could say “Jack Robinson”. This app is
“BBgen by Codeberg”.
You can download the application from the link below.
Having explained all of these, it is important that I explain a regularly encountered jargon associated with IMEI tweaking, “MTK devices”.
MTK DEVICES
First, MTK stands for MediaTek. MediaTek is a company whose headquarters is located at Hsinchu, Taiwan which is specialized in chip sales and system engineering, etc. they build chips which are used in DVD players, mobile phones, smartphones, and tablets. This implies that all smartphones, tablets, mobile phones built with chips created by MediaTek are MTK devices. Some popular companies whose android smartphones are made using MTK chips include Techno, Innjoo, Itel, Infinix, Gionee, Elephant G3, etc.
Having understood what MTK devices are, let us now go straight to the big one “how to change IMEI of MTK Android smartphones”. Do not feel nervous, it is easy to do, just follow the steps given below;
HOW TO CHANGE IMEI OF YOUR MTK ANDROID SMARTPHONE
To change the IMEI of Android smartphones, we make use of two applications for that. We are going to discuss them one after the other and then list the procedures to follow. These apps are MobileUncle tool and MTK Engineer mode app.
Nervous? Take a deep breath and let’s continue;
MobileUncle MTK tool:
This application is a powerful app developed by Njava which can be used to change the IMEI of MTK devices. In addition to this, this app is capable of displaying device info, information of the device, running status, etc. The ability of this app to open MTK Engineer mode and edit its content makes it possible to change the IMEI of android devices. This application requires root access and may not display MTK Engineer Mode if your device is not rooted
MTK Engineer tool:
This application developed by TheMonster just shows the MTK Engineering mode from where the IMEI can be viewed and changed. It is a specific tool for service mode, unlike MobileUncle tool which has extra features. It works on virtually all MTK devices except Itel phones
It is important for me to mention at this point, that this MTK Engineer Mode can be viewed without these applications, but works on some phone models. To view this MTK Engineering mode, just dial *#7465625# or *#*#3646633#*#*.
Ok, let us now go a little deep into how to change the IMEI. At this point, I presume you’ve generated the IMEI number with which you want to change.
NOTE: please copy out the original IMEI of your device in case you later decide to change back.
1. On the MTK Engineer mode, click on MTK SETTINGS,
2. Then, swipe right to CONNECTIVITY,
3.Select CDS INFORMATION
4. Then, select RADIO INFORMATION,
At this point, there is a simple variation between single sim phones and double sim phones. It’s not much, just relax ok?
FOR SINGLE SIM PHONES
1. Just select PHONE 1, and then tap on where you see “AT+”, without the commas.
2. Then, type any letter and delete it. After this, a list of options appears.
3. Select [AT+EGMR=1,7,’’’], then move your writing pointer to between the two inverted commas and then, type in your new IMEI.
4. After that, click on “SEND AT COMMAND”, then restart your phone and that’s all!
These pictures below can also help
FOR DOUBLE SIM PHONES
FOR PHONE 1
The procedures for single sim phones can be done for PHONE 1
FOR PHONE 2
1. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for single sim phones above
2.Then, select [AT+EGMR=1,10,””],
3. After this, repeat the other procedures for PHONE 1.
NOTE: Newer versions of android operating systems like KitKat, Lollipop and Marshmallow, REFUSE TO SEND AT COMMAND. But, don’t panic, because I’ve got a trick for that. After typing in the new IMEI, move your writing pointer in front of “=” and then, tap your spacebar and then, click on “SEND AT COMMAND” and that’s all!
Conclusion:
What a journey! Hope you enjoyed the ride? Hope the aim of this article was achieved and you are happy? Drop your comments and share your thoughts. You can also like our facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/researchersportal. Visit us regularly for down to earth and a concise explanation of technological tricks, tips, and tutorials.
