When it comes to identifying your mobile phone, two terms often come up: MEID and IMEI. Both are essentially unique codes assigned to your phone and fulfill the same role – uniquely identifying your phone. However, they serve slightly different networks and have minor differences in composition.
What’s the difference?
MEID is a term used for phones operating on CDMA networks. Think of it as a social security number for your CDMA phone. On the other hand, IMEI is used for phones on GSM networks, serving a similar purpose but for a different technology.
One interesting difference is in their makeup: IMEI numbers are all numeric, while MEID numbers can mix letters from A to F and digits.
Why should you care?
These numbers aren’t just random sequences; they’re your phone’s lifeline in many situations. Lost your phone? You can use these identifiers to track or lock it. Buying a used phone? Verify its history to ensure it’s not stolen. Both MEID and IMEI help safeguard your device in such scenarios.
As I said at the beginning, despite the major differences, their role is the same: uniquely identifying your phone. In a world where phones can support CDMA and GSM networks, some manufacturers assign the same number to MEID and IMEI. However, this isn’t a universal practice because of the format differences.
Finding your phone’s MEID or IMEI
Curious about your phone’s MEID or IMEI number? There’s an easy trick: simply dial *#06#, and the number will pop up on your screen. Another path for iPhone users is through the settings menu, but dialing is the quickest method.
