How to find the IMEI number on the Samsung Galaxy S 4

If you are looking for the IMEI number on your Samsung Galaxy S 4 then look no further. This guide will show you some simple ways of locating it.

Quick Instructions

IMEI Method 1 – Through the dialer

Call *#06# on your Keypad as though you were dialing a telephone number. The IMEI will automatically pop up.

IMEI Method 2 – Through the Settings

Tap Home > Menu key > Settings > More > About device > Status > IMEI

Detailed instructions with pictures

IMEI Method 1 – Through the dialer

Tap on your Home key to go to your main screen.

The big actual button on the bottom center of your Samsung Galaxy S 4.

Tap on the green Phone icon in the bottom left of the screen.

Make sure that the Keypad tab is selected (top of screen).

Type *#06# into your keypad just like you would if you were dialing a telephone number.

Your IMEI is the number displaying on the screen.

Note: the IMEI should pop up automatically as soon as you finish typing the star code.

IMEI Method 2 – Through the Settings

Go to your main screen by tapping on your Home key.

Tap on your Menu Key (the Menu key is on the bottom of the phone to the left of the Home key).

Tap on your Settings.

Tap on the More tab (the upper right of the screen).

Scroll down and tap on About device.

Tap on Status.

Scroll down to see your IMEI.

What if my phone won’t power on?

Those are the two best ways to locate the IMEI number on a Samsung Galaxy S 4 smartphone, but if your phone won’t power on or if you are unable to navigate on your device then the above methods are going to be hard if not impossible to use.

Don’t worry though Samsung thought of that too. IMEI numbers can often be found in the battery compartment of your phone.

What is an IMEI number?

An International Mobile Station Equipment Identity or IMEI for short is like the phones Social Security Number. Only that phone has that number.

As you can guess, this number can be useful for a few reasons. This is one of the pieces of information that your phone company can/might use to do exchanges or find the usage history of your device. Did you know if you switched the SIM card in your phone or if you are activating your phone for the first time your phone company can see that your phone number (and SIM card number if your phone uses a SIM card) was activated on that specific device (using the IMEI number) to the exact second of activation.

And if your phone gets lost or stolen your wireless provider can also use the IMEI number to LOCK that specific phone so it becomes little more than a paperweight. Your service provider can also use that IMEI number to find out your phones make and model which allows them to pull up information to assist you better.

Most of the IMEI magic happens behind the scenes but it can be a powerful tool in the right hands.

Enjoy

I hope that you enjoyed the article, if you have any questions or would like to leave a suggestion then don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.

18 thoughts on “How to find the IMEI number on the Samsung Galaxy S 4”

  1. The Captivate is a good phone. What exactly is the problem?

    Salam Abdul Quddus

    You have a Samsung Galaxy Captivate? I know that phone very well. It was one of the first Android phones I had the pleasure of working with and is a pretty long lasting and durable unit. I don’t understand your question though… can you be as specific as possible about your “problem” so I can know the exact issue and how to help you fix it. Please also include the troubleshooting that you have already done when trying to solve the issue yourself so we can fix your problem as quickly as possible. I look forward to hearing from you.

  2. imei of my galaxy win
    I have samsung galaxy win but upon checking the imei result my model is different from my phone . . . My question is do you think my phone is fake?

    1. Fake? Maybe, but probably not

      Hey Dennis,

      Fake? Maybe, there are plenty of knock off phones out there that have a false IMEI/MEID number but most counterfeit cell phones won’t have an IMEI number at all. If you are worried about your phone being fake there are some things that you can look for when comparing your cell phone to their legitimate cell phone counterparts.

      A few of these things include:

      The color – if your phone is dark blue and the manufacture of that device doesn’t sell that model of phone in blue then it’s likely a counterfeit.

      Logo placement – if a quick image search online shows that the manufacturers brand is supposed to be printed and displayed on top of the phone above the screen and your phone shows the logo on the bottom under the screen then… it’s likely a fake.

      Price – new smartphones can be pretty pricy. If an unknown person is selling a phone online or locally and the price is just too good to be true then use caution as the phone could be fake or even worse stolen.

      Features – if your phone has features that it shouldn’t, like multiple SIM card slots, software features, navigation differences, then these differences might not pop out to the average person who is using a smartphone for the first time but these features could certainly signal that something with the phone isn’t exactly right.

      Unless some of these things are ringing a bell in your particular circumstances then your phone is probably legitimate. Check and compare the IMEI number that you can access through the phones settings with the IMEI number that is printed on your phone (it is printed on a label which can usually be found in your cell phones battery compartment). If the IMEI number in your settings doesn’t match the IMEI number on that label then something is most definitely wrong.

      I am not sure how you compared your IMEI to the make and model of phone but I don’t really trust any sites online. Not 100% anyways. So if you checked your IMEI number somewhere online then ignore those results as it is not the most reliable way to check an IMEI number. The best way to check an IMEI or MEID number is to call your wireless service provider and have them run a check on it. IMEIs are important in the cell phone industry and your service provider will have multiple tools and programs to verify your IMEI number.

      Good question though Dennis, I hope this helps. If you have any more questions about your IMEI or your cell phone then don’t hesitate to ask.

  3. Phone not detecting my IMEI
    Please,my phone is Samsung Galaxy S 3 but after I reset the phone,its not detecting the IMEI, so how do I enter the IMEI after I detect it myself? Please I’m waiting for your response.

  4. IMEI shows as Null
    Due to following some unlocking instruction on the web, my phone lost it’s IMEI and now it shows as Null or unkown, and the ServiceMode menu, has no options to select from! My question is… is there a way to restore the manufactured IMEI number back to the phone?

    1. Restoring an IMEI number

      Hi Mar,

      You ask a very complicated question my friend, and I can see how you might have difficulties finding an answer. Manufactures DO NOT want people to be able to change their phones IMIE number because they use these Device Identifiers to black list or block lost and stolen phones. If someone could just steal a phone or in some cases steal multiple phones and then change their IMEI numbers to sell at a discounted price there would be even more chaos in the mobile marketing world. Some people do this anyways on a big scale, sell the worthless phones (because their IMEI numbers have been blocked), and then disappear before the buyer even knows something is wrong.

      When buying a cell phone, especially online (which can be the best place to by a smartphone), always do some research first not just on the phone but on the seller as well. Read their seller history, reviews, etc. You don’t want to end up getting a “discount” thinking you got a swinging good deal only to find that you bought a worthless phone and someone got away with your money. But I digress.

      I have seen some extremely rare cases in which the IMIE number becomes Null after updating its firmware through a legitimate update but it usually happens when installing custom ROMs or incorrect firmware or in your case unlocking the unit…

      Since you are trying to restore your IMEI and not just change it there might be more hope in your current situation. I am assuming that the phone you lost the IMEI on is a Samsung Galaxy S 4?

      I have yet to restore an IMIE number myself and I try to avoid giving advice through this site about rooting, flashing, or customizing an Android cell phones firmware, software, etc. as doing these things can lead to other complications (such as the pickle your currently in) but…

      It’s likely your EFS Partition is what got messed up. This partition is important on Samsung devices as it holds the phones important information such as its MAC address, its baseband version, its product code, and yes the IMEI number. So… mess with this partition or cause a change to the EFS data and it can result in a null IMEI number. A minor side note, this EFS data can be backed up and restored if something happens to it. In the future when editing or customizing your phones software/firmware make sure to create a backup just in case.

      Long story short, you may want to consider taking your cell phone into a local repair shop to get a quick quote first and if you cannot find anyone that can service it or you just have to fix it yourself there are a few tools available such as the Samsung Professional Tool that you might find helpful.

      Good luck my friend, I hope that helps at least point you in the right direction. If there is anything else that I can try to help you with just let me know and I will see what I can do.

  5. IMEI FAILURE
    Please i’m a user of galaxy s4,and i’m facing a problem of imei failure please how can these problem be solved.

    1. What do you mean when you say “IMEI Failure”?

      Hello Owusu,

      Sorry to hear that you are having problems with your S4. I have the Samsung Galaxy S4 myself so I should be able to help you with yours as I know that phone very well.

      What exactly is the problem with your phones IMEI number? Does your cell phone not list it properly? Is it incorrect? Null? Are you getting an error message? Let me know as much about the problem as you can and I will do my best to try and help you fix it.

  6. If your phone has been stolen and then hard reset…
    If your phone has been stolen and then hard reset could you still locate your phone?????

    1. If your cell phone has been stolen…

      Hello Romario,

      If your cell phone has been stolen then you should call up your service provider and report it stolen. That being said… you may still be able to locate your phone.

      If however you do locate your cell phone and it has indeed been stolen, please be smart about recovering it. No hero or vigilante stuff please as you will likely be asking for trouble. In fact I hesitate to even bring this up but this tool can also be used to erase the information on your phone which can help keep it from prying eyes. Just be smart, act accordingly, and don’t abuse it.

      Ok, here it goes. I did not include it in the article above but there is actually another way to locate the IMEI number for your cell phone and coincidently locate your cell phones physical location as well (under most circumstances).

      Go to https://www.google.com/dashboard and then log into the primary Google Account that is associated with your Android smartphone. Once you have logged in, scroll down to and tap “Android”. This should show you your phones Device Identifier (IMEI number or MEID) along with some other information such as backup data. If you tap on “Manage active devices”, this should let you “Locate device” and show you an approximate location of your cell phone as well as give you the option to “Ring” it or if you choose you could also use the “Set up Lock & Erase” feature as well…

      I hope this helps to answer your question Romario. I am not sure if a hard reset would negate this tool but it might be worth a shot. Good luck, stay smart, and I hope everything works out for the best.

  7. Samsung Glaxy S IV
    Sir, My phone has been stolen, can I block it..? If i blocked the user who presently uses my phone, what kind of Apps he can run…? or it is permanently Blocked for every App….?? Kindly guide me.

    1. Stolen Samsung recommendations

      Sorry to hear that your Samsung was stolen Abdul. Your wireless carrier can block it for you. Give them a call and let them know that your cell phone was stolen. They will black list it and prevent service to the phone. Make sure to also read the post above this one as you might be able to at least erase important, personal or private data currently stored to the device (if the thief hasn’t done so already in order to bypass a screen lock password).

      As far as apps… while a blocked phone can no longer access a wireless carrier’s service or download applications through a mobile data connection the phone will still be able to connect to Wi-Fi and connect to the internet that way. So applications will not really be limited to the device and the thief will most likely still be able to use them (in fact that’s pretty much the only thing the phone will be good for once its reported stolen).

      Again, I am sorry to hear about your phone Abdul. I wish you the best of luck and don’t forget to report it stolen as soon as you can.

  8. How do I fix the “Mobile number & MEID don’t match” problem?
    So I tried to hook up my mobile hotspot & it said the mobile number & MEID don’t match. How do I fix this & hook up my mobile hotspot?

    1. You might have to contact your Wireless Carrier

      Hi Kasey,

      I have been helping people fix their cell phones for about 5 years now and I cannot recall ever coming across that exact issue before. Is your cell phone rooted or have you installed a custom OS or custom software to your device? Have you ever been able to use the mobile hotspot feature on your cell phone? Have you made sure that this feature is permitted by your wireless carrier? Some wireless providers have to activate this feature on their end in order for you to use it, and sometimes you have to pay to utilize this feature as well depending on who provides your service.

      I would start out by contacting your wireless provider first and seeing if this feature is in fact available on your cell phone and if it is then ask them how to get it to work on your particular cell phone. And if they do provide you with the solution then please come back and let us know what you (or they) did to fix it just in case someone else stumbles upon the same issue on their cell phone.

      Good luck Kasey, I hope to hear back from you soon.

  9. Is it possible to track a Samsung s4 after someone jailbreaks it
    Hi, I hope you can help me. My Samsung S 4 was stolen about two weeks ago and I suspect it could be back on the market soon. I called the network provider and asked them to block it but I just heard about phones being hard-set and unlocked for use by any network.

    So far, it shows that it’s been off when checking on locate my mobile but I hear that it can be hardset, by reloading counterfeit software and it will work again; my question is, can I still track it using the IMEI? Are there any means of tracking a jail broken Samsung phone? Thanks in advance.

    1. Trying to track a stolen cell phone

      Hello Mthobisi,

      I hate to say this but a stolen phone can be really difficult to recover for many different reasons and you might not be able to get your Samsung S4 back :(. I can certainly feel where you are coming from though as I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 myself and would be very upset if some thief ended up taking it from me. I imagine that I would do everything that I could (within reason) to recover my cell phone from that individual.

      As far as your question…

      One of the first things that I can see a thief doing after taking a cell phone is to perform a hard reset on the device. This allows the unsavory individual to get past a locked screen (if this security feature was setup on the phone) and also helps to remove the primary Google account from the phone which helps prevent tracking an Android cell phones GPS location through the Google Dashboard.

      A hard reset does not however affect the cell phones device identifier such as its IMEI or MEID number which brings us to your next question…

      Jailbreaking and software customization or manipulation while certainly possible is difficult to do in regards to circumventing the security measures put in place to discourage the theft and continuous and unauthorized use of a smartphone. In summary it’s really hard to keep using a phone as a phone once it has been reported stolen and then blacklisted by the phones carrier as the phone should no longer be able to connect to that wireless carrier for service. It can still utilize a Wi-Fi network for a data connection but shouldn’t be able to connect to a wireless telecommunications network.

      Can your stolen cell phone still be tracked? Yes, I believe that it is certainly possible for a wireless carrier or the proper authorities to track down a stolen cell phone, just as any stolen item or property can be tracked down with the proper dedication and proper authority… But something that CAN happen is a lot different then what WILL actually happen and when it comes to stolen property it’s unfortunate but a person often has to simply cut their losses in these types of circumstances and move on :(.

      Sorry to hear about your stolen S4 Mthobisi and I wish you the best of luck in regards to recovering your stolen cell phone.

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