If you recently bought a second-hand device for a good price but later found it was reported as lost or stolen and now need to see what to do and unlock the phone as soon as possible, we have good news! SafeUnlocks is the best online option to remove bad IMEI in Australia and if you unlock it using our software you will not only be able to use the phone as normal, but the blacklist report will be 100% removed.
Learn with us all you need to know about blacklist reports, what to do if you buy a blacklisted phone, and how to unblock the IMEI of your phone, keep reading!
Why does the IMEI number get affected when an iPhone is Blacklisted?
IMEI stands for international mobile equipment identity, it is a unique code that works as an ID for phones, this number along with the ESN (which is its equivalent for devices used on a GSM network) is very important for service providers to determine which phone is sold to which customer (to have clear who is the original owner of the device).
When network providers (like T-Mobile, Optus, Sprint, Telstra, Verizon, etc.) blacklist iPhones, what they report are precisely the corresponding IMEI or ESN numbers of those devices. This is because those numbers are the best way to complete the registration process — the report of the IMEI number attached to the stolen device on the database —, and are pretty useful to keep track of which devices are reported stolen (because you can search by the IMEI code or serial number).
How do I confirm if my IMEI is really reported?
If you are having connectivity issues with your phone but are not sure if it really is about a blacklist report or something else, you can always visit the AMTA’s (Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association) official website to use their IMEI checker tool to confirm the phone’s current blacklist status.
Is IMEI tied to the phone or to the SIM card?
This is a common doubt because when your phone is blacklisted you are not able to use your SIM and experience connectivity issues, so a lot of people think the IMEI report (and therefore the IMEI number) is tied to the SIM card. However, the IMEI number doesn’t have anything to do with your SIM card, this unique identifier code belongs to your iPhone or cellular device you have.
Does a Blacklisted IMEI get Blocked Internationally?
There are 44 countries around the world that are part of this international association against phone theft including Australia, so when a carrier blacklists the device, the report is valid in all these countries. It is necessary to take into account that there are no different blacklists for each country, there is one international blacklist database to which all reports are made, so basically, every carrier is notified of every IMEI blacklist report when it is registered on it.
Can a bad IMEI be used in Another Country?
According to what we were mentioning, no. You won’t be able to use a phone with a bad IMEI in other countries because all carriers have access to the international blacklist database and know if the phone is reported as stolen or lost or not. However, there are three cases in which you might be able to use a bad IMEI:
- If you take the phone to a country that is not part of the blacklist consensus you will be able to use it because carriers there don’t have anything to do with this international association.
- If you use our unlocking software to remove the blacklist report you will be able to use your device as normal in any country.
- If you happened to have a dual SIM device, there is a possibility that only one of the two IMEI numbers was reported. If this is the case, you might be able to use your secondary micro SIM card slot as normal (this is just a possibility, the person who blacklisted the phone could have noticed it was a dual SIM model and locked both IMEIs).
Is it illegal to change my IMEI number?
Usually, the first idea that comes to people’s minds when they find out the IMEI of the phone they bought is blacklisted is to change it. However, in Australia and a lot of other countries changing the IMEI number of a device is illegal and very dangerous for the phone — the device stops receiving software updates, loses its factory warranty or phone insurance fraud protection, and you can end up completely damaging the phone —.
Remove Bad IMEI in Australia with SafeUnlocks!
If you are the original owner of the device and the bad ESN or bad IMEI report was made by mistake you need to contact your mobile operator and ask them to have your IMEI unblocked (make sure you contact the original mobile operator from which you bought the phone from, this cannot be done with another carrier).
Now, if you are not the original owner of the device and when you were trying to activate your phone the first time realized it can’t be used because is blacklisted, SafeUnlocks is the best option to get it unblocked. Our unlocking program is not a bypass, it is a full unlock that will completely and permanently remove the lock for you to use it as if it was never locked (you will be able to make calls, use your mobile data, and even use it in any country) without affecting the device’s performance.
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