There are many free IMEI Check providers out there and IMEIpro is one of the most popular.
IMEIpro is advertised as the best Free international IMEI blacklist checker but the reviews of most visitors are mostly negative.
I’m always looking for free ways for iPhone Unlock and IMEI Check and then turn to paid solutions as the ultimate option.
Of course, I had to see for myself exactly what is going on with imei pro and other similar companies and whether we can trust the free iPhone IMEI info they provide or stick with reliable paid IMEI Check services.
Updated on June 06, 2020.
Why do we need a Complete IMEI Check?
The two main reasons for using an IMEI Checker are:
- Before buying a used mobile phone (iPhone or Android). Nobody wants to get a device that can’t be used with at least one SIM card or even worse, at all.
- Before any attempt to unlock it. Every IMEI Unlock or Unblacklist service has unique requirements and we will never succeed (or get our money back in case of failure) if our device doesn’t fulfill every last one of them.
In both cases, it is extremely important that we will get, with absolute precision, all the following IMEI info:
SIM Lock Status
Which Network is locking the iPhone
Blacklist Status
Which Network has blacklisted the iPhone and why
Outstanding Financial Balance Status
Contract Bills left unpaid or pending device installment plan
Contract Status
If the mobile phone is bound by a contract, since when and if it is still active in another account
IMEI / Serial Replacement Status
If the device’s IMEI and Serial are original or have been replaced
If you are stuck on the Activation Lock screen then the iCloud status should be added to the above.
All that remains is to find out if there is a free way to export all these IMEI info, in this case from IMEIpro, instead of spending money on a recognized IMEI Checker.
Let's try out IMEIPRO - The Free international IMEI blacklist checker
Before I even visit their site, I can make some important remarks.
In addition to the blacklist check, other free IMEI Check services are provided
- ESN Free Checker
- FREE online lookup Tool
- Free iPhone IMEI Checker
- Free US AT&T cell phone IMEI Checker
- Free US Sprint Carrier Checker
In my opinion, the word “free” is repeated too many times. Although in my experience this is never a good sign, let’s not rush to judge.
Home Page - Footer
At first glance, IMEIpro Homepage looks fine.
What worries me is the footer which is updated until 2019 while we are already at the beginning of the summer 2020.
Hopefully they just forgot to fix the dates.
Putting IMEIpro to the test
For the needs of my experiment and to be absolutely sure of the results, I used my old iPhone 6s which is completely unlocked.
- Initially, I checked it as it is
- I then reported it as stolen to the network I had bought it from
- Finally, I activated iCloud Lock and turned on lost mode to record the theft in Apple’s iCloud Database
What the IMEI Pro Tool shows while my iPhone 6s is unlocked
At this stage the results are encouraging but still incomplete.
There is also an Apple IMEI Checker option. I also did that. It’s free after all.
- Yes, my iPhone is definitely not blacklisted
- The results of Apple’s coverage are true, the same goes for the estimated age of the iPhone, but I could always find both of them out from Apple itself.
At this point, you may think that free IMEI Check really works but we are already missing very important information. (SIM Lock / Outstanding Financial Balance / Contract / Replaced / iCloud IMEI Status).
What the IMEI Pro Tool shows while my iPhone 6s is blacklisted
To continue my test, I called my provider and reported that my iPhone 6s had been stolen. Once I hung up, my device was officially blacklisted.
I checked my iPhone with IMEI pro again but it continued to show that it was clean.
To be fair, I continued to do the same for a whole month, in case it took more time to update their databases.
Unfortunately, nothing has changed.
But I didn’t stay there. I used the IMEI of a friend whose iPhone was actually stolen and is blacklisted by AT&T.
This time, it appeared as blacklisted, as it should be, but at the same time without showing which network has blacklisted it and why.
The worst part is that we really need this information to search for the right unlock service.
What the IMEI Pro Tool shows while my iPhone 6s is iCloud Locked
Although I had already drawn safe conclusions, I iCloud locked my already blacklisted iPhone.
Again, no luck.
Of course, I didn’t expect anything different since iCloud Check is not mentioned anywhere.
Why IMEIpro and all free IMEI Check services are not trustworthy?
Ιf I wanted to sell you this iCloud Locked and blacklisted iPhone 6s and you used any Free international IMEI blacklist checker, you would think you were going to get a totally clean iPhone, but in fact, you would be making a huge mistake.
On the other hand, if you checked the IMEI of my friend’s stolen iPhone then you would know that it is blacklisted but without the information needed to unlock it.
But why did this happen?
Did you notice that there is always an asterisk whenever the Blacklist Status is mentioned?
So, let’s read the fine print:
We do not guarantee that our service is error-free
How is that possible?
An iPhone unlocking service will not be successful if the device is not fully compatible and that is why reliable iPhone unlocking providers ask you to IMEI check your iPhone before you buy any unlock service.
On the other hand, there is no doubt with a real IMEI Check service for a very simple reason:
All data is exported by GSX and GSMA servers, which are the only international databases and all IMEI info is stored on them.
Of course, only a few IMEI Check companies are authorized to use them and of course, they have to pay for it. This means at the same time that real IMEI iPhone Check cannot be free!
But is imeipro one of them?
What do all the free IMEI Check tools hide?
Prerequisite for an IMEI Check provider to be reliable is access to GSMA and GSX databases.
Searching everywhere in IMEIPRO for them, I discovered the following:
IMEIpro Blacklist database record? What is that?
I searched their site for answers and BOOM, there it was:
If you still don’t understand what’s going on, let me clarify.
IMEIPRO uses a private global blacklist database. Not GSX or GSMA.
Here’s the catch: All free IMEI Check sites use private databases which are always outdated and no one can really tell where the iPhone Check results come from.
But there is something else. iPhones are not included in any national blacklist only when reported as stolen or lost on a mobile network but also when:
- There are unpaid bills or device installments
- The phone is involved in fraud or other illegal activities
- When flagged as Replaced due to an Insurance Claim or Unauthorized Hardware Replacement
IMEI PRO emphatically states that, without being absolutely sure, they check if a phone has been lost or stolen and nothing more!
Even if we accept that IMEIpro’s private database is fully updated when a stolen iPhone is blacklisted, it will not take into account everything else.
Of course, they have some kind of access to IMEI information, because the results of the iPhone model, Apple’s warranty and the estimated age of the phone were correct.
In fact, this information is really free and available to everyone using Apple’s Check Coverage page and iDevice serial number.
As a final word
Of course, I would never use IMEIpro for iPhone Checking, because even if it worked, the way they advertise their business is very dangerous.
Even if they have the best intentions and the minimum IMEI information they provide is sometimes correct, it is not enough to unlock an iPhone or completely avoid buying it from the very first moment.
There has never been a free IMEI check. The word “free” is just a click bait and works amazingly as such. I have known for a long time that you have to pay for a real IMEI iPhone Check and that brings us to the most important part of this post.
How exactly do you check an iPhone as a pro?
Only with a complete IMEI Check tool that:
- Immediately reveals all the lock problems accurately by having access to the GSX and GSMA databases and
- Provides us with all the available and absolutely guaranteed iPhone unlocking services
FAQ
How can I check if my IMEI is clean?
One easy way is to use a SIM card and see if your iPhone has a signal. If it has, then it is CLEAN at least inside the country you are using it. However, if it does not get any signal, other reasons might be responsible, apart from its not clean status. You should get an iPhone IMEI Check service to be 100% sure about your iPhone’s status.
How do you check if my IMEI is blacklisted?
The most accurate way to check if your iPhone’s IMEI number is blacklisted, is through an iPhone IMEI Blacklist status check. You will find out within a few seconds all the available information about its blacklist status (clean, lost, stolen, network, reason, date, etc..)
How can I check IMEI status?
The IMEI status of an iPhone can be found in Apple’s GSX databases. Those databases are not for public use and Apple will not share them with you. This means that you need to get in touch with third-party companies that are allowed to use those databases and provide you the IMEI status of your iPhone.
How do you check IMEI on iPhone?
The easiest and most accurate method to check your iPhone’s IMEI number is by dialing *#06# and you will see it on your iPhone’s screen. The next thing you should do is to perform an IMEI check and find out your iPhone’s status (carrier,blacklist, iCloud, warranty, contract, etc..).
1 comment
hello Makis i do want to let you know that i took the time to read this entire page you created about imeipro and i am pleased with the information you have spoken of. now i am far from tech savey so when it comes to the internet i am one of those who are likely to fall for all the bshit they tell us. now i have been trying to learn how to unlock phones for a couple years now and i cant seem to figure out how some of my iown friends know how to unlock phones and even bypass google lock in just 10 minutes of working with the phone and that is without going on the internet. so i attempted to try to learn myself and 2 years later i still havent got a xlue thats why i started using imei and imeipro. but after reading what you had to say i am nowhere closer to learning what i need to know. so question what ius it that they have learned that im unable to learn myself? would you know the answer to that? also with all these imei free checkers and the ones that cost money how am i to ever know for a 100% fact that the site im using is the best and cheapest way to go? i have been desperately trying to locate a site and or someone to help teach me the things i need to learn. phone unlocking isnt the only thing im interested in learning. i also have other questions id like to ask but that will come later if in fact i do hear back from you. im hoping that after taking the time to read what you had to say and commenting and thanking you for that little information you have mentioned i will hear back from you. thank you so much.