How to hide your phone's IMEI number from the lock screen — and why you should

Google’s been rolling out a setting to many Android devices that can make your phone’s IMEI — a unique, unchangeable number that identifies your individual device — accessible from the lock screen. This can potentially help you recover a lost or stolen device by providing easy proof of ownership, but because there are ways for bad actors to exploit an exposed IMEI, it’s also something of a security risk.

Making your device identifier accessible from the lock screen is optional, though. Here’s what you need to know, and how to change the relevant setting on your own phone.

What’s an IMEI number and why hide it?

IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. Every modern smartphone sold in the US comes assigned with a 15-digit IMEI number (or two, for dual-SIM phones). These numbers can’t be changed and no two are the same, so cross-referencing the IMEI number of a recovered device with carrier records is a reliable way to verify ownership.

As of a recent update to Google Play services, on devices running Android 12 or newer, your phone’s IMEI number can be displayed alongside emergency info like the designated contacts and at-a-glance medical info you can configure in device settings.

Many devices come with their IMEI number stamped on the SIM card tray. But some new phones (including the Pixel 11 series) are going eSIM-only, eliminating a formerly reliable way to access a device’s IMEI.

Being able to access a phone’s IMEI without having to unlock the device makes it easier to confirm ownership, which could potentially save you a headache if your phone is ever lost or stolen. If someone finds your lost phone and turns it in to the police, or if the police recover your phone after it’s been stolen, they can contact your carrier (which is also noted on your lock screen) to confirm device ownership. This is the case even if you purchased the device from a non-carrier retailer or reseller, so long as the device has been active on your wireless account.

There are reasons you might not want your phone’s IMEI to be easily accessible, though. Gaining access to a phone’s IMEI won’t let a bad actor unlock your device or remotely control it. But it’s possible for a motivated bad actor to “clone” your IMEI, which could let them impersonate your device — to send and receive calls and texts using your phone number. They could also potentially impersonate you to fraudulently report your device as stolen, which could result in your carrier blacklisting the IMEI and cutting off service to your phone.

Google’s support documentation says that device IMEI numbers will be accessible by default if you’ve enabled emergency sharing in the Personal Safety app. It’s not hard to turn this setting off, however.

How to turn off IMEI on your lock screen

If you’ve enabled sharing in the Personal Safety app, Google says that your IMEI will be accessible from your lock screen by default. If you want to disable that setting, though, it only takes a few taps. Here’s how to do it.

1. Open your phone’s Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap Security & privacy.
3. Tap Lost device protection.
4. Tap Theft protection.
5. Scroll down and toggle the Device identifier on lock screen option off.

The steps and screenshots above show the process on a Pixel phone. The process is similar on modern Android phones from manufacturers like Samsung and OnePlus as well, though exact settings may vary. If your phone wasn’t opted into making its IMEI accessible from the lock screen by default, you can also use the above steps to enable the feature (by flipping the toggle in step 5 to the on position).

If you want to make it easier for law enforcement or anyone else who ends up with your lost phone to return it to you without exposing your IMEI, consider adding people you trust as emergency contacts or adding your email address or other contact information to your lock screen.