If you’re buying a used phone, chances are that you want to find out how old the phone is. You can do this by using the information that comes with your phone or using web and app tools to find out by using the IMEI number. Unfortunately, finding out how old your phone is can be different for each manufacturer so you’ll have to find out which method works for you.
There are various reasons why you would want to know how to determine the age of your phone. Whether you’re attempting to sell it, buying a slightly used phone, or just curious about how many years your phone has been on the planet, the good news is that you can find out how old your phone is for free. And that is why we are here.
It may be as simple as looking at your phone’s invoice to see when you purchased it. Assuming that you still retain the phone’s retail box and purchase paperwork, you should be able to determine the date from these documents. The IMEI number of your phone is another quick and easy way to determine how long you’ve been using it. These are some ways you can determine how old your phone is or how long you have had it.
How to Check How Old Is My Phone?
1. Web Tools
1. Go to an IMEI checking Tool.
2. Enter your phones IMEI number and select Check. If your IMEI is invalid, you’ll be told, and you won’t be able to go onto the next page. You need to enter the captcha to get onto the next page.
3. Select Check SN / Warranty / Carrier.
4. Select SN & Warranty & Carrier.
Note: You’ll have to wait for your other to process – this may take a few seconds or a few hours. Each service has a different waiting time, specified in the service description.
5. Next to Production Date, you’ll be able to see the date your phone was made which you can use to calculate how old it is. You’ll also be able to see an estimate for when the warranty ended and how long the warranty lasted.
IMEI.info will also give you some more info such as:
- If your phone has a warranty.
- An estimated time for when the warranty ended.
- The model and brand of the phone.
- The production date will let you know when your phone was made.
- Country of origin which will tell you where the phone was manufactured.
2. Check the Box
For some devices, the manufacturers have been nice enough to include the manufacturing date on the back. If you bought your phone and you still have the make, you can turn it over and take a peek at the sticker and look for a date. Phones like the OnePlus have the manufactured date on the sticker – you can use this to find out how old your phone is.
3. Serial Number for iPhone
On devices like the iPhone, you can check the manufacture date by looking at the serial number. Every device IMEI number is constructed which a series of codes that give more information about the device.
1. Go to the Settings app
2. Tap on General settings
3. Go to About
4. Look for the Serial Number.
5. Find the first number within the serial number and this will reveal the date the phone was made. For example, if it ends in 9 it was made in 2019 or 2009 depending on which model you have, 0 2020 or 2010 depending on which model you have, and 1 meaning 2011. You can use this to find out how old your phone is.
4. Manufacturing Codes
If you didn’t find the manufacturing date on the box, using the IMEI number, or using the serial number, you can instead use manufacturing codes. The problem with manufacturing codes is that they can be model-specific which makes it impossible to find which code you can use for your device.
You can type the codes *#197328640#*or *#*#197328640#*#* into your dialler and check if you can the codes will work for you. This should open a service menu that should provide you with a manufacturing date which you can use to find out how old your device is.
5. Ask The Person You Bought It From
Once you forget how old your phone is, you can always turn to the person you bought it from. The seller will often keep records of when they sold items, and it is easier for them to pull up their records. When inquiring from retailers when you bought your phone, they may need a receipt or some information that they can use to find the exact date when you purchased your device.
6. Check The Date The Phone Got Made
The production date of your phone may get found inside the retail box, which is a quick and easy way to find out. Some manufacturers are gracious enough to include it in their products for various reasons. So, before you go to the trouble of figuring out how to know how old your phone is, glance at the retail box first, it might be on a sticker on the exterior or inside of the box itself, or it could be in a tiny booklet. To find the date, you only need to make a short scan. That, in all seriousness, should not take very long. Some brands put the date of manufacture on the box, while others do not mention it.
7. Check Your Emails Or Bank Statement to See When You Bought It
Account statements for your personal or small-business bank accounts include debit card transactions, which are included in your monthly account statement. In many situations, you may view these statements electronically, or you can choose to get a printed copy of your statements by mail each month. When a bank provides a bank statement to an account holder, it includes a full breakdown of the account’s activities. It enables the account holder to view all of the transactions completed on their account. Transactions on a statement are normally displayed in the sequence in which they occurred.
Your email can also give you information on when you purchased your phone. When you buy a new phone, you will need to set up a play store using an email address. When you set up the play store, the email you get will let you know when you started using your phone. If you keep emails, then you will find the information about when you bought your phone in your emails.
8. Check “About Phone” In Settings
When it comes to Android phones, the production date may get found in the device’s settings in the majority of cases. To see the “About Phone” page, all you have to do is go to the Settings menu and choose “About Phone.” The part displaying your phone’s information may also include terms such as Your Phone, About, and Phone Data.
If you know your iPhone’s serial number, you may find out crucial information regarding the device’s production date. But first, you must navigate to Settings General About Serial Number to obtain the serial number.
9. Dial #197328640# or ##197328640#*#*
It is another way that is not suitable for everyone. In this approach, we will demonstrate how to determine the production date of your phone by calling the manufacturing numbers that are shown on your phone. However, there is a catch to this. As you are aware, there are different phone models available, and as a result, there is no one magic code that can get used to unlock all of them. As a result, you must do an online search for the production date code associated with your exact phone model. Although numerous devices will display the manufacturing date if you dial the code *#197328640#*#* or the code *#197328640*#*, a few will not.
However, you may need to go deeper to locate the manufacture code in other cases. A service menu will show, for example, when you have input the codes listed above on your dial pad.
Afterward, you must choose the ‘Version Information’ option from the drop-down box. And then select ‘Hardware Version’ from the drop-down menu that appears. Then it would help if you chose the ‘Read Cal Data’ option from the menu. A date will show on the screen as a result of this action.
In addition, this is the date on which your Android phone got manufactured. Unfortunately, if these codes do not work, you will have to look for the unique production code for your phone model on the internet, which will be more difficult.
10. Use the “Chipmunk” Online Tool
“Chipmunk” is a free service that allows you to find out the year in which it was manufactured and the week in which it was manufactured:
To begin, access the “Chipmunk” website on your iPhone, PC, or Mac and enter the serial number of your iPhone (as seen above) into the text input area. Then click on the “Let de informatie zien” button to see the information.
On the next page, you may find out precisely how old your iPhone is based on the information of the Production week and the Production year.
11. Use Apple Warranty Query
To determine how old your iPhone is, you must first obtain your device’s serial number. Your serial number may get found in the “Settings” menu under General About Serial Number. You now have two options for determining the age of your iPhone based on the serial number you have. To calculate how old your phone is by looking at the date your warranty expires, go to Apple’s “Check Coverage” website and enter the following information:
First, launch the “Check Coverage” web page on your iPhone, PC, or Mac to check coverage. Secondly, type in the serial number of your iPhone into the input form, validate the code, and then click “Continue.” This page contains information on the iPhone’s warranty, including the estimated expiration date and information regarding the iPhone’s support. Anyone can quickly determine the age of your iPhone by glancing at the remaining warranty time on the device. Because Apple always provides a warranty that will last one year on its products, you must subtract one year from the expiry date listed above when calculating the remaining guarantee period. Now that you know when the iPhone got purchased, you can figure out how old it is. If your iPhone is more than one year old, you will not be able to view an expiry date at this time.
12. Using Apple Support App
Past purchases are listed separately by date and order number — with the content title, price, tax, and payment details shown for viewing or printing — and may be viewed or printed. Additionally, if the transaction in issue got completed fewer than 90 days ago, you can report a problem with a previous order. Launch iTunes and navigate to the iTunes Store interface.
Then click “Sign In” and input your Apple ID and password into the appropriate fields. Click on your Apple ID and then “Account,” then click “See All” under the Purchase History header to see all of your purchases. The most recent purchases will be displayed first; to view the transaction data connected with a specific order date, click the arrow to the left of the order date in question. It is possible to print the invoice for your recordings or to return to the iTunes Store interface by clicking “Done.”
Concluding Thoughts
To find out the actual production date of your equipment, you may Google your serial number or a specific model to see if the search giant returns any intriguing facts that can help you figure out when your unique item was manufactured. However, if that doesn’t work, you may at least get an idea of how old your phone can be by checking up its release date on the internet. Of course, the precise production date of your phone may be a bit before or a lot after its release date, but at the very least, you’ll have a sense of how old it is at this point. Third-party applications can also be beneficial.
Several programs have gotten developed to search through web sources to determine the precise year and year of manufacture of your phone. Because they are typically created in partnership with the manufacturers, these applications may get customized to a particular company. You only need to download and install the program to access the information.