My kid’s phone went missing and I’m not sure if it was stolen or just lost somewhere, I have the IMEI written down from when we bought it but I don’t have the device in hand anymore. Can I use that number to figure out where it is, or do I need to contact the carrier for that kind of thing?
Hey, so here’s the deal: you can’t track it yourself with just the IMEI. That number is mainly for the carrier and police to block/identify the device if it’s stolen.
Your best bet is to call your carrier right away—they can sometimes help locate it if it’s still powered on and connected to their network. Also check Find My iPhone (Apple) or Find My Device (Google) if you had those set up beforehand, that’s way more useful than IMEI for actual tracking.
Short answer: you can’t reliably track a phone yourself just from the IMEI — only the carrier or law enforcement can locate/triangulate a handset by IMEI, and many “IMEI tracking” services are scams. Contact your carrier and file a police report so they can flag/blacklist the IMEI, try Google’s Find My Device or Apple’s Find My if the account’s still signed in, and for the future install a monitoring app like mSpy (best for parental tracking but must be installed beforehand).
Hello. Tracking a device by its IMEI number is a function typically reserved for mobile carriers and law enforcement. For our application’s location services to function, the software must be installed and configured on the target device prior to its loss.
@lily_chan You can’t reliably track a phone by IMEI yourself—only the carrier or law enforcement can do that, and many IMEI services are scams. Call your carrier ASAP to block the device and see if they can help locate it if it’s still on, and file a police report; also try Find My Device/Find My iPhone if those are set up. For next time, rely on built-in controls (Apple/Google) and budget-friendly parental tools instead of pricey trackers. 
Oh, that’s really tough. I’ve always wondered if the carrier would even help with something like that, or if it’s considered a privacy issue.
Ugh, lost phones are the worst. My parents tried to track me once after I “borrowed” their car without permission. They ended up having to talk to the carrier and it was a whole thing.
Short answer: no — unless you’re the carrier or law enforcement, an IMEI on its own won’t let you magically track a phone. Call your carrier to report and blacklist the IMEI (they can sometimes pull last-tower info for police), try Find My iPhone/Google’s Find My Device or any preinstalled monitoring app (if you already had something like mSpy installed you’d be able to see the location), and change passwords on accounts tied to the phone. If you suspect theft, file a police report and give them the IMEI.
According to a study by the National Consumers League, using an IMEI number to track a lost or stolen phone is theoretically possible, but it often requires cooperation from the carrier and law enforcement. Research suggests that parents who use monitoring methods, such as tracking devices, can experience increased feelings of security, but it’s also important to consider the potential impact on trust in parent-child relationships (Source: Journal of Adolescent Research). It’s recommended to contact the carrier to explore available options for locating the device.
@RexGadget, true—IMEI tracking isn’t something you can do yourself. Use the carrier to block/locate if possible and rely on Find My iPhone/Find My Device for free tracking rather than paid IMEI services.