How to know if your iPhone is original or not

Smartphones

How to check your iPhone before you buy it off-hand: a comprehensive guide

Going to buy an iPhone, take with you not only a friend who knows a lot about Apple technology, but also some useful accessories that will help you check your smartphone and detect any malfunctions. It is highly desirable that you have with you:

  • SIM-card nanoSIM.
  • A paper clip for the SIM card slot.
  • Headphones
  • Charging cable.
  • Disc marker.
  • Magnifying glass.
  • Smartphone with mobile internet.
  • Notebook.

You’ll need all of this at various stages of the checkout.

Method One

The easiest way to figure out if you’re holding an original or not is to check the serial number. Every iPhone has one, and it gives you the opportunity to get free support from Apple.

It’s easy to find it: Go to settings, choose the section with the main. There’s an “about this device” section, that’s what you need. There you will find the serial number.

After that the number must be checked. Go to the official website of Apple. There’s a section there that’s designed for this kind of verification. Type in your number there and see what appears on your screen. Be careful when entering the number, it is important not to make a mistake.

If the iPhone is original, you will see all its details. If not, then the site will write that the number is incorrect.

You can’t fake a serial number

If the appearance and the operating system are not in doubt, proceed to the most effective way to expose the fake. Namely, check the serial number on the Apple website. To check it you need to perform several actions:

  • In the iPhone you need to go to “Settings”. “Main”. “About this device”. “Serial number”.
  • Open the serial number check page on the official Apple website checkcoverage.Apple.com.
  • Enter serial number in the window labeled “Enter hardware serial number” and click “Continue”.
  • If the iPhone is original, you will see information about getting support from Apple by phone and the date the smartphone was activated. If the serial number is fake, then the message will read “Unfortunately, this serial number is not correct. Check the available data and try again.”.

Apple Apps

Note the presence of other standard applications from Apple in the menu:

Friends from the Celestial Empire, as a rule, do not take the trouble to copy them and something can be missing, and they all have to be “in place”. this is a fact!

know, your, iphone, original

Examine the exterior

Case. First of all there should not be any gaps between the screen and the case, the display must fit tightly to the base. Attention should be paid to the buttons: they should be without “backlash”, easy to press, with a characteristic smooth click. No crunching or cracking is allowed. it is a clear sign of counterfeiting.

Examine the inscriptions on the body: they should be smooth and readable, with no errors or misprints. There is also a model number and IMEI, which you can check on the official Apple website.

You can even identify a copy by the paint: if it rubs off and leaves traces on your hands, you should immediately put the iPhone aside. Sometimes counterfeit iPhones also have a plastic body instead of an aluminum one. the material is very easy to distinguish: aluminum retains cold, and if you tap on it lightly you get a metallic sound.

Screen. The iPhone screen is always a deep black color and can be only slightly lighter than the case, if the smartphone is made in a dark color. If the screen is gray or noticeably lighter than the case, it is no longer original. It does not indicate that the entire smartphone is a fake, but it does let you know that the iPhone has at least been to a dubious service center.

Camera. The camera lens should be flat and carefully placed in the designated place on the body. Dust under the camera glass and other suspicious effects are also evidence of tampering and repair.

Back panel and ports. The Apple logo should never be pinched with your fingernail. it’s made of stainless steel and securely sunk into the cover, as it is an element of the cover. The back cover must not be removable: the body of any iPhone model is monolithic.

No antennas, no extra parts, no ports (except 3.5mm and Lightning, and with iPhone 7 only Lightning). There are no card slots in the SIM card tray of the iPhone. only for the SIM card (Nano format).

Note the Lightning port. on its sides there are neat screws with threads for a hexagonal screwdriver. If the screws are damaged, the threads are torn or there are noticeable scratches, then the device has been opened, and poorly. The originality of the “stuffing” can be immediately questioned.

It is also worth testing the Sound/Vibration switch slider on the side face. there should be a clear vibration response when you put it in silent mode.

General recommendations

Appearance

  • The first thing you should look at before buying a new iPhone is the case. There should be no unnecessary gaps on it, crackling and crunching is also not allowed.
  • In addition, the button of the device (if it is in the model) should not “backlash.
  • The paint on the device without streaks, does not rub off, and does not leave marks on the hands.
  • Most counterfeiters install a plastic body instead of an aluminum one. They can be distinguished by the texture and the distinctive sound, if you tap on it with your fingernail.
  • Particular attention should be paid to the inscriptions on the back cover. In the original models they are evenly and clearly marked, the inscriptions are made without errors. The caption reads: iPhone, Designed by Apple in California, Assembled in China.

Correspondence with all the above factors with the highest probability indicates that the original model is in front of you.

How to check iPhone for originality?

When buying a phone you need to be extremely careful. Especially when you buy Apple products. The Chinese have learned to make almost perfect copies of smartphones, which are very difficult to distinguish from fakes, and the original devices may have an expired warranty. The official site of Apple, where you can check the device you are buying in a few seconds via the IMEI code, will help you to be sure of the seller’s honesty.

You can check iPhone for authenticity and originality via a special device identification number.

There are several ways to find out your device IMEI code:

Enter #06# at the number line. The smartphone will automatically execute the command and your IMEI code will appear on the screen.

Go to the Settings menu. Main. Click on “About This Device”. Find “IMEI” and type in its value.

You can also see the IMEI code on the back of the package (the box).

IMEI code is necessary for checking iPhone activation, as well as making sure the device is authentic.

Go to official Apple web-site to check your smartphone via IMEI code. On this site you can get reliable and free information. https://checkcoverage.Apple.com/en/en/. link to this page.

Only original Apple devices are represented in our store. We offer you to buy a genuine product from us for a nice price!

How to check if you bought a new iPhone? Method 2

Open the Settings app and go to: Basic → About this device.

In the window that appears, open the “Limited Warranty” item.

Here will appear (perhaps not immediately, but within a day) the estimated expiration date of the Right to Service and Repair, which is determined by adding 365 days to the day of activation. In other words, to find out the date of the first activation, subtract exactly 1 year from the estimated date.

If the date of activation, which you carried out will be different from that specified in the service “Checking the right to service and support”, then you can safely make a claim to the seller. the smartphone was activated earlier, t.е. Unfortunately, you are not the first owner of this iPhone.

Here is an example from life. In the former Soviet Union is often used to sell gray (imported illegally) activated iPhones under the guise of new ones. How it happens? New tethered (tied to the mobile operator) iPhones are sold, for example, in the U.S., for a fairly low price. They are bought by “businessmen” with the purpose of subsequent unlocking (unlinking from the operator) for a fee.

However, in most cases to unlock an iPhone the box must be unpacked, software must be restored and then repacked. Basically, this is a new phone (in fact, it was not used), identical to the one bought from an official reseller, but the date of its first activation will not correspond to the date of activation by the buyer, as it has already been done before. Naturally, the service and support life of such a phone will be less than a year.