If you are out to buy a used, pre-owned, or refurbished Apple device and thinking that what if the device is a stolen item, then you are at the right place. If you want to know if apple serial number lookup could help you with verifying whether the device was stolen or not, the short answer is no.
No, you can not know whether the product is stolen by checking the apple serial number checker.
Apple serial number checkers like techable, apple coverage, and everymac, helps you know certain information about the device such as manufacturing, product model, price, etc.
For example, if you are looking to purchase a refurbished 2019 MacBook Pro and not sure what specs to look for, you can go to techable.com/apple and type A2141 MacBook Pro and you will get all the details related to 2019 MacBook Pro. This will help you make a sound decision regarding the purchase but this won’t be able to tell you if the device is stolen or not..
What is Apple Serial Number:
An apple serial number is a distinct alphanumeric code that is assigned to a particular Apple product by Apple inc as a way of differentiating it from any other Apple item. In addition, the serial number is useful in that it gives important information about the device such as its production information, model, and the warranty status.
Here’s what you can typically find in an Apple serial number:
- Manufacturing Information: The serial number provides data on the date of production and the location of the product’s origin. These are like, for example, the date of producing and manufacturing place.
- Product Model: This is because different models of an apple product have their unique serial numbers. It will tell you if it is an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple watch or else and its specific generation or model.
- Capacity or Configuration: The serial number might be a statement about its memory and other internal characteristics of the gadget in certain instances. Such is especially applicable in relation to iPhone and iPad devices.
- Warranty and Service Information: For instance, when verifying a serial of the device, it can reveal warranty and service and support options such as Apple Care and other relevant service plans.
- Activation Status: For instance, the serial number can determine the state of activation of a device; when active or connected to an apple id.
The use of Apple serial numbers is important since; it assures a genuine product, validates a device’s warranty, allows accessing services and support, and tracks a gadget’s past ownership. Occasionally, it is the requirement while requesting help from the apple customer service or buying second hand Apple goods so as to confirm that they are genuine and are operational.
Can Serial Numbers help track Apple devices?
It is difficult to track stolen Apple Products via their serial numbers for individual’s use. Apple does not allow individuals to follow or trace a device whose serial number has been stolen to the public domain. However, Apple does have some security measures in place to help address stolen devices:
- Activation Lock (Find My iPhone/iPad/Mac): The owner has enabled Find My iPhone (or Find My iPad, Find My Mac), so if someone steals the device, they cannot activate or use it without the ownership identification of the owner’s Apple ID and password. This renders the gadget less attractive for theft since it’s hard to erase and subsequently sell in the market.
- Stolen Device Reporting: The loss of an Apple device requires reporting to local police and wireless carriers if it’s a cellular-enabled device. Some law enforcement agencies such as local police departments, FBI along with IC3 collaborate with Apple to investigate stolen devices. However, with an official investigation, it usually means that just informing Apple of a stolen device and leaving it there would not do much sometimes.
- Blacklist/Blocklist: For instance, the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a unique identifier for a mobile device, allows wireless carriers in certain countries to be able to track and blacklist stolen devices. This ensures that a stolen device cannot be connected to their networks.
- Third-Party Services: Individuals can go to third party services or databases and provide the serial number of their robbed devices in order to report it. Such databases would normally be community-initiated, and not related to Apple at all.
Conclusion
Finally, we will see that the question, concerning tracking stolen apple products by means of their serial number, introduces many complications into the matter. Through these means and others, the Apple S/N helps to provide significant information about a product, including its model name, data on production, and a status related to warranties. Nevertheless, such an S/N does not provide a simple means for individuals to track stolen devices in question
However, it is noted that only the serial number alone can not trace or retrieve any lost or stolen apple product. In contrast, Apple uses other means of security including Activation lock that requires the owner of the cell phone or tablet Apple ID and password in order to activate it. also collaboration with the Law enforcement department to help investigate theft of their electronic product. Moreover, the International Mobile Equipment Identity can also be used by wireless carriers’ authorities to block or black list such stolen phones from their network.
Individuals worried about buying second hand or refurbished Apple products should not rely solely on the device’s IMEI and Apple Serial Number Lookup for their security needs as it might be inadequate. Due diligence should be exercised such as ensuring that activation has been done on them and they are not linked by an earlier user’s iTunes account before transferring used iOS devices.
