How to check iPhone for authenticity

 Buying a used iPhone is always a risk, because in addition to honest sellers, scammers often operate on the Internet, offering non-original apple devices. That is why we will try to figure out how to correctly distinguish the original iPhone from a fake.

Check iPhone for originality

Below we will look at several ways to make sure that this is not a cheap fake, but the original. To be sure, when studying the gadget, try to use more than one method described below, but all at once.

Method 1: compare IMEI

Even at the production stage, each iPhone is assigned a unique identifier - IMEI, which is entered into the phone programmatically, applied to its body, and also registered on the box.

When checking the iPhone for authenticity, make sure that the IMEI matches both in the menu and on the case. The mismatch of the identifier should tell you that either the device was manipulated, which the seller kept silent about, for example, the case was replaced, or it’s not an iPhone at all.

Method 2: Apple website

In addition to IMEI, each Apple gadget has its own unique serial number, which can be used to verify its authenticity on the official Apple website.

1. First you need to find out the serial number of the device. To do this, open the iPhone settings and go to the "Basic" section .

1. Select "About this device" . In the column "Serial number" you will see a combination consisting of letters and numbers, which we will need further.

1. Go to the Apple website in the device verification section at this link . In the window that opens, you will need to enter the serial number, indicate the code from the picture below and start the check by clicking on the "Continue" button .

1. In the next moment, the device being checked will be displayed on the screen. If it is inactive, this will be reported. In our case, we are talking about an already registered gadget, for which the expected warranty expiration date is additionally indicated.
2. If, as a result of checking in this way, you see a completely different device or the site does not identify the gadget by this number, then you have a Chinese non-original smartphone.

Method 3: IMEI.info

Knowing the IMEI of the device, when checking the phone for originality, you should definitely use the IMEI.info online service, which can provide a lot of interesting information about your gadget.

1. Go to the IMEI.info online service website . A window will appear on the screen in which you will need to enter the IMEI of the device, and then confirm that you are not a robot to continue.

1. A window with the result will be displayed on the screen. You will be able to see information such as the model and color of your iPhone, the amount of memory, country of manufacture, and other useful information. Needless to say, these data must completely match?

Method 4: Appearance

Be sure to check the appearance of the device and its box - no Chinese characters (unless the iPhone was purchased in China), spelling errors should not be allowed here.

See the specifications of the device on the back of the box - they must completely match those that your iPhone has (you can compare the characteristics of the phone itself through "Settings" - "General" - "About this device" ).

Naturally, there should not be any antennas for the TV and other inappropriate details. If you have never seen a real iPhone before, it is better to spend time going to any store that distributes apple technology and carefully study the exhibition sample.

Method 5: Software

Apple smartphones use the iOS operating system as software, while the vast majority of fakes run Android with an installed shell that is very similar to the apple system.

In this case, it is quite easy to identify a fake: applications on the original iPhone are downloaded from the App Store, and on fakes from the Google Play Store (or an alternative app store ). The App Store for iOS 11 should look like this:

1. To make sure it's an iPhone, follow the link below to download the WhatsApp app. You need to do this from the standard Safari browser (this is important). Normally, the phone will prompt you to open the application in the App Store, after which it can be downloaded from the store.

1. If you have a fake in front of you, the maximum that you will see is a link in the browser to the specified application without the ability to install it on the device.

These are the main ways to determine whether the iPhone is real or not. But perhaps the most important factor is the price: an original working device without significant damage cannot be worth much lower than the market price, even if the seller justifies this by saying that he urgently needed money.