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iPod, iPhone & iPad Identification Q&As (ID iPods, iPhones & iPads)
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Where can I locate the Serial Number for my iPod, iPhone, or iPad? Are Serial Numbers unique? What are the limitations identifying a specific device using Serial Numbers?
iPod, iPhone and iPad Serial Numbers can be located within iTunes, within the operating system software on the device itself and on the back of the device in tiny print as well as on packaging and receipts, which makes the identifier quite versatile for identification and differentiation.
Everyi.com refers to the last three characters of an eleven character Serial Number -- all iPod, iPhone and iPad models introduced before September 2010 -- and the last four characters of a twelve character Serial Number -- all models introduced September 2010 and later -- as a Serial Number "Snippet." This last portion of the Serial Number is intended to identify an exact iPod, iPhone or iPad model (but not identify the individual device or its owner).
Please note that to find iPods, iPhones, and iPads by Serial Number "Snippet" using Everyi.com's Ultimate iLookup, please do not enter the entire Serial Number, only enter the last three or four characters, again, depending on whether the device has an eleven character or a twelve character Serial Number, respectively.
As a quick tip -- obviously you can count the number of characters in a Serial Number to determine whether it has eleven or twelve characters -- but you also can look at the fourth character in the string. If the fourth character is a number, it's an eleven character Serial Number. If the fourth character is a letter, it's a twelve character Serial Number.
To locate the Serial Number within iTunes, connect the iPod, iPhone or iPad to its "home" computer, open iTunes and select the device under "devices." The Serial Number is listed clearly on the "Summary" tab:
Image Credit: Everyi.com (DCP7)
For the iPod touch line as well as all iPhone and iPad devices -- all models that run the iOS -- Serial Numbers also can be found within the operating system by selecting Settings > General > About:
Image Credit: Everyi.com (DCP7)
For other iPod models with displays, the Serial Number theoretically can be retrieved by selecting Settings > About and subsequently clicking and holding the center button, but in practice, this doesn't always seem to work. It may be necessary to instead read the Serial Number on the hardware itself or within iTunes on these models.
On the iPod, iPhone and iPad devices themselves, the Serial Number is listed on the back toward the bottom in tiny print (or under the "teeth" of the "clip" for applicable iPod shuffle and iPod nano models).
These photos -- from Everyi.com's own Apple collection -- show the LG6 Serial Number placement on the Original iPod (most subsequent iPod, iPhone and iPad models have similar placement) as well as the VTE Serial Number placement on the iPod shuffle 2nd Gen.
Photo Credit: Everyi.com (LG6 - Top, VTE - Bottom)
Serial Numbers appear to be unique and refer to a specific configuration of a specific iPod, iPhone or iPad, and as a result, they are excellent to use for identification. However, Serial Numbers are not always unique for Macs, and it is possible that multiple iPods, iPhones or iPads share Serial Numbers as well. Should you encounter a potential error or an omission in Everyi.com's Ultimate iLookup, please report it. Thank you.
A potential weakness of using Serial Number "Snippets" for identification is that some repairs theoretically could alter or remove the Serial Number in software or hardware and/or provide conflicting Serial Number information. Occasionally, there are different Serial Numbers listed on the hardware and in software due to manufacturing error as well. In these situations, one will need to use alternate information to identify a particular iPod, iPhone or iPad.
Also, you may not feel comfortable sharing your entire Serial Number with third-parties (and you need not do so, the last three or four characters is sufficient for identification, once more, depending on whether or not your iPod, iPhone or iPad has an eleven character or a twelve character serial number, respectively). Order Numbers are equally excellent in many situations, and even more precise, but they are not externally listed like Serial Numbers. Serial Numbers are more precise than Model Numbers or EMC Numbers, which makes them the most precise external identifier.
Also see:
- Where can I locate the Order Number for my iPod, iPhone, or iPad? Are Order Numbers unique? What are the limitations identifying a specific device using Order Numbers?
- Where can I locate the Model Number on my iPod, iPhone, or iPad? Are they unique? What are the limitations identifying a specific device using this identifier?
- Where can I locate the EMC Number on my iPod, iPhone, or iPad? Are EMC Numbers unique? What are the limitations identifying a specific device using EMC Numbers?
- Where can I locate the Model Identifier (Model ID) for my iPod, iPhone, or iPad? Are Model Identifiers unique? What are the limitations identifying a specific device using the Model Identifier?
If Everyi.com does not identify your iPod, iPhone or iPad -- or it identifies a different device -- when you type in the last three or four characters of its Serial Number (again, depending on whether it uses an eleven character or twelve character Serial Number), but you are able to track it down using another identifier, please share any missing information. Thank you.
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