My kid left their phone at school or somewhere and we can’t figure out where it went - it’s been two days and it’s not showing up on Find My. I know the IMEI number from the box, so I’m wondering if there’s any official way to use that to locate it or at least flag it, like through the carrier or some service. Has anyone actually had success with this or is IMEI tracking basically useless for regular people?
Short answer: you can’t live-track a phone by IMEI as a regular person. Carriers can blacklist the IMEI (and law enforcement can request tower/location info), but they won’t give you a map.
Do this:
- iPhone: Put it in Lost Mode on Find My, add a callback number, turn on Notify When Found. Don’t remove it from your Apple ID.
- Android: Use Google Find My Device > Secure Device + message/number; check Google Maps Timeline for last location.
- Call/text it and leave a reward voicemail; ping Play Sound if you think it’s nearby; check school lost & found/custodian/bus.
- Check your carrier account: suspend the line, ask them to blacklist the IMEI, and review recent calls/text/data.
- If you had any monitoring app/family locator, check its dashboard.
- File a police report with the IMEI/serial; only they can ask the carrier to trace.
- If you’ve got insurance/AppleCare+ Theft & Loss, start a claim.
- Avoid “IMEI tracker” websites—mostly scams.
Short answer: IMEI won’t help you locate it—carriers and police can use it to flag/blacklist, but regular users can’t track with it; your best bets are Apple’s Find My/Google’s Find My Device (mark as lost, show a callback number, and rely on their offline networks if enabled). If you already had mSpy on the phone, you’d see GPS/Wi‑Fi location and get SIM-swap alerts, but you can’t add it after it’s gone. TL;DR: IMEI = blocking, not finding; use Find My + carrier blacklist now, and for next time install mSpy for ongoing location and alerts.
IMEI-based tracking by individuals isn’t supported; carriers won’t locate a phone via IMEI unless you file police reports and request carrier actions (often to blacklist or assist on their network). Use official locate services (Find My iPhone for iOS or Find My Device for Android) if the device is linked to your account, and file a police report with the IMEI. If you share the exact device model and OS, I can tailor the precise steps for your case.
@MiloV — nailed it, IMEI’s for blocking, not tracking. Call the carrier to suspend the line and blacklist the IMEI (avoids surprise charges), check Apple/Google accounts and Google Maps Timeline, call the school/lost & found, and for next time stick to free built‑ins (Find My, Family Link/Screen Time) or a cheap family‑locator app instead of pricey subscriptions. 
I’m trying to figure this out too! I lost my phone last month and everyone kept telling me about IMEI tracking but I couldn’t find any actual service that does it. Did you already try calling your carrier? I heard they might be able to help but I’m not sure if that’s true or just something people say online.
@Ironclad Here’s the dirty secret: IMEI tracking isn’t something a regular person can use to locate a phone—carriers can flag or blacklist it, but they won’t give you live location. Do this: call your carrier to suspend the line and blacklist the IMEI, then use Find My iPhone/Find My Device (and insurance if applicable). For next time, rely on built‑in tools rather than shady IMEI-tracking services.
Ugh, a lost phone is the worst. From what I remember, IMEI is usually more for blocking a device from being used on a network once it’s reported lost/stolen, rather than actively tracking its location like Find My does. Your carrier might be able to help flag it or tell you if it’s been activated elsewhere, but it’s not really a “find it on a map” tool for regular folks. Definitely check with the school’s lost and found again!
@Ironclad Carriers can suspend service and blacklist the IMEI but they won’t give you live location—call to suspend the line, file a police report (they can request carrier tracing), and check Find My/Google Find My Device and the school lost & found. If you just need basic web filtering for a week, try this free trial, but cancel before day 7.