How old is my phone?

Wondering how long it’s been since your phone hopped off the assembly line and made its way to your pocket? Whether you bought it refurbished and want to know how much of a life it had previously, or you just lost track of time since you last upgraded, if you’re asking yourself “How old is my phone?” then you’ve come to the right place for the answer. Our blog will show you a few different ways to determine your phone’s age, none of which include cutting it in half and counting the pixels (do NOT do that).

How can I tell how old my phone is?

The easiest way to find a phone’s age is by locating its serial number in the phone’s settings.

How to find a serial number on iPhone

1. Open your iPhone’s Settings
2. Go to General
3. Click on About
4. Look at your Serial Number

Note: Once you find the serial number you can also go to checkcoverage.apple.com and enter the serial number to verify the purchase date.

How to find a serial number on Android phones

Android phones are a bit trickier, since there are so many various brands that manufacture them and each menu structure is different. These steps are a great place to start though.

1. Go to your phone’s Settings
   • Your phone’s manufacture date may be visible right in the Settings menu
2. Click on About phone
3. Go to Serial Number

If you’re unsure how to decipher your phone’s serial number, your best bet is to just do a quick search online for “[phone brand + phone model] serial number manufacturing code.” Otherwise, there are a few other tricks you can try.

Other ways to figure out your phone’s manufactured date

There are a few alternate ways to check your phone’s age if you don’t have a secret serial number decoder ring on hand. 

Check your box

Sometimes refusing to throw away a good box has its advantages. Some phone manufacturers print the manufacturing date right on the phone’s box, or at least include it via a sticker.

Download a third-party app

There are multiple phone info apps available in the App Store (for iPhones) or Google Play Store (for Androids) that you can download. Some can even help you decode your serial number. 

Try dialing a manufacturing code

Some Android and older iOS phones allow you to look up your manufacturing code via the keypad using special commands. Try dialing one of the following on your phone:

• #0000#
• #197328640#
• ##197328640##

If your phone responds to any of these, it should take you to a menu that will guide you to your phone’s hardware version, which should display its manufacture date.

Google it

Yes, that is probably what brought you to this blog to begin with, but if you’re still unsure of your phone’s age, try typing the phone’s specific brand and model into Google to continue your investigation.

Your phone may be older, but now you’re wiser

Now that you know how old your phone is, you can apply that knowledge when troubleshooting or making any important purchasing decisions. And if you have more questions, like What’s my phone number?, What kind of phone do I have? or How much does a phone cost?, we’ve got other blogs you can check out with the answers you seek. Here at Mint Mobile, empowering our subscribers to make informed decisions is a top priority. And if you were shocked to learn that your phone is old enough to rent a car, we can help you upgrade to a new phone for a reasonable price, too. Click to learn how Mint Mobile provides premium wireless service to phones of all ages.