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Second-Hand Phone Checklist: What to Verify Before You Pay in India

Don't pay for a used phone until it passes these checks: matching IMEIs and a clean KYM result, no iCloud or Google lock after a reset, healthy battery, working parts and a signed receipt.

Written by Lokesh Rathore 13-minute read

Smartphone in crimson and red tones showing a checklist, surrounded by a magnifying glass, an open padlock and a battery icon, representing checks before buying a used phone

In short

Treat a second-hand phone as unproven until it passes a few checks. Dial *#06# and confirm the IMEI is the same in Settings, on the box and on the bill, then text KYM <15-digit IMEI> to 14422 for the government’s KYM check. Watch the seller sign out of their Apple Account, or delete their Google (and Samsung) account, and reset the handset; then go through the first setup screens yourself, and make sure none of them asks for the seller’s login. Finish with a battery health reading, a test of every part and a receipt signed by the seller, backed by a copy of their ID.

A used phone can save you a good amount of money, but some problems only surface after the cash has changed hands: a blocked IMEI, a lock tied to a stranger’s account, or a tired battery. The steps below suit a private sale, an online listing or a shop alike. Work through them in order, and release the money only once the phone has cleared every one.

Jump to a section10 sections
  1. Homework before the meet-up
  2. Step 1: Confirm the phone’s identity (IMEI)
  3. Step 2: Read battery health while the seller is still signed in
  4. Step 3: Look up an iPhone’s repair record
  5. Step 4: Test the hardware with your own hands
  6. Step 5: Clear the account locks, then reset
  7. Step 6: Paperwork and payment
  8. When trouble shows up after the sale
  9. Questions buyers often ask
  10. Where these facts come from

Homework before the meet-up

  • Ask for the IMEI in advance. A screenshot of the *#06# screen or a photo of the box label lets you run the KYM check (explained below) before you leave home.
  • Confirm that the original box and bill come with the phone.
  • Find out whether it was financed. If the seller bought it on EMI, check that the loan has been paid off. Lenders can use tools such as Samsung’s Knox Guard to lock a financed handset remotely when instalments fall overdue.
  • Tell the seller to come with their login details, so their Apple, Google or Samsung account can be taken off the phone while you watch.
  • Selling an iPhone? The seller should switch off Stolen Device Protection before leaving home. When the phone is away from familiar locations, this feature makes its owner wait one hour before signing out of the Apple Account.
  • Pack a SIM, a charger and a cable. If the listing promises 5G, bring a SIM that already gets 5G in your own phone. Choose a busy public spot with decent mobile signal and Wi-Fi.

Step 1: Confirm the phone’s identity (IMEI)

Each phone carries a 15-digit IMEI that identifies it on mobile networks, and a dual-SIM model has two of them. Wherever an IMEI is printed or displayed, it has to be identical.

Dial *#06#The IMEI pops up on screen (a dual-SIM phone lists two).
iPhoneSettings → General → About, near the bottom of the list. From iPhone 6s through the iPhone 13 series, plus iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation), you will also find it on the SIM tray. If the iPhone has been erased, tap the Info button in the bottom-right corner of the Hello screen.
AndroidOn a Pixel it sits in Settings → About phone; other brands label the menu differently. Pixel Help names the SIM tray as another place to look.
Box and billPrinted on the box label; the bill or invoice may carry it too.
Checked against CEIR, Apple Support and Pixel Help on 10 October 2026.
  1. Line up the IMEI from *#06# against Settings, the box and the bill (where the bill shows one). All the digits have to agree.
  2. Text KYM <15-digit IMEI> to 14422. Two other routes give the same result: the KYM page on the CEIR website, which sends an OTP to your mobile number, and the Know genuineness of Your Mobile Handset option inside the Sanchar Saathi app. On a dual-SIM phone, run it for both IMEIs.
  3. Compare the reply with the handset. According to CEIR, it lists the brand, model, manufacturer and device type, and all of these should describe the phone you are holding. A mismatch or any warning status means you keep your money.

Warning: When KYM returns Black-listed, duplicate or already in use, CEIR’s advice is not to buy that phone. Also back out if the IMEIs disagree, if *#06# shows all zeros or an invalid number (CEIR says handsets with all-zero or invalid IMEIs aren’t allowed on Indian networks), or if the seller refuses to let you run the check.

The government has flagged this risk directly. In December 2025, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said it had come across stolen or blacklisted handsets being resold through India’s large second-hand market, and warned that buying one “makes the purchaser abettor in crime and causes financial loss to them”.

Step 2: Read battery health while the seller is still signed in

Battery health tells you how much charge the cell can still store compared with its capacity when new. Note it down before anyone resets the phone.

PhoneMenu pathWhat you’ll see
iPhone 15 and laterSettings → Battery → Battery HealthCycle count, maximum capacity, manufacture date and first use date
iPhone 14 and earlierSettings → Battery → Battery Health & ChargingPeak performance capability and maximum capacity
Pixel 8a and laterSettings → Battery → Battery health (tap Battery capacity); for the cycle count, Settings → About phone → Battery informationEstimated capacity, cycle count and a status of “Normal” or “Reduced” (below 80%)
Samsung GalaxySamsung Members → Support → Phone diagnostics → Battery statusNormal, Weak or Bad
Based on the Apple iPhone User Guide (iOS 27), Apple Support, Pixel Help and Samsung India support, checked 10 October 2026.
  • iPhone: Under ideal conditions, Apple designs iPhone 14 and earlier batteries to retain 80% of their original capacity after 500 complete charge cycles; for iPhone 15 models the figure is 1,000 cycles. If you see “Your battery’s health is significantly degraded”, Apple is recommending a replacement. The message “Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple battery” means the health readings may be off.
  • Pixel: Google advises a fresh battery once capacity drops under 80%, or after 800 cycles on Pixel 3 to Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Fold, or 1,000 cycles on Pixel 8a and later. No health status appears at all on Pixel 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a, 8 and 8 Pro.
  • Other brands: open Settings → Battery and look for a battery health item. If the phone has none, watch how the battery behaves during your hands-on tests, and allow for a possible replacement when you name your price.

Step 3: Look up an iPhone’s repair record

A repaired iPhone running iOS 15.2 or later shows a Parts and Service History section under Settings → General → About. What it tracks depends on the model: the battery, display, logic board and both front and rear cameras on iPhone 12 and later; battery and display on iPhone 11 models; and the battery alone on iPhone XR, XS, XS Max and SE (2nd and 3rd generation). Older models and other parts aren’t tracked, so a missing section is no proof that the phone has never been repaired.

  • Genuine: the work used genuine Apple parts and processes.
  • Used: the part had previously been fitted in, or used by, a different iPhone.
  • Unknown: the part couldn’t be verified, might not be genuine, or might not behave as expected.
  • Unverified: the logic board came out of a different iPhone, which can affect features such as Apple Pay.
  • Finish Repair: the job was left incomplete. Apple warns the part may underperform, and until those parts are calibrated, Face ID or Touch ID can’t unlock the phone.

Step 4: Test the hardware with your own hands

  • Display: open a plain white picture and a plain black one to spot dead pixels or lines, then drag an app icon over every part of the screen to check touch. According to Google, a lifting screen can point to a swollen battery.
  • Frame and buttons: look for cracks, bends and gaps along the display edges, press every button, and try the fingerprint sensor or Face ID.
  • Charging port: plug in your own cable. It should fit snugly rather than wobble.
  • Calls and data: try your SIM in each physical slot one at a time, place a call through the earpiece and on speakerphone, and switch on mobile data.
  • 5G: if 5G was advertised, check for the 5G icon with your SIM at a spot where your own phone picks up 5G. No icon? Our article on fixing a missing 5G signal icon walks through the settings and bands.
  • Cameras: test each rear lens plus the selfie camera, in photo and video mode, including focus and flash.
  • Everything else: microphone, loudspeaker, vibration, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and location.
  • Samsung: open Phone diagnostics and tap Test all. Depending on the model, it covers the touch screen, speaker, mic, camera, buttons, SIM card and official software.

Two hidden faults turn up again and again in the used phones customers bring to Mobivault: a replacement screen that isn’t original, and a battery that is weak or swollen. Watch for strange colours, touch that responds only in patches or brightness that looks uneven, read the battery health figure, and see whether the display or back cover has begun to lift.

Step 5: Clear the account locks, then reset

Apple’s Activation Lock and Android’s Factory Reset Protection (FRP) link a phone to its previous owner’s account. A remote erase or a recovery-mode reset doesn’t switch them off; afterwards, the phone opens only with the old owner’s account password, or with its earlier passcode or screen lock. Make sure the lock is gone before any money moves.

On an iPhone: Activation Lock

Apple’s advice is plain: don’t take ownership of a used iPhone that Activation Lock protects. You can’t look this up online either. Apple took down its iCloud.com checker, which accepted an IMEI or serial number, in January 2017, and now asks buyers to check on the device itself.

  1. Finish the IMEI, battery and repair-history checks above before the seller signs out.
  2. The seller opens Settings → [their name] → Sign Out; on iOS 26 or later they then pick Erase this iPhone. On earlier versions, they sign out first and then go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings. Their Apple Account password may be required.
  3. Switch the phone on. An iPhone Locked to Owner screen (iOS 15 or later) tells you the lock is still active.
  4. Begin the setup yourself. Should it ask for the previous owner’s Apple Account, pass the phone back and have the seller type in their password.
  5. Once you reach the Hello screen, the iPhone is free for you to set up.

Seller not there in person? They can release the phone from a web browser instead: icloud.com/find → select the device → Remove This Device.

On Android: Factory Reset Protection

FRP follows the Google account. In Google’s instructions, owners switch it on by adding a Google account and setting a screen lock, and switch it off by removing that account. If the phone is reset remotely or from recovery mode, setup asks for the old screen lock or a Google account that was previously synced, and Google warns that without this information “you won’t be able to use the device at all”.

  1. The seller deletes every Google account from Settings → Passwords & accounts (some phones call it Users & accounts, Passwords, passkeys & accounts or Manage accounts; Samsung uses Accounts and backup → Manage accounts), selecting each account and tapping Remove account.
  2. On a Galaxy phone, the seller also leaves their Samsung account through Settings → Samsung account → Sign out, which Samsung says switches off Find My Mobile. Samsung adds that the menu names differ by model and software version.
  3. Next comes a factory reset from Settings (Samsung: Settings → General management → Reset → Factory data reset).
  4. Connect to Wi-Fi and run the setup yourself. A request for any of the old owner’s accounts or their screen lock (Google, or Samsung on a Galaxy phone) means a lock is still active, so keep your money.

Warning: Steer clear of any phone advertised as “iCloud locked”, “FRP bypassed” or “works on Wi-Fi only”. Such locks are tied to the earlier owner’s account, and the proper way to lift them is through that same account.

Step 6: Paperwork and payment

  • Original bill: if an IMEI is printed on it, that number has to match the handset. If the bill is in another person’s name, ask the seller how the phone came to them.
  • Seller’s ID: look at an original government ID and keep a copy for yourself.
  • Signed receipt: write down the date, price and payment method, the model, both IMEIs, and the seller’s name, address, mobile number and ID number. Add a line stating that the seller owns the phone and that it carries no account lock or unpaid loan, then both of you sign.
  • Hold on to the box, bill and receipt. Should the phone ever go missing, CEIR’s blocking form accepts the invoice.

Tip: Make payment the very last step. Once the money has gone, removing any lock is in the seller’s hands: Apple’s Activation Lock support request is meant for people who have proof of purchase, and Apple doesn’t say whether a private seller’s receipt counts. Use UPI or a bank transfer so the payment leaves a record.

When trouble shows up after the sale

  • An Activation Lock screen appears: contact the seller and ask them to take the iPhone off their account at icloud.com/find (pick the device, then Remove This Device).
  • Setup wants the old Google account: the only ways past this are a Google account that was synced to the phone or its previous screen lock, so the seller must sign in, or type that screen lock, on the device.
  • The IMEI is blocked on CEIR: according to CEIR, a blocked handset won’t work on any network in India, and the owner unblocks it after informing the police that the phone has been found. Take your receipt back to the seller first. If that gets nowhere, visit your local police station with the phone, the receipt and the seller’s details. Our explainer covers how CEIR blocking and unblocking work.
  • Don’t let anyone alter the IMEI as a “fix”. CEIR says changing an IMEI is unlawful for anyone other than the manufacturer.

If a customer brings a used phone to Mobivault and it proves to be locked or blocked, we help them take it, along with their bill, to the brand's authorised service centre.

Shop-floor note: With any used phone, the first thing we get Mobivault customers to do is the IMEI test: dial *#06#, compare the number with the box and bill, then run it through KYM (14422). Move on to the other checks only once that comes back clean.

Questions buyers often ask

Is there an online IMEI lookup for an iPhone’s iCloud lock?

Not from Apple. Its online Activation Lock checker was withdrawn in early 2017. Check on the phone instead: watch for the “iPhone Locked to Owner” screen, and go through setup to confirm it never asks for the old owner’s Apple Account.

Will resetting the phone get rid of the iCloud lock or FRP?

A reset by itself isn’t enough. An iPhone wiped remotely can stay Activation Locked, whereas erasing it from its own Settings removes the lock (the owner’s Apple Account password is needed if Find My is on). An Android phone reset remotely or through recovery mode will ask for the earlier screen lock or a Google account that was synced before. The safe route is for the seller to sign out or remove their account and reset the phone while you watch, after which you handle the setup.

If KYM gives a clean result, can I skip the other checks?

No. KYM only compares the IMEI with what CEIR has on record. Activation Lock, FRP, battery condition and repair history all fall outside it.

What battery health percentage should I accept?

No single number fits every phone. Google advises a new Pixel battery once capacity is under 80%, and Apple designs iPhone 14 and earlier batteries to hold 80% after 500 cycles (1,000 cycles for iPhone 15 models) under ideal conditions. If the figure sits below 80%, build the cost of a new battery into your price.

Is it safe to buy a used phone that has no bill?

The risk goes up. Without the original bill you can’t tie the IMEI to a purchase record, and Apple’s Activation Lock support request asks for proof of purchase. If you go ahead anyway, insist on a clean KYM result, a reset carried out in front of you, and a signed receipt backed by the seller’s ID.

Where these facts come from

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Lokesh Rathore

Editor, Seanomos Mobile · owner of Mobivault, MP Nagar, Bhopal

Lokesh Rathore owns Mobivault, a phone shop in Zone 2, MP Nagar, Bhopal, and edits Seanomos Mobile. The problems customers bring to the shop, from OTPs that never arrive to phones that will not fast-charge, become the step-by-step guides on this site.

How this guide was made: Put together from official help pages and operator sources rather than a device test. AI tools helped with the draft; Lokesh Rathore checked each fact against those sources and approved it for publishing.

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