If you got your iPhone new and unboxed it yourself, you might not worry much about details like when it was manufactured. However, if you purchase a second-hand model or get a refurbished one, it is rather important you find out when it was produced. This information will help you figure out the phone’s security, available update, warranty, etc. Even better, finding out before making a purchase has lots of upsides.
This article will outline 5 simple ways to achieve this. Read on to find out more.
How to know your iPhone’s manufacture date
Having taken a look at why you need to know your iPhone’s manufacture date. Now let’s get to the “how.” There is more than one way to know when your phone was produced. In this section, we will look at 5 easy ways to see the manufacture date of your iPhone.
Use Apple’s Check Coverage Page
Apple allows users to check how long they have until their warranty expires. With this warranty information, you can accurately guess when your phone was made. Each iPhone comes with a unique serial number. This number holds specific details about the device, one of which is the manufacture date. Follow the steps below to use Apple’s Service and Support Coverage Page.
- Open settings on the phone
- Under the “General ribbon,” navigate to About
- Here you will see the Serial number in Alphanumeric format. Copy it
- Visit the Apple’s Coverage Check Page
- Input the Serial number in the search box provided.
After doing this, certain information about the iPhone will be displayed. These include the iPhone coverage, warranty type, and valid purchase date. You need to check the Warranty type and the Coverage end date underneath it. This date showed when your phone was purchased.
Depending on the warranty, you must deduct 1 or 2 years from this date. With this, you can easily estimate how old your iPhone is.
Tips: If your iPhone shows January 21st, 2020 as the coverage end date and you have a free Standard Warranty, deduct 1 year from the date. Meaning your iPhone was likely made around 2019. However, if you have AppleCare, subtract 2 years from the date.
Use Chipmunk’s website
Another easy way you can find out when your iPhone was made is by using Chipmunk’s website. This site provides specific details about your phone, including model number, capacity, production year, when the model was introduced, etc. All you need is your phone’s serial number which you will enter on the website.
Use Apple’s Support App
This method is quite similar to the first one we discussed, but you would not need your phone’s serial number.
Apple’s support app provides users with a range of services, including checking device performance, making purchases, subscribing, etc. It also offers valuable details like if you have a warranty and when it expires.
Using this information, you can figure out when your iPhone was purchased and, in turn, figure out its age. You can access this information by following the steps below.
- Download the application here.
- Open the application and tap on device details.
- Check the “coverage info” ribbon to know details about your warranty.
Use Apple’s Serial Number
Some of the methods above detail how you can use your phone’s serial number to determine its manufacture date. However, this is only done using another application.
You can quickly determine your phone’s manufacture date by decoding this serial number. This number holds certain information that gives you the exact date your phone was made when interpreted correctly.
The serial number has a total of 10 characters. Spot the third, fourth, and fifth characters; these will tell you the year and week your phone was manufactured. The third character shows the year. For instance, 4 = 2014, 6 = 2016, and the following two shows the week, 07 stands for the 7th week of the year.
Use SNDeepInfo
Another way to figure out your iPhone’s manufacture date is through the SNDeepInfo website. Iphones are usually authenticated on this website.
- Copy your phone’s serial number and head over to SNDeepInfo.
- Paste your serial number in the box provided and select apple as the manufacturer
- Hit the “Show info” button
It will then display the production week of your iPhone. Additionally, it will show the year it was assembled and the factory where it was made.
Why you should know your phone’s production date
Just out of curiosity, you might want to know precisely when your iPhone was made. However, there are other specific reasons why you need to know exactly how old your iPhone is. Let’s do a quick deep dive into some of these reasons.
To check how compatible it is with certain updates
Knowing your Iphone’s manufacture date will give you an idea of how compatible it is with some updates. Apple keeps making phones long after the initial launch date, except when the particular product gets discontinued. This implies you might own an iPhone made 3 or 5 years ago, making it less compatible with the latest updates.
Check how secured it is
IOS security gets more advanced with each update. This makes regular phone updates essential to keep your phone’s security optimized. However, some updates might not run on certain iPhones.
Furthermore, some security options like face lock might be unavailable or not as secured on specific versions. Hence, you need to know precisely when your iPhone was produced to determine its level of security.
Warranty type available
Of course, iPhones come with a warranty to give you leverage in case of damage or software issues. However, these warranties do not last forever. Most tend to expire after a year or even some months depending on the model. If you just purchased your phone or have been using it for a while, you might want to know if its warranty is still valid.
Check for phones durability
If you are getting your iPhone second-hand, you want to know how long the previous user(s) have had it. iPhones tend to experience performance issues as they age. For instance, the battery quality might have degraded and cannot last quite as long as it is supposed to.
Conclusion
Figuring out your iPhone’s manufacture date gives you an insight into things like its age, how compatible it is with specific updates, if it still has a warranty, etc.
As highlighted in this article, what you essentially need to access this information is your iPhone’s serial number. This number in itself holds lots of information. There are various ways to find out your phone’s age. However, we have provided you with 5 of the easiest method.
