Greetings to one and all! The first thing you need to pay attention to is that this article will not talk about the official release date of any iPhone model (you can talk about this) in general, but about each specific device in particular. After all, as you understand, devices are released almost every day and for each iPhone the date it leaves the factory will be individual.
The second important note is that we will figure out how to determine not only what year the iPhone you have in your hands is, but even its release week. Well, the third thing is that there will only be several ways to find out the age of the device and by combining them, you can achieve 100% reliability of the result obtained. Let's not put things off and drag animals to different places... let's start quickly and decisively!
However, a short introduction is still necessary. Why do you need to find out all this - how old is he, dates, some numbers? Use it and that's it! However, not everything is so simple and here are a few situations when this is necessary:
- So that when buying an iPhone or iPad “from your hands.”
- When buying a new device (not all stores are equally honest and I can sell a used one under the guise of a new one).
- Just out of curiosity.
By the way, for all checks we will use the serial number (IMEI) of the iPhone (). Which is quite convenient, because you don’t even need access to the device - when buying a used one, you can ask for it in advance, and if the gadget is still in the box, then you can do without opening it. Well, now to the main thing...
Find out what year the iPhone was produced by decoding IMEI
The serial number can tell a lot of information about the device - factory, model, etc. But we are interested in the exact release date. And here it is necessary to find out what exactly model of the gadget it is; the type of serial number and its decoding will depend on this.
If the iPhone was released before 2010 (usually iPhone 4 and younger)
For these devices, the serial number consists of 11 numbers and letters. We will only be interested in the third, fourth and fifth characters. Everything is quite simple here:
- The number that comes third in the serial number indicates the last digit of the year in which this device was manufactured.
- The fourth and fifth digits are the serial number of the week this year.
To make it more clear, example: MN81412ABC1. In this case, the third digit is 8, the fourth and fifth are 14. From this we conclude that this iPhone was released at the factory in 2008 in the 14th week (March 31 - April 6)
After 2010 (iPhone 4S and older)
But here, everything is far from being as simple as in the previous example. Starting in 2010, Apple began releasing devices with serial numbers that were 12 characters long. And everything would be fine, but besides this, she also encrypted the release date in it, using various numbers and letters.
So, in a 12-character serial number, we are only interested in the fourth and fifth characters from the beginning:
- The 4th character means the year and half-year in which the device was released.
- The 5th character means the week of release in this very half of the year.
True, the whole “ambush” is that there are already not only numbers, but also letters. Therefore, here are the symbol and date correspondence tables for decoding.
In the first, we look at the letter that is indicated 4th from the beginning in the serial number and find out the year, as well as the six months in which your iPhone was manufactured.
Let's look at this case with an example. Here is the serial number - NPL JN DP7FDG5. The fourth letter is J, which according to our table means the 2nd half of 2012. The 5th character is the letter N, we look at the second table and see that the letter N for the 2nd half of the year corresponds to the 45th week of release. It turns out – year 2012, week 45. It’s simple!
However, if you don't trust the various tables, there are several more options to determine the age of the iPhone.
How to find out how old your iPhone is through special services
Fortunately, you don't always need to look at the serial number and use it to calculate how old your iPhone is. There are various services that will do all this work for you. Here are the most famous of them.
- You can find out the manufacturing date of your iPhone by going to this page and entering the serial number there. Perhaps this is the oldest and most famous verification service. Despite the fact that everything is in a foreign language, you don’t really need to understand it - you enter the IMEI in a special form and get the result.
- The second option would be to download a special program - Coconutid. Unfortunately, there is a version only for MAC OS, and this is a minus. However, it allows you to find out the date of birth not only of iOS devices, but also of MAC. Which is definitely a plus.
As you can see, you can find out the iPhone release date in different ways - either “stretch” your brains and calculate it yourself, or trust services and programs specially designed for this.
In any case, the result should be the same! If the result is different, write in the comments, we’ll figure it out together!
Finally, a few more articles that may be useful for various checks of Apple devices:
- How to find out the date and place of purchase of the gadget - read.
- Find out how to check iPhone by IMEI on the Apple website and other services.
P.S. Apple very well encrypted the date of release of the device from the assembly line in the serial number - I was tired of drawing signs without errors :) Please support with a “like” or something!;)
If you are interested in the question of how to find out the release date of an iPhone, this article will be a good guide. This question is usually asked by those who purchased an iPhone secondhand. It is important to know when it was manufactured, as well as when it was activated.
It is also necessary to be able to distinguish a real smartphone from a Chinese counterfeit. Sometimes it is absolutely impossible to do this externally. In order to obtain the information we need, a serial number is required. We will tell you how to find it out and how to see the activation date of the device, as well as its production.
How to find out the activation date of an iPhone of any model
The activation date is needed for more than just knowing when the user purchased it. With its help, we will determine whether the iPhone is under warranty or no longer. Lack of warranty can sometimes be a reason to refuse a purchase. Time of use is like mileage on a car: the device also wears out over time.
Finding out the iPhone serial number in iTunes
So, it's time to find out the serial number. The first method is to connect to iTunes. If you have never done this before, you need to download/install the latest version of this program and connect the device using the original cable. We connect, launch, look: in the “Review” tab there is data on the serial number. Let's copy it.
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Find out the serial number on the iPhone itself
We need to go to the main settings of the iPhone and select the "About this device" tab. Information about your iPhone will appear there. There will also be a serial number. Hold your finger on it and copy.
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We receive information about the release date
It doesn’t matter from which device you access the Internet. You will need to follow this link. In a special window you must enter the device number. Then you will see one of the messages:
- If the warranty period has not expired, information about its expiration will appear. We subtract the year and get exact information on the date when the user purchased and activated the iPhone. Now we know exactly how long the iPhone was in constant use.
- If the warranty period has expired, you will have to take the former owner’s word for it. The only proof can be a receipt. But not everyone keeps receipts even for such expensive purchases if the warranty period has expired. The only thing we can do is find out the production date of the iPhone.
How to find out the production date of an iPhone
This is done quite simply: follow the link to a special service. We insert the serial number there. Press one button and all the data is in front of you. The year of production and week are displayed. That is, if we know both the activation date and the production date, we can find out how long the iPhone spent in warehouses. When there was no such service, decryption had to be done independently. There are instructions on the Internet on how to do this, there are special tables. But you won't need it.
This happened 8 years ago. The world saw a smartphone that made a real revolution among gadgets, and to this day the army of fans of Apple products is looking forward to the next iPhone models and new versions of iOS. Steve Jobs long ago hatched the idea of how to collect in one device everything that a modern person needs. This is an MP3 player, a digital notebook, a PDA, and a phone, of course. So first came the iPod touch, which was a great success, combining all multimedia functions except communications, and then the first . Over the past 8 years, 10 iPhone models have been released. How did they spread in Russia? Not to say that it was a triumphal procession, however...
First iPhone
When the 1st generation iPhone went on sale in the summer of 2007, queues lined up in America wanting to own a smartphone as soon as possible. In Russia, the first iPhone did not receive an official release and was distributed only as “”. By the way, today it can be purchased at auctions, since now it is a “rarity” and a living legend of Apple. Unopened boxes with smartphones are especially expensive.
iPhone 3G
The first smartphone in Russia from Apple was the iPhone 3G, which corrected some technical shortcomings and began supporting 3G communications for high-speed Internet connections, unlike its predecessor. The start of sales took place on the night of October 3, 2008 in the retail chains MTS, VimpelCom, Megafon and Svyaznoy. The fixed cost of the devices was stated: 22,999 rubles. (8 GB) and 26,999 rub. (16 GB). There were no queues or much excitement then. So, in the first 3 months, only 120-180 thousand smartphones were sold in the country, and these were unexpectedly low figures. Surely, the reason for this was the crisis that broke out in the summer of 2008, and those who wanted had already acquired an iPhone, exported from the USA, earlier. The iPhone 3G was equipped with a new version of iOS 2.0, GPS and A-GPS sensors synchronized with Google maps, the metal body was replaced with plastic (but in black and white variations).
iPhone 3GS
The next version was the iPhone 3GS, presented on June 8, 2009, but only reaching Russia on March 5, 2010 (although they were waiting for it back in August 2009). Negotiations with Apple over the pricing policy took a very long time, since official sales were disastrously low, distributors were in no hurry to invest in the next model. The re:Store and Z-Store networks were the first to start sales in Russia at prices of 30,000 rubles. for 8 GB and 35,000 rub. For 16 GB. iPhone 3GS updated the processor and iOS version to 3.0, the speed and performance increased 2 times (compared to the first two), a grease-repellent coating appeared on the display (now it is easy to clean from fingerprints and faces after a conversation), a music remote control on the headset , updated more capacious. Also for the first time, a voice control function was used, including support for the Russian language and a built-in compass with the ability to switch to maps for outdoor enthusiasts and tourists. But the appearance remained the same.
iPhone 4
Dmitry Medvedev, as President of the Russian Federation, on June 23, 2010 (3 weeks after the presentation and the day before official sales) became the first Russian to own an iPhone 4. He received it during a planned trip to the United States, visiting Apple's head office, directly from the hands of Steve Jobs. The smartphone went on general sale in Russia on September 22, 2010. It came in three variations of built-in memory: 8 GB for 26,990 rubles, 16 GB for 31,990 rubles. and 32 GB for RUB 36,990. The implementation was undertaken by 3 leading cellular operators.
With this modification, the smartphone began to work with any mobile operator, starting to support CDMA networks. Fans were pleased with the new design, a noticeable improvement in display parameters, a 5-megapixel camera with the ability to record HD video, an even more energy-intensive battery and a new personal data protection system (previously, the iPhone was not attractive to corporate clients due to low security, but the iPhone 4 fixed this ).
iPhone 4S
iPhone 4S was presented on October 4, 2011. The official release date in Russia was December 16 of the same year, with the right to sell from MTS and VimpelCom. Prices were again significantly higher than in Europe and the USA: 16 GB - 35,000 rubles, 32 GB - 40,000 and 64 GB - 45,000 rubles. Again, there was no excitement in Russia, because the smartphone could have been obtained faster and cheaper abroad, where it was released a couple of months earlier, which is what Apple fans did, once again ruining Russian sales.
Innovations in the model: a 2-core processor at 1 GHz and a new operating system iOS 5, RAM 512 MB, a new 8-megapixel camera with support for Full HD video, the voice assistant Siri, Bluetooth 4.0 and support for the GLONASS satellite system were introduced for the first time.
iPhone 5
The next presentation of the 6th generation of smartphones from Apple took place on September 12, 2012. iPhone 5 was released on September 21, Russia saw it on December 14, 2015. This was a more successful sales campaign, because shortly before the New Year, Russians are usually ready to spend large sums money for gifts. Prices were practically no different from 4S: RUR 34,990. for 16 GB, 39,990 rub. for 32 GB and 44,990 rub. for the 64 GB version.
The changes were as follows: another design update and a new firmware version iOS 6.0. The display has been increased to 4 inches, the dual-core processor is now 1.3 GHz, and the RAM is 1 GB. Support for 4G communications and support for nano-SIM and a new Lightning dock connector have been introduced, which is still used in all new devices from Apple. The smartphone also had problem areas: the display “deformed” from touch, distorting the picture, the sapphire glass on the camera glared, producing purple spots in the pictures, the new aluminum case was scratched, but overall, it was a fairly successful release, users recognized the shortcomings as minor.
iPhone 5c and iPhone 5S
Then Apple released a cheaper version of the iPhone 5c, which came with the new iOS 7 operating system, in a plastic, but colored (in five variations) case, but the characteristics were practically no different from the 5th. Presented on September 10, 2013, released in Russia on October 25: RUB 25,000. for 16 GB and 30,000 rub. for 32 GB. This budget version did not become popular with us. But on the same day, its more respectable brother, the iPhone 5S, was released, which, despite the lack of budget, was more successful. In terms of price, however, it also did not differ from previous models: 16 GB for 35,000 rubles, 32 GB for 40,000 rubles, 64 GB for 45,000 rubles.
iPhone 5s is made in an aluminum case in 2 colors: space, gray and gold, the processor has once again been updated, the rear camera has excellent technical characteristics, capable of recording video (slow-motion) 120 frames/sec. with a resolution of 1280/720 pixels and 30 fps at 1920-1080. The innovative ability to scan Touch ID fingerprints was added, which further increased the security of the smartphone (it’s not for nothing that S stands for Security in this model), and the Siri voice assistant finally came out of beta testing, learned new commands and even began to understand the Russian language.
Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
Finally, the latest new products from Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were presented on September 9, 2014; they were officially released in Russia in December 2014 with prices that, due to the jump in the dollar exchange rate, really began to bite! Here's how much the flagships cost in December: iPhone 6 16 GB - 53,990 rubles, 64 GB - 61,990 rubles, 128 GB - 69,990 rubles; iPhone 6 Plus 16 GB — 61,990 rub., 64 GB — 69,990 rub., 128 GB — 77,990 rub. Even despite the cost, Russia has been waiting for the 6th iPhone; among their owners there are by no means only the middle class.
This is what the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus brought us: a new design, which caused controversy among aesthetes, in three color variations (gray, silver, gold), iOS8 was released with new software capabilities, unprecedentedly large displays (4.7 inches for iPhone 6 and 5 .5 inches for the iPhone 6 Plus) high-definition Retina Display HD, updated processor and coprocessor, improved rear camera parameters (including optical image stabilization), the ability to use the iPhone as a credit card through the Apple Pay system, added a barometer sensor, increased speed and LTE networks and so on. In short, equipped with the latest technology!
What can I say? Despite all the economic difficulties, crises, collapses in the ruble exchange rate, Apple in Russia and especially in Russia has loyal fans who will not exchange the iPhone for any other smartphone, and all because Apple is always ahead of the rest.
When buying an iPhone secondhand or in a store where you are in doubt, you can always check the activation date of the iPhone and generally find out the production date. With this information about the iPhone, you can find out when it was activated for the first time and what warranty period remains.
How to check iPhone activation date
You can check the activation date without having an account and being linked to an Apple ID. In order to find out the date, you need to complete only two steps: find out the serial number of the iPhone and check the serial number on the official Apple website. Learn more about how and where to find out the serial number and where to enter the serial number on the Apple website.
Step 1 - Find out the iPhone serial number
- Enter the Settings app.
- Go to the "General" section
- Next, enter the “About this device” subsection.
- Scroll down and find the item “Serial number” press and hold until the message “Copy” appears
| General Settings | "About this device" | Serial number |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Step 2 - Enter your serial number on Apple.com
- Open Safari browser (or any other)
- Enter in the address bar: apple.com
- Next, in the top menu, go to the “Support” section
- Then in this section you need to scroll down a little and follow the link: “Check service eligibility for your product”
- You will be taken to the “Check service eligibility” page on which there will be a field for entering the serial number:
- Press and hold on the field, the message “Insert” (previously saved serial number) will appear.
- Next, you need to enter the captcha (code in the image) and click on the “Continue” button.
- In the item with a green checkbox “Right to service and repair” the date of expiration of the warranty service will be indicated, subtract one year from this date and get the iPhone activation date
| …. | …. | …. |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
After completing these steps, you can get to the page you need to check by serial number, where you will find out the activation date. To speed up the transition to the desired verification page, simply follow the link https://checkcoverage.apple.com/ru/
It should be noted that this method is suitable for those who check an iPhone that is still under warranty, or a completely new one, in order to make sure that it is really new and your activation is its first activation.
How to find out the production date of your iPhone
It is also possible to find out when your iPhone (or other iOS devices) was released. There are three options to find out the iPhone production date:
- Compare the iPhone serial number with the iPhone production code table
- Go to www.chipmunk.nl and enter the iPhone serial number and check the production date online.
- Use the program for Mac Coconut Battery that shows or MacBook.
How to find out the production date of an iPhone by serial number
To find out the manufacturing date of your iPhone, you first need to find out its serial number, you can find it:
- on the iPhone box;
- in iPhone settings.
If the box is not saved, the surest and most reliable way to find out the serial number is in the settings. we have already shown in detail at the beginning of our article.
- Look at the 4th character in Table 1, there should be a letter that indicates the year of production.
- Look at the 5th character in table 2, shows the week of production.
So, having looked at the 4th symbol of your serial number in the first table, we move on to the second table.
| Symbol | Production week number | Symbol | Production week number | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st half (January-June) | 2nd half (July-December) | 1st half (January-June) | 2nd half (July-December) | ||
| 1 | 1 | 27 | J | 15 | 41 |
| 2 | 2 | 28 | K | 16 | 42 |
| 3 | 3 | 29 | L | 17 | 43 |
| 4 | 4 | 30 | M | 18 | 44 |
| 5 | 5 | 31 | N | 19 | 45 |
| 6 | 6 | 32 | P | 20 | 46 |
| 7 | 7 | 33 | Q | 21 | 47 |
| 8 | 8 | 34 | R | 22 | 48 |
| 9 | 9 | 35 | T | 23 | 49 |
| WITH | 10 | 36 | V | 24 | 50 |
| D | 11 | 37 | W | 25 | 51 |
| F | 12 | 38 | X | 26 | 52 |
| G | 13 | 39 | Y | 53 | |
| H | 14 | 40 | |||
How to find out iPhone production date online
If you do not want to search the table, you can use the online service to find out the production date, as well as confirm the information that you calculated from the production table.
A serial number is a unique combination of numbers and letters that characterizes any Apple device, be it a Mac, iPhone, iPod, iPad, as well as all accessories produced by Apple: cables, cases, adapters, etc. Although the serial number looks like a random combination of random characters, it is not. The serial number encrypts information about the place of manufacture of the device, the year and week of its production, as well as the model of the manufactured gadget.
Previously, using the serial number, the easiest way to find out the release date of a device was to just look at the third, fourth and fifth digits, which were always numbers. The third showed the last digit of the year of manufacture (for example, 8 = 2008, 9 = 2009), and the fourth and fifth together gave the number of the week in which the device was released (from 01 to 52). But such a system operated only during the first decade of the 21st century. Since 2010, Apple began to switch to a new serial number format; instead of 11-digit serial numbers, 12-digit serial numbers are now used.
An example of such a new serial number is shown above. There are no more usual numbers in it. But does this mean that the year and week number can no longer be found out? Not at all. True, using a 12-digit serial number is much more difficult to do.
The structure of Apple's 12-digit serial numbers is as follows:
- the first three characters are the code of the factory where the device was produced. Unfortunately, no one except Apple employees knows the complete list of these codes.
- fourth character - half year code in which the device was released
- fifth sign - release week code within this half year
- sixth, seventh and eighth digits – unique code for each device
- the last four characters are the model code indicating the generation, memory size, color, characteristics, etc.
We are interested in the year and week of release - but without additional decoding it will not be possible to find out. You need to look at the fourth and fifth digits of the serial number. As we have already said, the fourth character encodes the half-year, and according to a very strange system - the counting of half-years begins in 2010, and the numbering is alphabetic, starting with the letter C. The letters E, I, O and U are excluded from the numbering. There are 20 letters in total, i.e. Apple will use 12-digit serial numbers for exactly ten years, and in 2020 it will switch to a new format (possibly 13-digit numbers). The correspondence between letters and years is as follows:
The fifth character of the serial code encodes the release week number within the half-year, both using numbers and letters. First come the numbers 1 to 9, then the letters of the Latin alphabet (with the exception of A, B, E, I, O, S, U, Z) - a total of 27 possible values. The fifth character cannot be deciphered without the fourth: first you must find out whether the device was released in the first or second half of the year.
Difficult? Let's look at a practical example from the beginning of the article:
DMPJL8QEF18G
The fourth character is J, which means this is the second half of 2012. The fifth character is L, taking into account the second half of the year this is the 43rd week of 2012.
