📶 How to Fix a Null or Corrupt IMEI After Flashing
The IMEI is your phone's unique network identity. A bad flash — especially "Format All + Download" — can wipe it, leaving you with "no service", "invalid IMEI" or "baseband unknown". You can usually write your original IMEI back with the tool for your chipset (SN Write Tool / Maui META for MediaTek, the SPD tool for Unisoc).
⚠ Important. Only ever restore your phone's OWN original IMEI, printed on the box and under the battery / on the SIM tray. Changing a phone's IMEI to a different number is illegal in most countries.
What you need
- Your original IMEI (from the box or under the battery)
- The IMEI/SN write tool for your chipset
- USB drivers
- A Windows PC
Steps
- Find your original IMEI. Look on the retail box, under the battery, or on the SIM tray sticker. Dual-SIM phones have two IMEI numbers. Write them down exactly.
- Dial *#06# to check the current state. If it shows blank, all zeros, or "null", the IMEI needs restoring. If it shows your correct number, the "no service" issue is something else (APN, band, or a hardware fault).
- Install drivers and the right write tool. For MediaTek use SN Write Tool (or Maui META); for Unisoc use the SPD IMEI/write tool. Install the matching USB drivers first — see our driver guide.
- Load your database/firmware and enter the IMEI. In the write tool, load the matching database (from your firmware) if required, tick IMEI, and type your original IMEI(s) exactly.
- Write and verify. Connect the powered-off phone in the tool's mode, let it write, then reboot and dial *#06# again. Your correct IMEI should now appear and signal should return.
Tips & troubleshooting
- Always back up (readback) your IMEI/NVRAM before any flash so you can restore it later.
- If only mobile data is missing, check the APN settings before rewriting IMEI.
Ready to flash? Find your exact model on ROM Palace and download the matching stock firmware — free, direct, no waiting queues.