Verizon LG G5 lost its IMEI after update

[VaughnLT]

Recently I ran an automatic update to my Verizon LG G5 model VS987. After the reboot, the phone know longer knows its own IMEI or ICCID. Thus it cannot recognize the SIM card. Although the update seemed to work correctly, it may have failed because I only had 3% storage available on my main device memory.
What are my choices? Is there a way to resetore the IMEI? If I root the phone will it be able to restore this number? The Android version is 8.0.0 .

 

[ocnbrze]

i do not know much about LG phones, but have you tried to flash a firmware update? LG should have firmwares that you can download and install. how do you know your imei is gone? an update should not do that.

 

[VaughnLT]

Thanks for your reply! I agree, should not have happened -- perhaps the cell service glitched, I was in a small town at the time. IEMI does not show up in System->About Phone->Status under Settings. I'd be happy to install firmware from LG if that's what will fix it. Just not sure how to go about it. I'm pretty tech savvy though so if someone can point me to the instructions I'm sure I can do it.

 

[ocnbrze]

this is the closest thing i could find as far as firmware updates for lg phones:
https://www.mylgphones.com/download-lg-official-stock-rom-firmware

however, you will need your imei......lol which you do not have.

you might want to take this into a verizon center and have them look into this. the only other thing i can think of is a hard reset.

 

[VaughnLT]

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried LG's update application, but it wouldn't stay connected on USB so the update wouldn't run. Verizon was no help, and I've already done a factory reset. Next I'm going to call LG. I'm willing to attempt rooting the phone, but don't know if this will work, either. Does anyone know where the IMEI comes from?

 

[Deleted User]

My phone number shows as unknown after porting my number, but the IMEI is not inside Sim Status, its on the About Phone page below Sim Status.

Any box packaging left?

Tried dialling *#06# (carrier may block these though, iirc)

Most Device Info or Spec Info apps, or CPU-Z or Antutu bring up the IMEI again if I remember, however if the phone isn't showing it then unlikely...

Added: https://www.techjunkie.com/lg-g5-how-to-find-imei-serial-number/

 

[svim]

.....Does anyone know where the IMEI comes from?

The IMEI is not determined by the Android operating system running on your phone, nor by your carrier's SIM card. It's a hardware identifier for the phone itself, and set by the manufacturer. It's stored as a non-writable firmware chip on the logic board itself:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mobile_Equipment_Identity
So flashing the ROM or rooting won't affect the IMEI, it's a hardware-based matter, not a software-dependent thing. If you go through the cumbersome process of changing the motherboard, that will change the IMEI.
But since you mentioned only having 3% of internal storage available, that itself is a problem. Especially if that's still the case after you did that Factory Reset.

 

[VaughnLT]

I don't have the box and #06# does not work since the phone can't find it's SIM, there is no service.
svim's reply, however may be the ticket. I figured the IMEI must be stored in the hardware somewhere, like a MAC address. And if so, one of those device info apps might work. Unless those apps are too dumb to look on the actual hardware. Will let you know if it works.
BTW. I did have 3% storage available at the time of the update which did NOT check the storage amount or give me any warnings. I cleared that problem up later when the damage was already done. Bad form on the part of the app writers, I'd say.

 

[VaughnLT]

Some progress, finally. I took the back cover off and the IMEI is printed on a sticker on there. So I've got that. I gave up on LG's Updater application and downloaded LG's Mobile Support application. Supposedly I can use that to restore the IMEI. Unfortunately, it doesn't list a driver for the Verizon version of the G5 (aka VS987.) There's a G4 and a G6 but no G5. Will try calling LG again tomorrow but not hopeful; I expect they will tell me to use this application. Is there a way to get old versions of Mobile Support that might have G5 in it? Is there a 3rd-party restoration tool that doesn't require hardware or cost a fortune? Or am I stuck rooting the thing?

 

[svim]

.... Or am I stuck rooting the thing?

Rooting is not the magic fix for all problems that some tout it to be. So even if you do root your phone, what are you going to do to fix this problem? Again, the IMEI is a hardware identifier, it's not based on software.

 

[VaughnLT]

Since the IMEI is set in hardware, the trouble is that the software doesn't know it. I figure that if the phone is rooted there should be a way to reset that IMEI in software. Somebody had to set that up at some point, correct?

 

[VaughnLT]

Here's a post that tells you how to restore the IMEI on Android, but it requires root:
https://www.digitbin.com/restore-lost-imei-number-android/