What is the UDID of an Apple device?
UDID - it is a unique identifier for the gadget. Only Apple devices have this number, which consists of 24 characters. However, for gadgets released before 2018, the UDID number is sixteen characters with forty in lowercase (20 bytes). These can be letters, numbers, and symbols. The developer uses the UDID to activate Find My and register for beta testing. In general, this combination of different characters is the main identifier of the device because the UDID is unique for each gadget.
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Paid checkWhat Is a UDID Used for?
After clarifying the essence of the concept, a natural question arises: what is a UDID number used for? This unique identifier is used on Apple devices, namely those running iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, macOS, watchOS, and visionOS. It is needed to link the gadget to your Apple account. Thus, every time a smartphone tries to connect to the network, its UDID is checked. If the device is lost or stolen, it can be found by this unique identifier number.
UDID is also often used for testing. It's no secret that Apple constantly develops something new, so it's important to test beta versions of programs on real users. This increases the quality of new products. Earlier, when the company first opened the App Store, apps directly requested the device's UDID. However, this led to testing and advertising tracking, which caused problems with customer privacy. So, in 2012, Apple blocked any devices from requesting UDIDs.
Another answer to the question, “What is a UDID used for?” is to connect your device to an Apple ID. This allows you to easily download programs and music that you can buy in the App Store or through iTunes. You also need UDID for notifications and iMessages. It's even used to download a user's records to the iOS Game Center.
Previously, some apps had access to UDID. This caused problems with customer privacy. Now, any attempts by third-party programs to access this unique identifier are blocked. Thus, Apple tries to protect the personal data of its customers, which makes it unlikely that UDID can be used for dishonest actions. Nevertheless, it's still a good idea to take extra care of your security, namely, create a valid password and pass the two-step verification enabled for Apple ID.
How Is a UDID Calculated?
The question of how to find the UDID often arises because it looks quite complicated, as it consists of several hardware identifiers. Usually, UDID includes the following components:
- Serial number (11 or 12 digits);
- ECID ― a 12-digit number used without zeros at the beginning;
- 15-digit IMEI number;
- Bluetooth Mac address (17-digit);
- Mac Wi-Fi address (17-digit).
All of the above ensures the uniqueness of this identifier for each Apple device. However, even when we know what it consists of, the question still arises: how to get the UDID from an iPhone? To do this in iTunes, you need to follow a few steps, which will not take much time.
- Open iTunes.
- Connect your device to your computer.
- Click on your device in iTunes.
- Find the serial number. If you click on it, it should change to UDID.
- To copy it, right-click on the number.
You can search for an identifier in different ways. So, let's learn how to find the UDID on an iPad without iTunes. To do this, you need to use macOS. The algorithm is as follows:
- Connect your device to the computer.
- On the desktop, open the Finder.
- Click on the Places section in the sidebar on the left.
- Find the section with information about the device. You should see UDID.
- To copy the identifier, right-click it.
There is another way how to find the UDID of an iPhone. You can use Xcode to do this. The list of required actions is as follows.
- Connect the iPhone to your computer.
- Open the Device section.
- In Xcode, go to the Devices and Simulators window.
- On the Devices tab, click the gadget you want to use.
- After that, UDID should appear. You can easily copy it with the right mouse button.
How to Get the UDID of Apple Devices?
This identifier is associated with every Apple device. So, there are not many options to get UDID. It is added to your gadget by the manufacturer. As for how to find out the UDID, the easiest way to do it is with a computer because Apple has been prohibiting programs from accessing the identifier for more than ten years. There are still some ways to find this number using third-party websites and applications. However, they are unofficial, and the user acts at their own risk. In the end, the developer may think that the device is being hacked. Therefore, it is better not to use unverified resources.
Is It Safe to Share My UDID?
Remember that this is a unique device identifier, so you should only share it with people you trust. Potentially, UDID can be used to install malware, as it is used to register the device in the developer's account. However, if you want to take part in beta testing, for example, and you trust the developer completely, you can share UDID. It all depends on the reliability of the party receiving your device identifier.
The answer to the question of what you can do with a UDID is quite interesting. It is unique for each iPhone, iPad, or iPod and allows you to protect your device and participate in trials of various programs you are interested in. It is necessary to register in the Apple Developer Portal. This means you can use programs and games that are being tested and are not yet publicly available in the App Store. However, it is important to remember that third-party, unverified developers should not trust this identifier. Potentially, UDID can be used to obtain personal information about the user. Therefore, it is essential to understand what kind of identifier it is, where it can be found, and to whom it can be transferred if the need arises.
