Unable to Access IMEI or SIM Serial Number in Cordova 13 with Android 10+

[majidppb]

Hi Cordova community,

I'm working on a Cordova 13 app targeting Android API level 34, and I previously used a custom Java interface to fetch the device's IMEI and SIM serial number like this:

TelephonyManager tManager = (TelephonyManager) context.getSystemService(Context.TELEPHONY_SERVICE);
String imei = tManager.getImei();
String simId = tManager.getSimSerialNumber();

However, on Android 10 and above, both of these return null, even when I include READ_PHONE_STATE in my manifest and request it at runtime.

I understand that Android has restricted access to hardware identifiers, but is there any way (even through Cordova plugins, enterprise policies, or private distribution) to still access IMEI or SIM serial numbers for valid business use cases (e.g., device tracking in enterprise apps)?

Any guidance would mean a lot, thank you in advance!

[GitToTheHub]

Hi, this is a restriction by Android see: https://developer.android.com/about/versions/10/privacy/changes#non-resettable-device-ids. The solution is to use Settings.Secure.ANDROID_ID.

See also:

• issue "unable to fetch IMEI number on android 10" in cordova-plugin-sim
• StackOverflow - TelephonyManager returns null for IMEI number: what can cause this?

[majidppb]

Thanks a lot for the quick and clear response.

That Android documentation link really helps clarify the restriction, and I appreciate you pointing me to Settings.Secure.ANDROID_ID as an alternative. Really helpful guidance!

[breautek]

You need the READ_PRIVILEGED_PHONE_STATE permission which is not something normal apps can receive.

If this app is entirely in house (including distribution) then you might be able to declare that permission and get access to the serial number. Trying to distribute through Google Play with that permission declared will yield an automatic rejection.

[majidppb]

Thanks for pointing that out , I wasn’t aware that in-house apps might still be able to use it. That definitely opens up a path.

[breautek]

To be clear, I'm not 100% certain if that's the case. Some permissions are completely locked out and can only be granted if the app is preinstalled on the device (such as through a phone vendor/manufacturer). Not sure if READ_PRIVILEGED_PHONE_STATE is one of those permissions or not.