1

This question is related to another inquiry on this site: Can Android phone running without SIM card be tracked (localized) by police?

Accepted answer claims that:

Without a SIM, your cell phone will not normally transmit data to local base stations, but if you make an emergency call, it will identify itself with the cell tower by sending its IMEI

But no solid evidence is provided. Also, what does "normally" mean? Do iphones behave differently in that regard than android / harmonyOS / whatever? Or does the software not matter at all, and it's only due to manufacturer ?

Ideally, I'd like to know how specific model X of a brand Y behaves in a situation like that, or at least if there are general approaches taken by manufactures.

I know about existence of phones that prioritize security and privacy (at least in marketing) like Librum 5 or Pinephone, with physical kill switches. Also, I'd assume that mainstream manufactures may disable probing for BTS without SIM card while low on power in software or simply after clicking "disable mobile data" (but I honestly doubt that). My problem is that I'm struggling to find any credible source that researched this topic.

Do I have to use IMSI catcher to determine for sure? Or can I simply ask my cellular network provider to share this info ?

Luntri
  • 162
  • 5
  • Normally, simply means 'most of the time'. The time when it *will* transmit data to local base stations is when you make an emergency call. As for evidence, try making an emergency (i.e. 911) call without your sim in the phone. The call will go through. – nobody Feb 11 '21 at 17:28
  • When I make a call to emergency services, phone will try to contact BTS and identify by IMEI, that is certain. My question is, does it "ping" bts all the time or just only when I make a call. – Luntri Feb 12 '21 at 12:04
  • Only when you make a call. – nobody Feb 12 '21 at 12:13
  • @nobody -I would deeply appreciate source for this information – Luntri Feb 12 '21 at 12:16

0 Answers0