Check a used iPhone before you buy it

Last updated: October 21, 2026

A used iPhone can look perfect and still restart by itself, carry a worn battery, or be a different model from the one in the listing. These checks take a few minutes with the seller and PhoneBox.

1. What exactly is it?

In Settings › General › About, note the Model Number (for example MQ9T3VN/A) and, by tapping it, the A-number (for example A2846). Type either into Device specs in PhoneBox: it names the exact model and shows its specifications, every value with its source. A part number also tells how and where the phone was sold.

2. Has it been restarting by itself?

On the seller's iPhone, open Settings › Privacy & Security › Analytics & Improvements › Analytics Data and look for files named panic-full. Each one is a restart the phone did on its own. Several recent ones are a warning sign. Ask the seller to AirDrop the newest one to you and open it in Panic analyzer: it says what failed and which part is most likely behind it. See Where to find the panic log.

3. How has the battery aged?

Ask for the newest Analytics- file from the same list and open it in Battery health. You see the health Settings shows next to the health worked out from the battery's own figures, and its cycle count. See Check an iPhone's real battery health.

4. Does it match the listing?

Compare what you found with the listing: the model, the storage, the battery. A file from the phone itself is harder to dress up than a screenshot.

PhoneBox gives you information to decide with; it does not inspect the device or guarantee its condition. When in doubt, ask a technician to open it before you pay.