Apple Begins Transition to Randomized Serial Numbers With Purple iPhone 12

[subi257]

Hey Cook, go look at the Lakers' purple !

That's what purple should look like !

Hey Cook, if AAPL has gone that route, I'd bet a good % of Lakers fans would immediately upgrade to that !

I want Sakura color

 

[sdz]

With random numbers, it is easier to cook the books...

 

[Mrjetsondc]

So it's not a serial number, then.

Serial means in series. Randomizing a number by definition means it cannot be in series, so it's not a serial number.

Feel the heat, Tim Apple? You got served.

 

[Blkant]

So it's not a serial number, then.

Serial means in series. Randomizing a number by definition means it cannot be in series, so it's not a serial number.

The input to the hashing function is likely serialized.

 

[JPack]

Apple still calls it a serial number:

 

[JosephAW]

Waiting for the decryption website. Apple will be first when you look up your warranty status.

 

[Packers1958]

Probably will prevent some returns by the “serial” returners who return because of where they were assembled because they saw that some have a yellow screen from a certain factory. Those poor OC people will be having meltdowns now because they will not know where their phones are assembled. This fall will be fun watching them bounce off the walls.

 

[urbanmacUser]

Is there still a number on the box?
If not going to be a pain for asset management in Enterprise environments.

 

[BaltimoreMediaBlog]

So it's not a serial number, then.

Serial means in series. Randomizing a number by definition means it cannot be in series, so it's not a serial number.

Amazing. Someone actually didn't like logic.

My only problem with this is that if the Serial Number no longer tells you anything about the product, what good is it?

It appears as if Apple wants to hold all the secrets so they can deny warranty service leaving you with no proof via Serial number of the product information. So no, I don't like this.

 

[DeepIn2U]

is there a particular reason for this transition? as in, if apple didnt want people to discern that info off a s/n, what is the need to obscure it?

Perhaps Apple wanted to make it more difficult to identify devices that have software or hardware gaps. Back in the iPhone 3G and 1st Gen, certain week number (and before) iPhones could be completely owned from the hardware level.

This meant people actively looked for these devices. I assume certain bugs are also present now a days and Apple wants to obscure this. Also, wants to keep tighter secrecy into their reasoning.

@jav6454, I recall a few people asking for the specific s/n of an iPhone to get a specific chipset or modem that performed better than others carrying competitor (intel and something else on iPhone X & XS I believe).


I’m guessing this could help with hardware ID in terms of apps requesting it or unique identification for an end user may no longer be done related to a device? Is an added benefit to help prevent external box computational un-authorized (by apple or end user) of an iPhone?

 

[Mousse]

is there a particular reason for this transition? as in, if apple didnt want people to discern that info off a s/n, what is the need to obscure it?

The same reason people send coded messages--to keep a secret a secret. It doesn't make sense for random serial numbers unless you want to prevent observant rumor sniffers to learn what's in the pipeline by product code/serial number. Once you understand Apple's desire for secrecy, randomized serial numbers makes perfect sense.

They'll need a a server and several backups dedicated just to keeping track of what serial number belongs to which product.

 

[Mr. Dee]

Aaron Zollo is the best !?

I agree, Aaron is one of my favorite YouTubers, along with Dieter Bohn.

 

[Robert.Walter]

I wonder what the implications were of having identifiable SN's prior to now.

outside of identifying the OS version loaded on it from build date, I think it was a total goose chase all along.

If you have to do a visual sort of stock without a scanner you need serialed numbers.

I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that apple products have an RF like chip that only responds to an Apple scanner.

 

[Robert.Walter]

The same reason people send coded messages--to keep a secret a secret. It doesn't make sense for random serial numbers unless you want to prevent observant rumor sniffers to learn what's in the pipeline by product code/serial number. Once you understand Apple's desire for secrecy, randomized serial numbers makes perfect sense.

They'll need a a server and several backups dedicated just to keeping track of what serial number belongs to which product.

i think the rando numbers prevent external analysts from trying to do supply chain analysis.

 

[toph2toast]

Perhaps Apple wanted to make it more difficult to identify devices that have software or hardware gaps. Back in the iPhone 3G and 1st Gen, certain week number (and before) iPhones could be completely owned from the hardware level.

This meant people actively looked for these devices. I assume certain bugs are also present now a days and Apple wants to obscure this. Also, wants to keep tighter secrecy into their reasoning.

Wasn't there a way of using the serial number in the past to figure out which wireless modem was in your iPhone? I feel like I read a story about this on MacRumors years ago.

 

[mabhatter]

Perhaps Apple wanted to make it more difficult to identify devices that have software or hardware gaps. Back in the iPhone 3G and 1st Gen, certain week number (and before) iPhones could be completely owned from the hardware level.

This meant people actively looked for these devices. I assume certain bugs are also present now a days and Apple wants to obscure this. Also, wants to keep tighter secrecy into their reasoning.

I think this is the motivation.
There are Apple services that use serial number to validate the warranty or validate which devices are attached to iCloud accounts. I might recall some social attack like that where hackers could spam Apple's support APIs for serial numbers and then get to owner information or iCloud information.

By making the "serial numbers" non-sequential it means such "brute force" attacks won't open up that information to just anybody. I'd guess they have a hash built-in to immediately identify numbers that can't exist to stop people just spamming sequences on the support servers...

 

[thadoggfather]

I think this is the motivation.
There are Apple services that use serial number to validate the warranty or validate which devices are attached to iCloud accounts. I might recall some social attack like that where hackers could spam Apple's support APIs for serial numbers and then get to owner information or iCloud information.

By making the "serial numbers" non-sequential it means such "brute force" attacks won't open up that information to just anybody. I'd guess they have a hash built-in to immediately identify numbers that can't exist to stop people just spamming sequences on the support servers...

That literally hasn't happened since iPhone 3G though.

And I'm not sure how much the average person cared about finding the old hw bootrom vs. revised in that case.

The cost involved to revise hardware on A7-A11 devices to fix checkra1n bootrom exploits would be prohibitive so they let it ride. And still niche compared to overall user base.

in terms of panel lottery, people swore up and down that a few months after launch the yield on perfect (perceived) displays would be much better. But it's may and still an absolute crapshoot

 

[freedomlinux]

I feel this will be problematic for sites like EveryMac, where you can search for the product specifications based on serial number.

Now, no one but Apple will have the mapping for what serial number is what product.

 

[Psychicbob]

I am a name, not a random number

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Anyone has an example of what a new serial number looks like?

 

[neomorpheus]

is there a particular reason for this transition? as in, if apple didnt want people to discern that info off a s/n, what is the need to obscure it?

Whatever the real reason is, I can guarantee that it works on their favor, not ours.

I wonder if somehow it will create some weird false results for us when we have to inevitable get help for some hardware issue.

 

[subjonas]

Perhaps Apple wanted to make it more difficult to identify devices that have software or hardware gaps. Back in the iPhone 3G and 1st Gen, certain week number (and before) iPhones could be completely owned from the hardware level.

This meant people actively looked for these devices. I assume certain bugs are also present now a days and Apple wants to obscure this. Also, wants to keep tighter secrecy into their reasoning.

Yes, if the reason behind this is obscurity (probably is), it would be strange for Apple to be transparent about it ?

 

[fncd]

Anyone has an example of what a new serial number looks like?

Post #30.

 

[topgunn]

So it's not a serial number, then.

Serial means in series. Randomizing a number by definition means it cannot be in series, so it's not a serial number.

While I agree with you that these new identification numbers are not strictly serial numbers, the meaning of words changes all the time.

Decimate originally means to reduce by 1/10th. If I decimate a box of terrific cookies, I guarantee that more than 10% are missing.
Terrific originally means something that inspires terror rather than something fantastic or awesome.
Awesome originally means...you get the point.

Serial number is now synonymous with identification number.

 

[Hammerd]

So it's not a serial number, then.

Serial means in series. Randomizing a number by definition means it cannot be in series, so it's not a serial number.

Yes, it’s an ID