Apple plans to move to random serial numbers for future products beginning in “early 2021”

Apple will soon make a significant change to its serial number format for future products that will see some key information removed.

In an internal AppleCare email this week from MacRumors, Apple said the new serial number format will consist of a random 8-14-character alphanumeric string that will no longer include manufacturing information or code. of configuration. Apple said the serial number format transition is scheduled for “early 2021” and confirmed that IMEI numbers will not be affected by this change.

Any Apple product currently shipping will continue to use the current serial number format, while future products will use the new format, according to Apple. The new serial numbers will initially be 10 characters long, the company said.

Apple’s current serial number format has long allowed both customers and service providers to determine the date and location where a product was manufactured, with the first three characters representing the manufacturing location and the next two indicating the year and week of manufacture. The last four characters currently serve as “configuration code”, revealing the model, color and storage capacity of a device.

Apple initially planned to switch to the new serial number format at the end of 2020, but was late.