IssueTracker

Please describe the feature you're requesting in as much detail as possible. If you're an application developer and are requesting new APIs, please include pseudocode showing how you are proposing the API should be used.

My request is to create a safe way to get the manufacturer-issued device serial number (IMEI/MEID/SN) from a device with screen lock enabled, without the need to unlock the device.

Possible workflow

As the common shortcode for device serial number screen has been already internationally established as *#06# dialed from the numeric keypad, I suggest allowing the same combination to have the same effect from the SOS dial keypad, available directly from the device lockscreen.

1. A person wakes the device up, without unlocking the screen.
2. A person swipes the lockscreen, revealing the chosen unlock method input screen.
3. Without typing any password, a person clicks the "Emergency call" button, activating the emergency dial keypad.
4. A person clicks continuously the following keys on the emergency keypad: '*', '#', '0', '6', '#'.
5. The device serial number screen is immediately displayed.
6. The screen can be closed (i.e. using the back button) as normal, which causes the device to return either to the emergency dialer or to the lockscreen.

Rationale

Sometimes, in some countries, mobile devices are routinely checked by authorities if they are not stolen. The international standard of reporting device theft is by using the device serial number (SN, IMEI, MEID, etc.) which can be entered into a database and matched against checked devices.

That being established, for privacy and data security reasons, it would be beneficial to allow the authorities access only to the needed information, without allowing them access to the data stored on the device and without causing harm to the data itself (via forcing the phone's hard reset). This also allows better protection of user's interest against unlawful searches, especially if the official responsible lacks a warrant.

I also see this proposed behavior standardized in the Android AOSP interface across all device manufacturers, hence submitting this feature request here and not on any manufacturer's individual tracker.