"2 Methods" How To Use Saved SAM Activation Ticket To Unlock Your iPhone

Did you manage to unlock your iPhone in time using the SAM unlock method? Good. Saved your activation ticket? Excellent. Here's how to re-use or restore it in case you had to do a full restore our your iPhone.

Method 1: Using iFile

I'll begin this tutorial with the assumption that you have NOT saved everything inside your iPhone's  /var/root/Library/Lockdown directory where the activation ticket files are. To simplify things we will do everything on your iPhone without the need to use iFunBox etc.

1. Install iFile from Cydia which is free.

2. Once installed, launch iFile and go to /var/root/Library/.

3. Tap the 'Edit' button on the top right hand corner then select the Lockdown folder.

4. Tap the zip button to create a compressed file of the Lockdown folder. This file is your BACKUP activation ticket. Protect it with your life. Give it a file name that you can easily distinguish e.g. my-iphone-activation-ticket. If you don't feel safe just by having one backup, make another backup using the same step.

5. Scroll down to the bottom and double check that you have the backup zip file created. Upload this to your DropBox, iCloud or send this to your own email (click on the mail icon).

You can choose to stop at this point because you already saved your activation ticket to a cloud storage or emailed it yourself. If you decide to test this (with the risk losing your unlock if you mess it up although this won't happen) then proceed!

6. Now, delete the Lockdown folder. Open the backup zip file using iFile app select the 'Unarchiver' option. This backup file needs to reside at the same folder as it was before which is under /var/root/Library/.

7. It will re-create the Lockdown folder and restore everything inside it. You have now restored your activation ticket.

8. If you have the SAM installed, navigate to /User/Library/Preferences and search for SAM. Delete the com.bingner.sam.plist file. This will prevent any issue when attempting to unlock your iPhone.

9. Reboot your iPhone and it should be unlocked again. If you ever need to restore your iPhone, repeat the steps above to get regain your unlock.

Method 2: Jailbreak App Cookies

You can also try using a jailbreak app called Cookie available on Cydia. It will help backup and restore your activation ticket by just a single tap.

Cookie will send the activation ticket to Weiphone's (China's biggest iPhone forum) server here in China, attaching your UDID (Unique Device Identifier) and IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity).

If your UDID and IMSI match as the same ones you uploaded, Cookie will retrieve them for you.

Some may be a bit paranoid but technically there are no evident security risks (still, do this at your own risks!). Otherwise just do the manual method as mentioned above.

Cookie is available in Cydia for free, under the Big Boss repo.

Can you still save your ticket? Yes, so do it now before something goes wrong with your iPhone!

Post from my iPad 2