Backup Your iPhone 4 Activation Using SAM, After a Successful Factory Unlock!

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by Ali on April 12, 2011

In the last two days, we have reported some three different ways to factory unlock your iPhone 4. These methods have just started popping up out of no where and they are working for a lot. The price is pretty high for this procedure but if you cant wait for a software unlock this is the right time to get your iPhone 4 factory unlocked.

Now the concern is would this unlock stay if Apple blacklists all the IMEI registered with this procedure? There is no yes or no on this, there is a chance of it and you should be ready for it. This is where SAM comes in handy, backup your recent activation or De-Activate / Activate to avoid any locked downs in the future, even if Apple goes all mean on you.

Backup Your iPhone 4 Activation Using SAM

Here is a quick guide on how to backup your iPhone 4 activation or De-Activate / Activate using SAM.

[ Step 1 ]

You need a Jailbroken iPhone 4 for this. You can use PwnageTool for MAC, Redsn0w for PC or Sn0wbreeze to Jailbreak it on iOS 4.3.1. You also need the latest iTunes.

[ Step 2 ]

After a successful Jailbreak. Fire up Cydia, go to Source from the bottom tabs and tap on “EDIT”. From the left top corner tap “ADD” and insert this repo: http://repo.bingner.com

[ Step 3 ]

Once you have the repo, go to search and type in “SAMPrefs” or “SAM”. Install SAMPrefs and it will install SAM as well, or make sure you install both.

Activation Using SAM

[ Step 4 ]

Now there are two methods, I suggest to follow both, just to be safe.

[ Method 1 ]

Once you have it installed and after a respring, you will notice a SIM icon on your springboard. Tap on it to run it and go straight to “Utilities”. From the screen choose “De-Activate iPhone”. Once you have the confirmation on your iPhone, Connect your device to iTunes and wait for the activation message and you are done.

Also, if you have used Redsn0w or PwnageTool to hacktivate your device you need to Revert Lockdown to stock instead of De-Activate iPhone. After that connect your iPhone 4 to iTunes and Voilà! Activated!

[ Method 2 ]

Just to be safe, tap on SAM to run it and go straight to “Utilities”. From the screen choose “Backup Activation” and wait for the confirmation.

That’s it, your activation is now saved and if Apple ever goes crazy on you, I am sure we’ll have a way to restore it.

Let me know if you need any further help. Here is a trust worthy guy on Twitter who can help you with the unlocks and on much cheaper rates, SuperPaddyNL. You can use his site to order your Unlock, www.superpaddy.nl. You can find me on Twitter or Facebook if you need any further help.

Here are the other options you have to factory unlock iPhone 4.

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G-MaN
Well, if apple locks back the phone don’t I need the original SIM to activate? And if I don’t have it I would need to flash a jailbroken ipsw that’s been hacktivated so I can install SAM. But then it’s already hacktivated.
Anonymous
YES, YES and YES! :)
Anonymous
Yeah but you wont be hacktivating it but UNLOCKING it with the restore
activation method!
G-MaN
It will be available as long as the SAM server will be.
Anonymous
Technically Yeah just like SHSH of CYDIA! I am sure there will be another
way soon!
http://twitter.com/jetonr mAnS0S
the file that SAM backups is the one residing at /var/root/Library/Lockdown/activation_records/wildcard_record.plist which you can backup anytime even without SAM just need ssh to go there. Guys at the irc #ios channel stated that “this file can’t be the solution to the unlock once apple removes your imei from whitelist”
I hope you are right hough
Anonymous
Hmm! that’s some good info!! thanks for this!!
http://twitter.com/jetonr mAnS0S
the bit that makes the phone unlocked is in the secZONE, and not in any files in the iPhone’s FS which is why it’s impossible to save unlock with SAM
Anonymous
Well, hackers on Twitter are pretty confident about this.. I’ll issue a
warning let me talk to them!
G-MaN
So SAM just replaces the hacktivation process that is running in the background.
eBoLa
There is no Backup Activation in my phone.
Under Activation Utils there is only “Restore Activation”. I did unlock my phone before a week using a guy from e-bay for 60euro (Was locked at Vodafone UK)
Thanks in advance
Piotr Jasiński
Is this method works with 3GS?
nino oraham
iphone 4 , after the restore with this SAM prefs just activate via iTunes again ????
nino oraham
Nadeem97 Nadeem Ateyeh
Ok, One way (of many possible) to avoid restore in order to benefit from the unlock is by using SAM to De-Activate the phone.
Then just re-activate using your sim card :) ( DOESNT MATTER WHICH SIM CARD )
Anonymous
I think NO! just for iPhone 4!
Anonymous
Send them an email and see if they can!
Switchbackmana
I don’t see how this will preserve your unlock if apple blacklists you IMEI. Can you explain more?
Ucha
where do SAM backup and saves the activation ? is it on device or cloud?
Petar Vojvodic
Not unles someone finds the way to perserve and reuse ulnock tokens next time you update/restore. Its not as simple as you make it sound. MucleNerd sugested that unlock can be perserved using unlocker tehiqs + SAM . SAM on its on will not do anything for you if imei gets blacklisted.
Anonymous
Yes the Idea is to have something with SAM and wait for unlockers to come up
with the “Technique”. The How to restore activation method is still in
question.. I Received it with “WORKING” status from a reliable guy! I should
remove it for the time being!!
eBoLa
Anything?
Anonymous
no worries if you don’t see it, you are probably in the safe zone already!
HighVoltag3
This is just silly it say’s “but if you cant wait for a software unlock this is the right time to get your iPhone 4 factory unlocked.” so if the IMEI gets blacklisted and let’s say an update of software comes out you still need to wait for any of the dev teams to release a Jailbreak so you can restore your lock with SAM, you have to wait anyway! So just be inteligent and keep your baseband at an unlockable one, that’s the only save method until we confirm the IMEI’s won’t get blacklisted.
P.S: If you got your phone with a newer Baseband then your out of luck and most go for this ridiculous expensive unlock (it’s rediculous just because of the chance of getting blacklisted else it would be worth every penny).
Phibsi
Should I do this process before I did the “official unlock” over I-Tunes or after the unlock was done?
Anonymous
After the Unlock!
Adryangsm
For att unlock pls
Hank
It works for 3GS and is legit. My iPhone was stuck in a dfu loop and I had to restore to the official firmware which killed my unlock. Luckily this came along. Now I have a phone that can make calls again.
Icrot
no need original SIM. any att SIM will activate att iphone, except 1st gen iphone which requires original SIM.
Fms
Ok, that’s pretty nice. I already successfully unlocked my iPhone 4 (was AT&T) paying the 175.00 fee. I’m very happy and would like to keep it that way. So, juto to be sure I’m understanding right what is being discussed here, if I use this SAM method and Apple takes my unlock off, I’ll be able to re-unlock again? If so, let’s suppose tomorrow Apple releases IOS 5 and re-lock my phone. Will I be able to re-unlock using the info save when I was on 4.3.1 and keep the IOS 5 or will I need to downgrade to IOS 4.3.1 to unlock again? Thanks for any help!
Musviq Sadiqov
i did Backup activation,right now my iphone unlocked??or i have to pay for unlock…????
Cheme75
if apple relocks via upgrade to ios 5.x (or anything over 4.3.1 at this point), then no, you are stuck locked since only access to SAM is by jailbreaking and there is no guarantee of a jb for anything past 4.3.1 – worse would be if apple blacklists the imei and blocks access to itunes!
I016444425
I had install Sam, my iphone4 is unlock by software, so i install SAM in cydia and i click Regenerate SIM then i uninstall Sam, so my Iphone lock in Emergency call, (But have sercives), how can i restore same back. HELP!!!!
Anonymous
Why in the wolrd did you use regenerate SIM? connect to itunes with your SIM
Sent from iPhone
gr8
i followed the description but when i open sam / utilities i have no ‘De-Activate iPhone’ option. i tried revert lockdownd to stock – where i get a success message. but it’s still the same, i have no ‘De-Activate iPhone’ option.
anything else i can try?
thanks and greez.
Switchgh
dude, you have to pay for it, this isnt an unlock, just a back up of your activation
Jampie
Hi,
Thanks for this great way to save our fac unlocks before Aplle decides to mess it up. Just one little question, is it nescessary to keep sam installed or can I delete it after the whole process?
Anonymous
keep it with you!! SAM Means no Harm! :P
Jampie
haha, i know, just wanted to no if it’s needed or not ;)
But I’ll just hide the icon then :)
thnx for the quick reply.
Magics88
do i have to do it when my phone is unlocked already or do i have to do it before i am unlocking it…?i mean IMEI unlocking…
Anonymous
After the Unlocking!! when its Unlocked!! De-activate and Activate! Simple
Zb672
I have an iphone 4 with baseband preserved at 01.59.00. It is on 4.3.3 and ultrasn0w unlocked. I want to make sure that SAM activation will not effect my baseband. Can you clarify please
Anonymous
it wont! but you don’t really need it!

Backup Your iPhone 4 Activation Using SAM, After a Successful Factory Unlock!

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