With more and more events, flights, and activities requiring digital tickets these days, it’s important to know how to save tickets to your phone properly so you have easy access to them when needed. Having tickets readily available on your phone allows for quick retrieval at event entrances, airport security, and anywhere else they may be required without having to print them or carry around paper copies. Thankfully, saving digital tickets to your phone is a simple process across both iPhone and Android devices.
Check the Ticket Format
The first thing you’ll want to do when you receive a digital ticket is to check what format it’s in. Digital tickets are usually sent in one of two main file formats:
- PDF (Portable Document Format) – This is the most common format for digital tickets. PDFs can contain images, text, embedded links, and more. They display and print the same way on any device.
- JPEG/PNG Image – Some tickets may be sent as image files. These are simply picture files of the ticket that can be viewed on your phone. Images don’t offer the same flexibility for zooming in and printing as PDF.
Knowing the file format will dictate the best way to save and access the ticket on your phone.
Saving PDF Tickets on iPhone
If you received a ticket as a PDF and want to save it on your iPhone, follow these steps:
- Open the PDF ticket on your iPhone and tap on the share button in the upper right corner (a box with an arrow pointing up).
- In the menu that pops up, scroll down and tap “Save to Files”.
- In the Save to Files menu, select a destination to save the PDF to. The most convenient place is usually “On My iPhone”.
- You can rename the file if you wish, then hit “Save” to download the PDF to your iPhone’s local storage.
Once saved, you can access the ticket PDF by going to the Files app on your iPhone and browsing to the location you saved it. Tap the PDF to open it again at any time.
Saving PDF Tickets on Android
The process is very similar for downloading a PDF ticket to an Android device:
- Open the PDF ticket and tap the 3-dot menu button in the upper right corner.
- Select “Download” from the menu.
- Choose a download location on your device’s internal storage or SD card. The “Download” folder is usually the default.
- Tap “OK” to initiate the PDF download.
To access the ticket again later, open the My Files app on your Android device and navigate to the downloads folder. Tap the PDF to open it.
Saving Image Tickets on iPhone
If your ticket was sent as a JPG, PNG, or other image file, do the following to save it on an iPhone:
- Tap and hold down on the image until a menu pops up.
- Select “Save Image” from the menu.
- Choose to save it to your iPhone’s photos. You can also create a specific photo album just for tickets to keep them organized.
The image will now be stored in your local photos storage. Go to your Photos app any time and browse your albums to find the ticket.
Saving Image Tickets on Android
On an Android device, tap and hold the image ticket and a similar menu will come up. Select “Download image” and choose a storage location on your device. The Pictures/Photos folder is usually the default.
Once downloaded, the image will be accessible from your Photos app by browsing to the location you saved it.
Transferring Tickets Between Devices
Already saved a ticket on one device but need to transfer it to another? There are a couple easy ways to do this:
- Cloud storage – Save the ticket file to a cloud storage platform like Google Drive or Dropbox that syncs between your devices. Then re-download it on the other device.
- Email – Email the ticket file to yourself. Open it on the other device and follow the save steps above.
- AirDrop (iPhone) – Use AirDrop to wirelessly transfer files between Apple devices.
- Shared storage – Save tickets to shared cloud storage like Google Photos or iCloud that syncs across your devices.
As long as you have an internet connection, it’s easy to transfer downloaded tickets between your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or any other devices. Cloud services make it seamless.
Troubleshooting Tips
Having issues saving or accessing a ticket on your phone? Try these troubleshooting tips:
- Make sure you have enough storage space on your device to download the ticket file. Clear space if needed.
- Check that your internet connection is working properly on both devices when transferring tickets.
- For PDFs, make sure you have a PDF reader app installed to open them after downloading.
- If saving to cloud storage, check that you synced the folder containing the ticket file.
- Double check what folder/location you saved the ticket to and look there on the other device.
- As a last resort, ask the ticket seller to resend the ticket if available.
Following the right steps for your ticket’s file format and device platform should allow seamless saving and access. But if you have issues, trying the above troubleshooting tips can help identify the problem.
Accessing Tickets Offline
Once you properly save a digital ticket to your device storage or an SD card, you can access it at any time – even without an internet connection. The key is downloading the file for offline access versus simply viewing it online.
Follow the save steps earlier in this article, and your tickets will be available offline:
- On iPhone, access PDFs in the Files app. Access images in your Photos app.
- On Android devices, access PDFs in My Files and images in Photos.
As long as you opened the ticket previously while online to download it, the file will now be available offline in your local storage. This works great for accessing tickets in areas with no connectivity.
Screenshots as Backups
One last recommendation is to take screenshots of your tickets after saving them. This gives you a visual backup that’s accessible from your photos.
To take a screenshot on iPhone, press the Side and Volume Up buttons simultaneously. On Android, press Power and Volume Down.
With the screenshot saved alongside the actual ticket, you have multiple ways to access the ticket information if needed.
Conclusion
Learning how to properly save digital tickets to your smartphone is a valuable skill that saves time and hassle. Follow the steps outlined for your specific device platform and ticket file format, and you’ll be able to reliably store tickets for instant access anytime.
A few seconds of preparation when first receiving a ticket pays off tremendously down the road when you need it. Keep your tickets organized into specific albums, transfer them between devices, and take screenshots for backups.
With your tickets safely stored on your phone, you can breeze through events, transportation, and anywhere else they need to be scanned or displayed. Never stress about lost paper tickets again!
