Shadowrocket FAQ

Open the App Store product page from the Get the App page first. This helps determine whether the issue is with search results or whether the app is unavailable in your account's storefront. Check the account currently used for App Store purchases and its country or region, which determines the store's content—not just your device's interface language. To check the region, open Settings, tap Apple Account, then Media & Purchases, view the account, and check Country/Region. Labels may vary by system version. Before changing regions, review any balance, subscription and payment requirements shown in your account. Don't switch regions repeatedly just because search didn't find the app.

Before paying, check all three: the developer is Shadow Launch Technology Limited, the app icon matches the official icon shown on this site, and the product page URL contains id932747118. The app ID is 932747118; a similar name or icon is no substitute for these checks. Make sure you're viewing Shadowrocket itself, not a related search result. Check the App Store page for price, system requirements and purchase eligibility. If anything doesn't match, return to the Get the App page and reopen the specified product page before deciding whether to buy.

Using the original purchase account, look for Shadowrocket in the App Store's Purchased list or app library, then download it again as prompted. If a price appears instead of a redownload option, check that the account used for Media & Purchases is the original purchase account and review your purchase history. Other accounts signed in on the device don't confirm which account made the purchase. Check the App Store page for purchase restoration and Family Sharing eligibility. Redownloading the app and restoring its in-app configuration are separate processes. Back up your existing configuration before switching devices; don't assume servers and subscriptions will reappear after reinstalling.

Shadowrocket is primarily for iPhone and iPad. Get it for iPad from the same App Store product page; if using the original purchase account, check your purchase history and the page's download status. See the App Store page for system requirements and purchase eligibility. A one-time app purchase is not a service plan: it covers use of the client, while connecting still requires your own subscription or server details from your provider. The available screen space differs between iPad and iPhone. Follow interface labels such as Home, Config and Settings; button positions may vary.

Shadowrocket uses the system VPN configuration to connect. The first time you select a server on Home and turn on the connection switch, iOS may ask permission to add a VPN configuration and require your device passcode or biometric authentication. Make sure the prompt follows an action you initiated, then complete the system authorization flow. If you previously canceled, try connecting again in the app, or check for an existing configuration in the VPN section of Settings. System authorization doesn't mean the server is available; afterward, check the selected server, Global Routing and actual access.

First, make sure Home has a valid server and that you've selected the one you want to use. Importing a configuration without selecting a server isn't enough to connect. Then check that you authorized the system to add a VPN configuration and that no other VPN connection is running. Stop any conflicting connection and try again, noting any system prompt or app error. If your device is managed by an organization, its policies may restrict VPN use; check with your device administrator. Don't delete all configurations straight away. Keep your existing information and narrow down the issue in this order: server selection, system permissions, then connection errors.

Look for the exact interface labels: Home is where you view and select servers; Add Server is for entering server details; Config manages configurations; Settings contains app settings; and Data shows traffic information. In Global Routing, Config, Proxy and Direct are the configuration, proxy and direct connection modes. The manual explains what they do; it doesn't mean the interface needs to be displayed in another language. Read system VPN permission prompts in your device's current system language. If the app layout differs, match the labels first and then follow the tutorial steps rather than relying on screenshot coordinates.

Check actual usage in your system's battery settings, considering connection duration, data transferred and network stability. Ongoing transfers, many connections and repeated reconnects after network changes can all use more battery. A VPN icon in the status bar alone doesn't indicate a problem. Check traffic changes in Data, pause unnecessary transfers and compare usage on a stable network. If you don't need to stay connected, turn off the connection switch and check whether On Demand could reconnect under its configured conditions. Don't rely on force-quitting the app as the only way to disconnect; use the app switch and check the system VPN status.

First, make sure the information from your provider is actually a subscription link—not an account page, instructions page or incomplete URL. When pasting it, check for extra spaces, line breaks or truncation by a messaging app. Don't remove or alter credentials in the link. Next, determine whether the error occurred before the content was fetched or after it was parsed. For a fetch error, check your network and whether the link is valid. For a parsing error, confirm that the content format works with Shadowrocket. If your provider has changed the URL or access credentials, use the current details they supplied. Never post a complete subscription link publicly when asking for help.

Choose the correct Type for your server details, then enter the address, port and authentication information required by that protocol. Shadowsocks, VMess, VLESS and Trojan use different fields; don't apply one protocol's parameters to another. If your details include TLS, a transport method or other options, enter those too rather than saving only the address and port. After saving, return to Home, select the server and test the connection. Ask your provider for any unclear parameters; don't troubleshoot by randomly switching Type or disabling verification.

Find the subscription group on Home and use its available update action; the exact control depends on what the app displays. Before updating, make sure your current network can reach the subscription URL. Afterward, check the group contents, any error messages and the selected server. Server names or the number of entries may change because the subscription itself was updated; that alone doesn't indicate an app problem. If the selected server was removed, choose another valid one. If the update failed, keep the existing group and check whether the URL is valid. Don't repeatedly add the same subscription, or it may become hard to tell which copy you're using.

Subscriptions typically provide and update server entries. Config holds settings used to organize rules and related options; they serve different purposes. After importing a subscription, check Global Routing and the active configuration. Seeing servers in the list doesn't mean the rules are enabled as expected. Keep subscription links, server passwords, authentication IDs and any access credentials in configuration files private. Before sharing screenshots, configuration snippets or diagnostic information, remove those details and check that URLs and QR codes don't still contain credentials. Protect backup files when switching devices, too; don't publicly share configurations containing sensitive information.

Choose Config to handle traffic according to the rules in the active configuration; choose Proxy to route eligible connections through a proxy; choose Direct for direct connections. These are configuration, proxy and direct modes—not speed settings or separate servers. What Config does depends on the active configuration and rule order. Proxy still requires a valid server and suitable connection conditions. Direct doesn't test whether a proxy server works. When troubleshooting, note the original setting and compare results using one mode at a time to determine whether the issue is server connectivity or rule selection. Restore the setting that suits your normal use afterward.

Temporarily disconnect and make sure the device's current network can load ordinary web pages. Then reconnect and check the server selected on Home. Run Connectivity Test and note whether all destinations fail or only some. If everything fails, check the server details, whether the server is still valid and your current network. If only some destinations fail, check Global Routing, the active Config and the relevant rules. A connected system VPN only indicates tunnel status; it doesn't prove every destination is reachable. Change one thing at a time and retest, keeping the original settings so you can identify the cause if you change DNS, rules and server details separately.

Don't assume every problem is caused by DNS. First determine whether the failure occurs during domain resolution, server connection or rule selection, and check whether other domains work. If you're using Config, check whether the active file includes rules for the domain or address range and whether the matched policy is the one you expect. Rules are generally evaluated in order, so an earlier match can affect what happens next. Check DNS settings and reachability in the active configuration only if diagnostics point to a resolution issue. Save the original value before making changes, and change one thing at a time. Don't replace your existing rules with an entire configuration from an unknown source.

No. Connectivity Test only reflects its target, route and network conditions at the time of the test. It can't represent every app or domain, or future network conditions. If the test passes but one app doesn't work, note the specific action that failed, when it happened, the Global Routing mode and the selected server. Then check whether different rules affect that app's connections. Data traffic changes and the app's diagnostic information may help narrow things down, but increased traffic doesn't necessarily mean the task succeeded. When reporting an issue, include reproducible steps and sanitized error details, keeping relevant context while removing account information, subscription links and credentials.