Shadowrocket FAQ
Purchases, Imports & Connection Troubleshooting

Check the country or region of your current App Store account, then open the product page from this site's App Store link and see whether it shows a purchase option or that you already own the app. Not finding it in search does not mean there is a problem with your device, and search results alone cannot confirm whether the app is available. If the product page says it is unavailable in your current storefront, read the notice first. If you need to change your region, go to your Apple Account in Settings, then Media & Purchases → View Account → Country/Region, and follow Apple's instructions about your balance, subscriptions, and payment requirements. Menu names may vary by system language. Avoid repeatedly changing regions just to troubleshoot search.

Check the developer, official app icon, and app ID. The developer is Shadow Launch Technology Limited, and the app ID is 932747118; the product page URL should end with id932747118. The icon should match the official one shown in this site's header. Don't rely on the app name or search ranking alone. On the product page, also check compatibility and purchase details. System requirements are as listed on the App Store page. To buy the app, continue from this site's App Store verification page; all purchases are made through the App Store.

No. A one-time purchase of the app is not a subscription to a connection service. It gives you the right to use the Shadowrocket client; you'll still need your own existing subscription or server details to connect. The US App Store price is $2.99 as a one-time purchase. The amount and currency charged depend on what the App Store shows on the product page and at checkout. This site does not provide, sell, or recommend servers or subscriptions. After purchasing, prepare valid details for a service you already use and import them using the guide. Installing and opening the app does not automatically provide server details.

First, check your App Store purchases using the account you originally used. Don't pay again just because you see a price button. Make sure the account currently used for Media & Purchases is the original purchase account, then look for Shadowrocket in the App Store or your purchase history. Menu names may vary; follow what your device currently shows. If prompted to buy again, verify the account, storefront, and purchase history before proceeding. Restoring the app and restoring local configuration are separate things. After reinstalling, check whether your servers, Config, and rules are still there, and reimport any valid details you saved. Don't assume all app data will be restored along with your purchase.

Check compatibility on the same App Store product page on your iPad. Shadowrocket is primarily for iPhone and iPad; system requirements and purchase availability across devices are as listed on the App Store page. If you've already purchased it, use the original purchase account and check whether the product page shows a download option, or open it from your purchases. On iPad, the layout may vary with the screen size and app interface, but you can still check items such as Add Server, Config, and Global Routing. A purchase that covers multiple devices does not mean your existing servers and configuration sync automatically. Check the actual contents when setting up the app.

VPN configuration permission lets the system allow Shadowrocket to create a network tunnel; granting permission does not mean the server is ready to use. Select a valid server first, then turn on the connection switch. When a system prompt appears, confirm it comes from Shadowrocket and follow the instructions to allow and verify the configuration. If you canceled before, try again from the app. If it still won't connect, check the VPN configuration status in Settings and whether device management policies restrict it. If another VPN connection is active, disconnect it before testing again. Don't repeatedly delete all configurations. Note the exact prompt so you can distinguish a system permission issue from a server connection failure.

You can follow the English interface labels without changing the language. Home shows your servers and connection controls; Add Server lets you add connection details; Config manages configurations; and Settings contains app preferences. For a first setup, go to Add Server → choose a type → enter details for a service you already use → save, then check Global Routing and the connection switch. This guide keeps interface labels in English so they match the buttons in the app. Their locations may vary by device and app interface; follow the labels shown in your app rather than guessing based on icon positions.

Compare battery records over similar periods of use, under similar network conditions and data usage. A single percentage reading isn't enough to diagnose a problem. A continuously active network tunnel, heavy data transfer, and frequent reconnections can all affect battery use. Check the On Demand conditions in Settings to see whether it connects automatically on networks where you don't need it. For troubleshooting, temporarily turn off On Demand, connect manually, and observe. Restore automatic connection settings when needed, based on the networks you actually use. Also check whether the system is frequently switching between Wi-Fi and cellular, and whether the server is stable. On Demand triggers connections; it does not guarantee a fixed amount of battery savings.

In Add Server, choose Subscribe. Check that you pasted the full subscription URL you already have, save it, and try updating. Make sure you haven't missed the beginning or end, added spaces or line breaks, or had a chat app truncate URL parameters. If the request fails, first confirm your internet connection is working. If the returned content can't be parsed, ask the service provider you already use whether the URL returns subscription content Shadowrocket can read. A web account login is not a substitute for a subscription URL. Note the error message for troubleshooting, but don't share the full URL if it contains access credentials, and don't keep creating duplicate entries after a failure.

Find the subscription entry in Home and use its update action. First confirm that the update has finished; the exact control may vary in the current app interface. A successful update means the subscription content was retrieved and processed, not that the source content necessarily changed. If the list is unchanged, check that you updated the right entry, that the URL is still valid, and that the service you already use has actually changed its content. If the update fails, keep the original entry, note the error, and check your network before doing anything else. After updating, make sure your currently selected server is still present; don't assume the old selection is available in the updated list.

Check these cases separately. If no servers appear, check whether the subscription request succeeded and whether the response contained recognizable connection entries. If a name appears but the connection fails, verify the address, port, authentication details, TLS, and transport settings. A saved entry doesn't guarantee that its settings are correct or that the server is reachable. Run Connectivity Test on one entry, then try an actual request; avoid changing the entire server list at once. If the status of a service you already use has changed, ask its provider to confirm that the details are still valid. Importing a subscription saves connection details; it can't fix server-side authentication or availability issues.

In Add Server, choose the type that matches the service you already use, then enter its address, port, and required authentication fields. Shadowsocks, VMess, VLESS, and Trojan use different fields; don't copy settings from one type to another. If your service details include TLS, a transport method, a path, or a server name, check each one. An address and port alone may not be enough. Before saving, check capitalization, spaces, and completeness. After saving, test one entry at a time. Protocol support doesn't mean every combination of settings will work. If you're unsure about a field, check the service details you already have rather than guessing.

Use Config when you want rules to select the policy. Use Proxy to test requests with the selected proxy policy, and Direct to check how a direct connection performs. Config depends on the active configuration and its rules; selecting a server does not replace rule selection. In everyday use, choose a mode based on what you're trying to do. For troubleshooting, keep the server and test target the same and switch only the mode. If Proxy works but Config doesn't, check which rules match and which policies they reference. When testing is done, restore the mode you need; don't leave temporary troubleshooting changes in place.

Check the basic network, server, Global Routing, DNS, and rules—in that order. Disconnect first and confirm your current Wi-Fi or cellular connection can reach your usual destinations. Then connect to the same server, run Connectivity Test, and try an actual request. Next, switch temporarily between Proxy and Config for comparison. If only Config fails, check the active configuration's rule order and policy references. If both fail, review the server details and DNS. Change one thing at a time and record the results; don't replace the server, configuration, and DNS all at once. A Connected status doesn't guarantee that every destination can be resolved and reached.

No. Connectivity Test reflects the selected test method and target under the network conditions at that moment. It doesn't represent every website, protocol, or sustained transfer. Make sure the test uses the server you want to check, then open the destination you actually need and see whether it resolves, connects, and loads content. If the test succeeds but the real request fails, check Global Routing, DNS, and rule matches. If only one destination fails, focus on its DNS resolution or connection. When comparing latency, keep the network, test method, and target consistent. Don't delete or replace a server based on a single result.

First determine whether the problem is DNS resolution or policy selection, then change the relevant setting. If a domain won't resolve, check DNS in the active Config and whether DNS requests can reach their destination. If it resolves but uses the wrong connection policy, check the rules and the recorded match. Rules are generally evaluated from top to bottom: put specific conditions before broader ones, and place FINAL at the end to handle requests that didn't match earlier rules. Keep the policy keywords PROXY, DIRECT, and REJECT unchanged. Save the original configuration before making changes, adjust one item at a time, and retest the same destination before expanding the scope of your changes.