Frequently asked questions

Search follows the Apple ID country. The app is missing from some stores — mainland China is the usual case. Check the country at the top right first. Do not change keywords first, and do not download an unknown package.

It is a paid app in the store. Trust the price on the page — often about US$2.99. This site does not provide or mirror cracked packages or third-party IPA files. Those sources often ship a configuration profile that costs more than the money you saved.

Shadowrocket is an iOS / iPadOS app. You cannot put this IPA on Android. If the store page lists Mac or Apple TV, follow Apple’s system requirements. The guide on this site is written for iPhone / iPad.

If the purchase supports sharing, family members can download the same app from Purchased. Their nodes and subscriptions are still theirs. They do not travel with the app.

Usually no. Sign in with the Apple ID that paid, find Shadowrocket in Purchased, and tap the cloud icon. If it is missing, you are probably on the wrong account, or you installed it from the family organizer’s purchase.

No. Switching the store account will not uninstall an app that is already there. Nodes and subscriptions do not follow the Apple ID either — they live in Shadowrocket’s own config.

The client will not invent a line. With no working node — or a dead one — you have an empty shell. Confirm the subscription updated, then speed-test and swap nodes. Touch rules last.

A node is one config: address, port, protocol. A subscription is the update URL for a list. After update, a batch of nodes can change. Maintaining a subscription is easier than typing each row. When you have a subscription, Type must be Subscribe — do not fill it in as one Shadowsocks server.

Check that the URL is complete and you did not drop the query after the question mark. Then check whether this network can reach that address. Some lists only update after you connect an old node. That is a limit on the source, not a broken Shadowrocket.

Empty is normal. No rows under SERVER only means you have not added anything. Tap plus at the top right, or use Add Server. Do not flip the connect switch with no nodes.

No. Shadowrocket does not sell nodes, and this page does not hand them out. Bring your own subscription or node, then let the app parse and connect.

Use a source you trust, and read the date. This page does not ship or recommend a specific rule repo. After import, check it yourself: local sites stay DIRECT; destinations that need the proxy go PROXY.

PROXY uses the node you selected. DIRECT skips the node. REJECT drops the request. If a rule sends a domain the wrong way, it looks like “connected, but the sites that should proxy do not — or the ones that should not, do.”

Not as the default. Global sends all traffic on a detour. It drains battery and can slow local logins and payments. Daily use the rules in Config. Use global only to troubleshoot: if global works and rules fail, the rules are the problem.

Not necessarily. More often a rule sent that domain to DIRECT or REJECT. Use Test Rule in Config first, then decide to swap the node or change the rule.

In system Settings, see whether Screen Time or VPN & Device Management is blocking configurations. Work MDM or parental controls sometimes stop it. Lift the limit and flip the switch again. You do not need to reinstall.

iOS usually runs only one VPN configuration at a time. When Shadowrocket is on, other VPNs stop. Do not stack two hoping for more speed. They will fight.

Swap a node first. If that fails, turn global on for a moment: if global works and rules fail, update or replace the rules; if global also fails, check the node, set system time to automatic, and check DNS. Try a private window so cache does not fool you.

Turn off global if you do not need it, and return to rule-based routing. Pick a closer node with less jitter. Frequent reconnects also drain battery. Choose stable first, then fast.

Disconnect Shadowrocket, finish the captive portal, then connect. Some networks block VPN configurations. Then you can only switch networks, or send only the traffic you need through rules. Do not force global.

Open the App Store and see whether Shadowrocket has an update. Then check that VPN permission is still there. After a major system update you may need to allow the configuration once more.

That depends on you. Rule-based routing uses less battery than global. When you do not need it, turn the connection off. You do not have to delete the app.

On the old device, open Data, export servers, or turn on iCloud backup. Move the file with AirDrop or the Files app, then import. Reinstalling the app without an export will not bring nodes back.

Local config is usually cleared. iCloud may not bring the full subscription back. Before you switch phones or reinstall, keep at least the backup file or the subscription URL.

Do not post a subscription in the clear in a public group. The link is the key to the node list. If you need a copy for yourself, put it in a file or note you control.