From download to a working connection
Shadowrocket Setup Guide
Shadowrocket is a proxy client for iPhone / iPad. This site follows the real order: install the app, import your own nodes, then turn the connection on. Buying the app is not buying traffic.
Three things that are not the same
A common stall: “I bought the app, why is there still no internet?” Because these three are not the same product.
| About | Who provides it | Do you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Shadowrocket The client on the phone: import config, split traffic by rules, toggle the connection. |
The original developer, via the App Store | About $2.99 one-time, no subscription |
| Nodes / subscription The servers that actually forward traffic. Without them, the app opens but cannot connect. |
You build them, or you buy from a provider you trust | Separate from the app price. This site does not provide them |
| This site Download steps and a setup guide. Not an official store, and we do not sell accounts. |
Independent documentation | Free to read |
What it does and does not do
Shadowrocket runs on iOS / iPadOS, generally iOS 13 or later. It takes requests from Safari and other apps on the device, then decides by rule: this one goes direct, or to the selected proxy node.
Common protocols include Shadowsocks, VMess, VLESS, Trojan, Hysteria2, WireGuard, HTTP / SOCKS5. The protocol only decides how to reach the node. Rules decide which requests should use it.
Config lives on the phone and can sync across your devices with iCloud. The app has no account system of its own, and it will not assign you servers.
It is not a VPN plan, it has no built-in lines, and buying it is not enough to get online. Android, Windows, and macOS are also outside this site.
Some App Store regions do not list it — China is a well-known example. That is a catalog issue, not a broken app. If search finds nothing, download from a listed region’s store account, then you can switch back to your usual Apple ID.
This site does not provide Apple IDs, subscription URLs, or ipa packages, and it does not review or recommend VPN shops.
What you need before you start
Missing any one of these stops the rest. Check them off first.
- An iPhone or iPad on iOS 13 or later.
- You can sign into the App Store. If your current store region does not list Shadowrocket, you also need an Apple ID from a region that does (US, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and similar). This site does not provide those accounts.
- About $2.99 of purchasing power. The store may show a local currency. The checkout page is what counts.
- A subscription URL, or a full set of node parameters you fill in yourself. With no nodes, do not expect it to work the moment it is installed.
This site is for you if
- Search in your current App Store finds nothing
- The app is installed, and the list is empty after you save a subscription
- The switch is on, and pages still will not load
This site will not
- Register, lend, or sell Apple IDs for you
- Hand you a working subscription
- Cover Android or desktop clients
From download to a working connection
The full click path is split across two pages. This is the overview so you do not skip a step.
Install from the App Store
Open the App Store, search Shadowrocket, and buy it. If your region does not list it, sign out in the App Store app (not Settings), sign into an ID from a listed region, then you can switch back. The app stays on the Home Screen.
02 Tutorial · ImportAdd the subscription and Update
Home screen +, type Subscribe, paste the URL, save. Save is not the same as having nodes — open the subscription and tap Update before servers appear.
03 Tutorial · ConnectPick a node, turn the switch on, verify
Pick a node that is not timing out, turn the top switch on, allow the system VPN configuration. If a site that used to fail now loads, or Proxy in Data is rising, it is working.
Pages on this site
Download, first-run, and topic pages are separate, so you can enter by problem, and search engines can index each one.
About
Shadowrocket is a client, not a plan. Platform, price, and how it relates to the system VPN.
Download
Official App Store link. How to switch store accounts when search finds nothing, switch back, and verify a genuine copy.
Tutorial
The full path from import to connect, for a first setup.
Subscriptions
How to add Subscribe, why the list is empty after save, auto-update, and replacing a URL.
Rules
How to write DOMAIN-SUFFIX, GEOIP, and FINAL, and how rule mode differs from global.
Troubleshoot
Search finds nothing, empty list, blinking switch, connected but pages fail — what to check for each.
FAQ
Short Q&A. Pricing, multiple devices, backup, VPN permission.
Blog
Empty lists, store region, rules vs global, how to read Data, moving to a new phone.
App Store
Official product page. If the current region is unavailable, read the download guide first.