The App Store button does not open
The button goes to the official product page: https://apps.apple.com/app/shadowrocket/id932747118. Open it in Safari on iPhone / iPad and it usually hands off to the App Store.
If you see “This item is not available in your country or region” or search finds nothing, the link is not broken. The current App Store account’s region does not list it. Sign into a store account where it is listed, tap the button again, or search the English name Shadowrocket in the store.
Why search finds nothing
The App Store shows apps listed for the store region currently signed in. Shadowrocket is missing from some storefronts — China is one. If search returns nothing, your current account’s region probably does not list it. That does not mean the app was taken down worldwide.
After you switch to a listed region such as the US, Hong Kong, or Taiwan, search Shadowrocket. Other local names in the store may not match.
The App Store link on the web shows unavailable in unlisted regions. That is not a broken link. Your store region is wrong. Finish the account switch below first.
The two accounts are not the same thing
An iPhone has at least two sign-ins:
| Where to change it | What changes | |
|---|---|---|
| iCloud / system Apple ID | The top of Settings | Photos, iCloud, Find My. Changing this ID does not necessarily change the app list in the store. |
| App Store account | The App Store app → avatar at the top right | Decides which region’s apps you see and which payment method buys them. |
You only need to switch the App Store account if your current region does not list it. You do not have to sign out of iCloud, or change the phone’s country.
Before you download
- Open the app named App Store, not Settings, and not a third-party store.
- Have an Apple ID from a listed region, and know the password. This site does not provide, register, or sell accounts.
- If you do not have that account, register the region yourself on Apple’s account pages. Payment can be None. You usually do not need an overseas credit card. Fill the billing address in that region’s format. Do not treat it as an “official account” from a tutorial.
- Be able to complete about a $2.99 one-time purchase. The currency on the checkout page is what counts.
Install step by step
Open the App Store and go to the account page
Tap the avatar at the top right (some versions show a photo or initials). Do not look for Sign Out in Settings → App Store. That is a different change.
What you should see Account, Purchased, Redeem. Scroll down. Sign Out is at the bottom.
Sign out of the current store account
Scroll to the very bottom and tap Sign Out. This only leaves the App Store. Apps already on the Home Screen stay. iCloud Photos does not sign out.
If you cannot find Sign Out, confirm you are in the App Store app itself, and that you have scrolled to the bottom of the account page.
Sign in with an Apple ID from a listed region
Use the email and password for a US or other listed-region account. If two-factor appears, allow it on a device bound to that account.
During new registration, if payment is required: choose None. When an address is required, use that store region’s format. Do not mix in an address from another country.
This site will not post “working accounts” anywhere. IDs other people share get password changes and locks, and they are a security risk.
Search Shadowrocket and buy it
Type Shadowrocket in the search field. Check the icon (white background, line-art rocket) and the name so you do not tap a lookalike.
The price is a one-time purchase, with no in-app subscription. Tap Get / the price, confirm with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. When the download finishes, the icon appears on the Home Screen.
The App Store product page says unavailable when the current store does not list it. Finish step 03 with the right account region first.
What you should see Get turns into a cloud icon or Open. The first install has to finish. Do not switch store accounts midway or the download may stall.
Confirm it is installed
Go back to the Home Screen. You should see Shadowrocket. The first launch asks for network permission; connecting later asks for VPN configuration. That belongs to the tutorial. This step only requires: the icon is there, and it opens to an empty or unconfigured home screen.
Switch back to your usual account
After the download, same path: App Store → avatar → Sign Out at the bottom → sign into your usual Apple ID.
Shadowrocket already installed stays on the Home Screen. To update the app later, switch back to the store account that made the purchase and update from Purchased. Your other apps can keep using your usual store account.
You do not need to stay on a US store account “to keep it working.” Whether a connection succeeds has nothing to do with who is signed into the App Store. It depends on the node, the rules, and the switch.
Genuine copy and re-download
A genuine copy means you bought it on the App Store with your own Apple ID, and you can find Shadowrocket in that account’s Purchased list.
New phone or accidental delete: sign in with the store account that paid → App Store avatar → Purchased → search Shadowrocket → cloud download. Do not buy it again unless Apple shows it was never purchased.
Whether Family Sharing can give it to other family members depends on purchase sharing on the buying account, and whether their devices joined the same family. That is Apple’s rule, not an extra Shadowrocket fee.
Common issues at this step
Signing into a US store keeps asking for a credit card?
On the web or in the store, set payment to None. You can change it even if a card is already attached. For the $2.99, if None is selected, some regions ask you to add store credit or another method with a balance. Follow the checkout prompt.
Search shows several rocket icons?
Check that the full name is Shadowrocket, that the product page is a paid one-time purchase, and that it requires iOS. Do not install a free “accelerator” lookalike.
The download fails halfway?
Keep the current store account signed in, use a reasonably stable network, and try again. If it still fails, delete the half-finished icon and tap the cloud icon in Purchased.
The app vanished after switching back to your usual store?
Usually not. If it is missing from the Home Screen, look in the App Library. Still missing: sign into the purchase account and download again from Purchased.
The app is an empty shell. Without a subscription or your own servers, turning the switch on will not connect.