If it will not connect

First separate “the store has no app,” “the list is empty,” and “the switch is on but pages still fail.” The causes differ. Do not reinstall first.

See where it stalled

What you seeWhich page first
App Store search finds nothing, or the product page says unavailable Download: store region and account
The app is there, the home screen has no nodes “Empty list” below, and subscription management
Nodes are there, the switch blinks, status will not connect “Blinking switch” below
It says connected, the target site still fails “Connected but pages fail” below, and Rules

The list is empty

  1. Did you add a subscription or a manual node? With neither, the app will not invent lines.
  2. If it was Subscribe, did you tap Update after save?
  3. Did Update error? A truncated link, extra spaces, or a host you cannot reach will fail.
  4. Is the subscription already dead? If the provider changed the URL, delete the old one and add the new. Update alone is not enough.

This site does not provide subscriptions. An empty list is almost always “did not Update” or “dead URL,” not a broken app.

  1. Pick a node whose latency is not Timeout. A whole column of timeouts → the subscription or this network cannot reach those servers.
  2. Set system time to automatic. A large skew makes TLS-style protocols fail immediately.
  3. In Settings → General → VPN & Device Management, is Shadowrocket listed and allowed? The first time, you must tap the system dialog.
  4. Try another network: cellular once and Wi-Fi once, in case this Wi-Fi blocks proxies.
  5. If everything still fails: Update the subscription. If Update fails too, the problem is the URL, not the switch.

Do not uninstall and reinstall instead of changing nodes. With no backup, a reinstall only makes you import the subscription again.

Connected but pages will not load

Look at Data at the bottom: Proxy rising means requests are leaving; both at 0 means traffic never entered this app. Go back to the switch and routing mode.

Switch routing to global once:

  • Global works, rules do not → the rule marked this site DIRECT. On rule-based routing, put a more specific domain higher.
  • Global also fails → still the node or the local network. Go back to the previous section.

Local sites getting slow is usually global. Switch back to rule mode. Do not only hunt a “faster” node.

When to reinstall

Consider delete-and-reinstall if config is corrupted, iCloud sync conflicts, or it will not launch after an official update. Before that: write down the subscription URL, and export or screenshot rules if you need them. After reinstall, import again from the tutorial.

Shorter Q&A: FAQ.