This guide is for users who have installed Shadowrocket, have their own provider and subscription, but haven’t completed their first connection. Check the server selection in Home, the connection toggle, system VPN authorization, and Connectivity Test—in that order. You’ll learn to distinguish between “imported,” “selected,” “connected,” and “destination reachable,” then troubleshoot each issue based on where it occurs.
Before You Begin: Check the App, Subscription, and Network
Shadowrocket is a closed-source commercial app for Apple platforms, used primarily on iPhone and iPad, and available exclusively on the App Store. Before purchasing, verify the developer, Shadow Launch Technology Limited, and app ID 932747118. Refer to the App Store listing for system requirements and compatibility. If you haven’t installed it yet, first visit the App Store authenticity check, then continue with this guide.
Buying the app does not include a server plan. The steps below assume you already have your own provider and subscription. This site does not provide, sell, or recommend servers or subscriptions. A subscription imports server settings; the app uses those settings to handle connections. Buying the app won’t automatically add usable servers to Home.
- Basic network access: With the Shadowrocket connection turned off, confirm that your current Wi-Fi or cellular network can reach sites that are normally accessible directly. Complete any captive portal sign-in required by the Wi-Fi network first.
- Existing configuration: Confirm that your provider’s subscription is still valid, or that you have all the parameters for an individual server. Don’t guess the port, password, or protocol based on the server name.
- Subscription privacy: A subscription URL may contain access credentials. When troubleshooting, note the error message, but don’t share the full URL or any configuration containing passwords.
If Home still shows an empty list, tap “+” in the upper-right corner of Home to add your existing subscription: choose Subscribe for Type, enter your subscription URL, save, and wait for the list to load. If importing fails, troubleshoot the import first. Repeatedly toggling the connection at the top won’t add missing server settings.
First Connection: Follow These Five Steps
Start connecting after the server appears in Home. For your first attempt, select just one server and complete the full verification process. Don’t change servers, DNS, and rule configuration all at once; changing multiple variables makes it difficult to tell which step affected the result.
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Select a Server
In the server list in Home, tap the row for the server you want to use and confirm that the dot on its left is lit. This sets the default server; it doesn’t open the details for editing or simply check the latency.
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Check the Traffic Mode
Go to Home → Global Routing. For initial troubleshooting, temporarily choose Proxy to reduce variables introduced by rule-based routing. To use your existing rules, choose Config and make sure the configuration you want is already in Config.
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Turn On the Connection
Return to Home and turn on the connection toggle at the top. If a system prompt asks to add a VPN configuration, confirm that you initiated the action, allow it, and complete device authentication as required.
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Run a Connection Test
Wait for the connection status to stabilize, then tap Connectivity Test in Home. Make sure the test has finished before checking the success or failure result shown in the app. Don’t assume the connection is verified the moment you turn on the toggle.
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Verify Access to Your Destination
Open the website or app you need to access and make a new request. If you temporarily switched to Proxy for troubleshooting, restore your intended Global Routing mode afterward and test the actual destination again.
Allowing a VPN configuration lets the system permit the app to establish the corresponding connection. It isn’t another purchase and doesn’t mean the provider’s server has passed a test. If you’ve already authorized it, the system may not show the same prompt again. Check the toggle and Connectivity Test instead of relying on whether a prompt appears.
What the Server Dot, Connection Toggle, and Test Results Mean
A server appearing in the list means its settings have been imported. A lit dot beside it means it’s selected as the default server. The connection toggle at the top shows whether the connection is on or off, while Connectivity Test checks connectivity under the current conditions. Each signal answers a different question; they aren’t interchangeable.
Server Selection
- Where to Find It
- Home → Server list
- Action
- Tap the row for the server you want
- What to Check
- The dot to the left of the selected server is lit
- What This Doesn’t Confirm
- Selecting a server alone doesn’t establish a connection
The default server is used for subsequent connections; policies set in Config may still affect the actual route.
Connection Verification
- Connection Toggle
- Home → Connection toggle at the top
- First-Time Authorization
- System prompt to add a VPN configuration
- Test
- Home → Connectivity Test
- Final Check
- Can the actual destination complete a new request?
The test result reflects only the test request at that time; it doesn’t guarantee access to every website or app.
Latency values shown beside a server don’t replace these steps. A latency test and an actual webpage request may use different destinations, data volumes, and traffic paths. A latency result for a server doesn’t mean the current connection is active or that all page resources can load. For your first connection, follow this order: select → connect → test → check actual access.
Global Routing: Understand Which Route the Test Uses
The same server can produce different access results under different Global Routing modes. Proxy, Direct, Config, and Scene are traffic-handling modes, not four server protocols. If you overlook this during your first connection, you may mistake “traffic isn’t using the selected server” for “the server has been verified.”
- Proxy: Routes traffic through the proxy. Using this mode for initial troubleshooting can reduce interference from rule-based routing. After testing, restore the setting that suits your needs.
- Direct: Connects directly. Being able to open a site that’s accessible directly doesn’t show that the selected server’s proxy route is working.
- Config: Handles traffic according to the rules and policies in the current configuration. Selecting a default server doesn’t mean every request will use it, so check which configuration is active.
- Scene: Handles traffic according to the configured scene. Don’t rely on it as the sole basis for your first connection check until you’ve verified the scene conditions and related settings.
If Connectivity Test succeeds in Proxy but a specific destination fails after switching back to Config, first check how the rules handle that destination instead of immediately reimporting the entire subscription. Rules may route different domains through different policies, so one successful test doesn’t confirm that every rule behaves as expected. For more on routing modes, see the Global Routing guide.
Verify the Connection: Keep the Network Consistent Before Comparing
Complete a full test on your current network before switching between Wi-Fi and cellular. Record the network type, default server, Global Routing mode, and result; there’s no need to share subscription credentials. After switching networks, wait for the system connection to stabilize before running the test again, so a brief interruption during the switch isn’t mistaken for an ongoing issue.
Test Plan: Check Wi-Fi and Cellular Separately
On Wi-Fi
- Confirm that Wi-Fi is connected and complete any web sign-in if needed.
- Keep the same default server and Global Routing mode.
- Turn on the connection, run Connectivity Test, then test the actual destination.
On Cellular
- Confirm cellular data is available and wait for the network switch to finish.
- Keep the server and traffic mode unchanged; don’t modify the configuration at the same time.
- Run Connectivity Test again and compare whether the failure occurs only on one network.
Change only the network to help determine whether the issue is related to your current connection. Cellular testing uses mobile data.
If both networks fail with the same server, try another existing server in your subscription and repeat the steps. If only one server fails, focus on its settings and service status. If all servers fail, check the subscription, system authorization, and current configuration. Different results can narrow down the cause, but a single failure isn’t enough to identify it.
Common First-Connection Issues and How to Troubleshoot Them
The server is imported. Why doesn’t it work after I turn on the connection?
Return to Home and confirm that the dot beside your chosen server is lit. Then check whether Global Routing is set to the mode you expect, and run Connectivity Test. If system authorization isn’t complete, respond to the prompt to add a VPN configuration. A server name appearing in the list alone doesn’t mean the connection is ready.
I declined the VPN configuration prompt. Do I need to reinstall?
Return to Home, try turning on the connection again, and follow the system prompt to authorize it. You don’t need to reinstall first. If the prompt can’t be completed, check whether the device has management restrictions; for managed devices, ask the administrator to confirm your permissions. Reinstalling won’t remove system-level restrictions and may mean you have to organize your configuration again.
Connectivity Test succeeded. Why won’t a particular website open?
First confirm that you used the same server and network for the test and the website request. Then check Global Routing. If it’s set to Config, temporarily switch to Proxy and test the destination again to distinguish a rule-handling issue from a server-route issue. If only one destination fails, also consider the destination’s status, DNS resolution, and access requirements.
It reconnects automatically after I turn it off. How can I test it manually first?
Go to Settings → On Demand and check whether automatic triggers are enabled. Note the current settings, temporarily disable the relevant conditions, then return to Home to turn the connection on and off manually. On Demand triggers connections based on conditions; it can’t replace valid server settings. After basic connection verification succeeds, restore the settings and check each automatic trigger.
Troubleshoot subscription update failures separately from connection test failures. The former occur while retrieving or parsing the server list; the latter occur when using existing settings to connect and run a test. When contacting your existing provider, share the time of the issue, network type, protocol name, and error message. Keep passwords, the full subscription URL, and other credentials private.
Final Checks: Keep a Repeatable Connection Baseline
After your first successful connection, record the settings that reproduce it, then adjust other features one at a time. Don’t change DNS, rules, servers, and On Demand conditions all at once just because a test succeeded once. Make one change at a time and repeat Connectivity Test and the actual access check to see its effect.
- Server selected: The dot beside the chosen server in Home is lit, and its name matches the one you expect.
- Authorization complete: The system has allowed the VPN configuration, and the connection toggle at the top can stay on.
- Route confirmed: You know whether Global Routing is set to Proxy, Direct, Config, or Scene.
- Verification complete: Connectivity Test has returned a result, and the actual destination has completed a new request.
- Settings restored: Restore your preferred rule mode and check that On Demand matches your everyday connection needs.
This checklist doesn’t promise that a connection will always work; it gives you a repeatable way to verify it. If something becomes inaccessible later, check each layer in order: basic network → default server → system connection → test result → actual destination. This usually makes it easier to find the issue than changing all settings at once.