This guide explains how to import a subscription into Shadowrocket (“小火箭”) and why team use can affect account environment stability. It’s intended for everyday iPhone and iPad users: once you have a subscription link, follow the steps to import it into Shadowrocket, then use consistent rules, groups, and troubleshooting practices to reduce frequent disconnections and issues caused by mixing nodes.
1. What to prepare before importing a subscription
Shadowrocket is just a client; it can’t connect to the internet on its own. You’ll need a working subscription link first. Subscription links are usually provided by a service provider, a proxy service dashboard, or a free-node page. This site also collects information about free nodes for temporary testing. For team use, we recommend having an administrator distribute subscriptions to avoid everyone adding nodes from unknown sources.
- Make sure Shadowrocket is installed on your device and that you can add a VPN configuration.
- Get a subscription link, which usually starts with http or https.
- Make sure the link hasn’t expired or been widely shared and abused.
- Team members should use the same naming conventions wherever possible to make troubleshooting easier.
Note: Don’t post your subscription link in a public group or forum. It may contain your node information and access credentials.
2. How to import a subscription into Shadowrocket
- Open Shadowrocket, go to the home screen, and tap “+” in the upper-right corner.
- Select “Subscribe” or “订阅” as the type.
- Paste the subscription link into the URL field. You can add a remark such as “Team subscription” or “Backup subscription.”
- Tap “完成” in the upper-right corner to save.
- Return to the home screen and pull down to refresh, or tap the subscription entry to update it. Wait for the node list to appear.
- Select a node and turn on the connection switch in the upper-right corner. The first time you connect, follow the prompts to allow the VPN configuration.
If no nodes appear after importing, try opening the link in a browser. If it won’t open there either, the subscription URL may have expired, your network may be restricted, or the link may not have been copied in full.
3. How subscriptions relate to account environment stability
For teams, “environment consistency” is easy to overlook. If the same account connects through a US node today, then switches to Japan or Singapore a few minutes later, the platform may flag the change as unusual. Frequent changes in your exit location can increase the likelihood of verification checks, risk controls, or unexpected logouts—especially with workplace tools, social platforms, advertising dashboards, and cross-border e-commerce accounts.
We recommend that teams establish a few simple rules: use the same region or group of nodes for each business account; don’t let multiple people log in to the same account from different regions at the same time; and if you start seeing more CAPTCHA challenges, stop switching nodes instead of continuing to try random ones. In Shadowrocket, you can add remarks to node names, such as “Account A – Fixed” or “Support Team – Backup,” to reduce the chance of selecting the wrong node.
4. Recommended settings for team use
Shadowrocket offers common modes such as Global, Config, and Direct. For most teams, we recommend using Rules/Config mode so that commonly used sites in China connect directly while overseas business traffic goes through a proxy. This reduces unnecessary traffic and helps keep account access routes more consistent.
- Fixed node: Don’t change routes for important accounts every day unless the current node stops working.
- Backup node: Keep a backup in the same region and switch to it first if there’s a problem.
- Use consistent remarks: Clearly label each node’s purpose to avoid accidental connections.
- Update subscriptions regularly, but avoid frequent refreshes and node switches during busy periods.
5. Quick troubleshooting for connection failures
If Shadowrocket can’t connect after you import a subscription, check the following in order: try another node in the same region; update the subscription; turn the VPN off and back on; then restart your network connection or phone. If only one app won’t open, a rule may not be matching, so you can temporarily switch to Global mode to test. If all nodes time out, the cause may be your local network, an expired subscription, or unavailable nodes.
Team administrators should also keep a record of which account, node region, and user are associated with one another so they can quickly trace the cause of any issues. Importing a subscription into Shadowrocket is straightforward. What really affects stability is maintaining a consistent exit environment over time and following clear usage guidelines.