This guide addresses the practical question “How do I use Shadowrocket?” It covers installation, importing nodes or subscriptions, connecting, and understanding how IP addresses, DNS, and your browser environment interact. Follow these steps to use a proxy more reliably on your iPhone or iPad and quickly troubleshoot common issues such as websites not loading, inconsistent IP results, and DNS leaks.
1. Basic steps for using Shadowrocket
Shadowrocket is commonly known among Chinese users as “Little Rocket.” It is mainly used to import V2Ray, VLESS, Trojan, Shadowsocks, and other nodes on iOS devices. Before you start, make sure you have a working node or subscription link. We also list free nodes on this site for temporary testing, but their reliability may vary.
- Open Shadowrocket on your iPhone or iPad to go to the main screen.
- Tap “+” in the upper-right corner. For a single node, select the relevant protocol and enter the server, port, UUID/password, and other details. For a subscription, select “Subscribe/订阅” and paste the subscription link.
- After importing, return to the home screen and select a node. Make sure a check mark appears next to it.
- Tap the switch at the top. The first time you connect, you’ll be prompted to add a VPN configuration. Tap Allow and enter your device passcode.
- Once connected, a VPN icon will appear in the status bar. Open a browser and test whether websites load.
If you have a vmess, vless, trojan, or ss share link, you can also copy it and open Shadowrocket. The app will usually prompt you to import it from the clipboard.
2. How IP addresses, DNS, and your browser environment affect you
Your IP address determines the apparent location websites see. After connecting to Shadowrocket, websites will usually see the node server’s IP address rather than the real IP address of your local network. You can visit an IP lookup site and compare the results before and after connecting.
DNS translates domain names into IP addresses. Incorrect DNS settings can cause issues such as “the node is connected, but websites won’t load,” unexpected redirects, or resolving to the wrong region. You can configure DNS in Shadowrocket. Most users should stick with the default settings; if you encounter resolution issues, try switching to a reliable public DNS server or updating your subscription configuration.
Your browser environment includes information such as browser cache, cookies, language, time zone, and WebRTC. Even if your proxy changes your IP address, websites may still infer your usual location from old cookies or account login records. When testing, use a private browsing window or clear the target website’s cache first.
3. Recommended everyday settings
- For beginners, a subscription link is more convenient than entering nodes manually and lets you update them with a single tap.
- For rule-based routing, select “Rule/规则”: domestic websites connect directly, while international websites use the proxy, balancing speed and availability.
- If you want all traffic to use the proxy, you can temporarily switch to “Global/全局” for testing, then switch back to rule mode afterward.
- Don’t run multiple VPN apps at the same time, as this can cause routing conflicts.
After importing a subscription, tap its entry to update it, then choose a node with low latency that has connected successfully recently. Keep in mind that low latency doesn’t guarantee that every website will load quickly. Actual performance also depends on the route, the destination website, and your local network.
4. Troubleshooting connection failures and websites that won’t load
If Shadowrocket reports a connection failure, first check whether the node has expired, whether the subscription is up to date, and whether your phone’s network is working. Try switching between Wi-Fi and cellular data, or test another node. If the connection works but websites won’t load, check whether the current mode is Rule, whether the rules are outdated, and whether DNS is working properly.
If your IP has changed but your browser still reports that your location doesn’t match, try closing and reopening the browser, using private browsing mode, clearing cookies, or signing out of related accounts before testing again. Some apps read your device’s region, SIM card, or account details, so their results may not exactly match what you see on websites in a browser.
One final note: node availability changes over time, especially for free nodes. Rather than repeatedly toggling the VPN, troubleshoot in this order: update the subscription, switch nodes, check DNS, and then try a different browser environment. This usually helps pinpoint the cause more quickly.