This guide addresses the practical question, “How do I import a subscription into Shadowrocket?” It walks you through importing a subscription on your iPhone or iPad, connecting, and understanding why your IP, DNS, and browser environment can affect how websites load. It’s for users who already have a V2Ray/VLESS/SS/Trojan subscription link but aren’t sure what to do or are having trouble connecting.
1. What to prepare before importing a subscription into Shadowrocket
Shadowrocket is a popular proxy client for iOS. Before importing a subscription, make sure of three things: first, Shadowrocket is installed; second, you have a working subscription link, usually starting with http or https; third, your phone has a working internet connection. We recommend opening a regular webpage in Safari first to test it. This site also publishes guides to free nodes and subscriptions, but the reliability of free nodes depends on the route, region, and time, so it’s a good idea to have a few backups ready.
Note: A subscription link isn’t just a node name—it’s a URL. If it’s copied incompletely, contains spaces, or has expired, the subscription may appear empty or fail to connect after importing.
2. How to import a subscription into Shadowrocket: step by step
- Copy your subscription link, making sure to include everything from start to finish.
- Open Shadowrocket and tap “+” in the upper-right corner.
- Select “Subscribe” or “Subscription” as the type.
- Paste the subscription link into the URL field. You can enter “Free Nodes” or a custom name as the remark.
- Tap “Done” in the upper-right corner to save.
- Return to the home screen, tap the subscription you just added, then select “Update” or pull down to refresh.
- Once the update is complete, select a node and turn on the connection switch at the top.
- When iOS prompts you to add a VPN configuration, tap Allow and enter your passcode to confirm.
Once connected, you’ll usually see a VPN icon in the status bar. You can then visit a website in your browser to test the connection, or search for “IP lookup” to check whether your public IP has changed.
3. How IP, DNS, and your browser environment are related
Many users assume that connecting to Shadowrocket guarantees access to every website, but the result can also depend on your IP, DNS, and browser cache. Your IP determines the apparent location of your connection. If a node’s IP is restricted, you may see a CAPTCHA, an access-denied message, or slow loading. DNS translates domain names into IP addresses. DNS issues can prevent webpages from opening even when messaging apps work normally. Your browser environment includes factors such as cache, cookies, language, time zone, and WebRTC, which can affect how a website recognizes your login status.
If you’ve just switched nodes, close the webpage and reopen it. If the problem persists, clear your browser cache or test the site in Safari and Chrome. Some websites are sensitive to frequent IP changes, so try to use a relatively stable node when signing in.
4. How to troubleshoot connection problems after importing
- Subscription is empty: Check that you copied the entire link, paste it again, and update.
- Node times out: Try another node, or test using Wi-Fi and cellular data.
- VPN icon appears, but webpages won’t open: Try changing DNS settings, or turn the proxy off and back on.
- Only some websites won’t open: This may be a rule-mode issue. Temporarily switch to Global mode to test.
- Update fails: The subscription address may have expired. Contact the provider or get a new subscription.
Tip: Don’t run multiple VPN or proxy apps at the same time, as this can cause routing conflicts. If Shadowrocket has a “Configuration/Rules” option, most users should stick with the default rules and switch to Global mode only briefly when troubleshooting.
5. Tips for using subscriptions day to day
Subscription nodes change from time to time, so we recommend updating manually each day or before each use. If you use a free subscription, it’s common for nodes to be unavailable during peak hours. You can import subscriptions from several sources to have backups. After connecting, test whether websites work rather than relying on the node name alone. The best indicators are whether your IP has changed, webpages load, and latency is stable.
In short, the key steps to importing a subscription into Shadowrocket are: copy the complete link, add it as a Subscribe, update the subscription, select a node, and connect. If you run into problems, troubleshoot IP, DNS, and browser environment issues one by one to find the cause.