How do you import a subscription into Shadowrocket? Using Shadowrocket on iPhone as an example, this article shows you how to add a subscription link, update nodes, and enable the connection. It also explains what IP addresses, DNS, and the browser environment each affect, so you can tell the difference between an import failure and a successful import followed by connection problems. Interface labels may vary slightly by version; follow what you see in the app.
I. Before you start: Make sure you have a subscription link
First, install Shadowrocket through the official App Store and get the subscription URL from your node provider. A subscription link is not the website’s home page URL; it usually contains a long path or account parameters. A link beginning with vless://, vmess://, or trojan:// is a node-sharing link, which may need to be imported differently.
When copying the link, make sure it doesn’t include spaces, line breaks, or Chinese punctuation. A subscription URL may function as an access credential, so don’t share screenshots of it publicly or post it in unfamiliar group chats. If you’re using free nodes from this site, check whether the page provides a subscription URL or a link for a single node.
II. How to import a subscription into Shadowrocket
- Open Shadowrocket and tap “+” in the upper-right corner of the home screen to open the add page.
- Tap “Type” and select “Subscribe” or “订阅.” If your version supports automatic detection, you can also follow the prompts to import from the clipboard.
- Paste the full subscription URL into the “URL” field. You can enter a recognizable name in the Remarks field; leave the other options at their defaults if you’re unsure what they do.
- Tap Done or Save in the upper-right corner and wait for the app to retrieve the subscription. Return to the home screen and check whether nodes appear under the subscription group.
- Select a node and turn on the connection switch on the home screen. The first time you connect, follow the iOS prompt to allow the VPN configuration to be added, then complete system verification.
- Open a browser and visit the website you want to access. If it doesn’t work, try another node in the same subscription before testing again. Don’t immediately reinstall the app repeatedly.
Seeing a node list only means the subscription was parsed successfully; it doesn’t mean the nodes are necessarily working. A node may have expired, be temporarily offline, or be blocked on your current network, any of which can prevent a connection.
III. How to update a subscription and troubleshoot import failures
To update a subscription, look for an option such as “Update Subscription” in the subscription group’s action menu. Some versions also let you pull down on the home screen to refresh. Make sure your phone has internet access before updating. If the request times out, switch between Wi-Fi and cellular data and try again. If you see a format error, check that you haven’t pasted a webpage URL or the URL of a subscription converter page by mistake.
If you get an invalid, expired, or permission error, ask the provider to confirm that the link is still valid. The subscription format must also be compatible with the client; don’t assume every Clash configuration file can be imported directly into Shadowrocket. Avoid submitting links that contain credentials to unfamiliar conversion websites.
IV. How do IP, DNS, and the browser environment affect things?
Importing a subscription mainly retrieves the configuration; IP and DNS have more to do with access afterward. The exit IP depends on the node in use and the routing rules. Even when the connection is enabled, some websites may still connect directly according to those rules, so you can’t determine whether all traffic is going through the proxy based on the IP shown by a single website.
DNS resolves domain names. If some domains won’t load, first check whether the node, routing mode, and the app’s DNS settings are conflicting. If you’re unsure, restore the relevant settings to their defaults and avoid layering multiple proxy or DNS tools on top of each other.
Browser cookies, login status, and website permissions can affect how a page appears, but they generally won’t cause a subscription import to fail. If a webpage behaves unexpectedly, compare it with an incognito window. Troubleshoot in this order: subscription URL → node → routing rules → DNS → browser. Change only one thing at a time to make it easier to identify the cause.