This guide answers the beginner’s question, “How do I use Shadowrocket?” It covers installation, importing nodes, and connecting, and explains how proxy IPs, DNS, and your browser environment relate to one another. It is intended for first-time iPhone or iPad users. Menu names may vary slightly between versions, so refer to the interface on your device.
1. What to prepare before installing
Shadowrocket is a proxy client and does not include usable proxy servers. You’ll need to obtain node links, QR codes, or a subscription URL separately. Check the app name and developer information in the App Store. Availability and pricing depend on your region’s store. Don’t install configuration profiles from untrusted sources or so-called cracked versions.
Free nodes on this site can be used to learn the import process, but their availability may change. Subscription URLs often contain access credentials, so don’t share them publicly or submit them to unfamiliar online conversion tools.
2. Import nodes and connect
- Prepare a node: Copy the complete node link or subscription URL provided by your service provider, taking care not to miss any characters. You can also save a QR code for later.
- Add a configuration: Open Shadowrocket and tap the add button on the home screen. For a single link, import it from the clipboard as prompted by the interface. Use the scanner for a QR code. For a subscription, select the subscription type, paste the URL, and save.
- Update the subscription: Update it in the subscription list and check that nodes appear. If the list is empty, first check whether the URL has expired, whether your network can access it, and whether its format is supported.
- Choose a route: Tap a node and, if you like, test its connectivity. A response only means that part of the connection is reachable; it doesn’t guarantee that every website will open.
- Turn on the proxy: Enable the connection switch on the home screen. The first time you do this, follow the system prompts to allow a VPN configuration, then complete any required device verification.
- Verify access: Open the target website and check your exit IP on a trusted IP lookup page. Keep the same node and routing mode during testing so you can compare the results.
Seeing a VPN icon doesn’t mean all traffic is going through the proxy. The actual traffic path also depends on the global routing mode, rules, and app behavior.
3. What proxy IPs, DNS, and browsers each affect
Your proxy IP is the network exit address that websites see. DNS resolves domain names to IP addresses. Your browser, meanwhile, stores information such as cookies, login status, and language settings. So after switching nodes, a website may still show content for your previous region based on your account region or existing cookies.
Beginners can start with a rules-based mode from a trusted configuration, which routes connections according to the rules. When troubleshooting, you can temporarily switch to proxy mode to see whether the target website starts working, then switch back afterward. Switching IPs does not clear your browser’s identity information, and private browsing doesn’t remove all identifying information either.
For DNS, start by keeping the client’s default setting or using a trusted configuration. Don’t enter unfamiliar addresses at random. Your browser’s secure DNS, other VPNs, or filtering tools may change the resolution path. If something goes wrong, first pause conflicting tools, then test each setting one at a time.
4. Troubleshoot connection problems in order
- First turn off the proxy and confirm that Wi-Fi or cellular data can access the internet on its own.
- Update the subscription, check whether the node has expired, then compare the results with another route.
- Check the system date and time. An incorrect time can cause certificate verification to fail.
- If only some websites fail, check whether the rules send the target domain direct, then compare with proxy mode.
- If the browser has problems but other apps work, test in a private window and, if necessary, clear only the target website’s data.
Don’t change multiple settings at once. Note the error, node, and routing mode, and adjust only one setting each time. Don’t try to fix connection problems by turning off certificate verification.