English 简体中文

How to use a free VPN with Shadowrocket (iOS / iPadOS)

Import a free VPN subscription into Shadowrocket on iPhone or iPad. Requires a non-China Apple ID.

Shadowrocket iOS 15+, iPadOS 15+ updated · 2026-04-28 14:18 UTC

⬇ Download Shadowrocket

📋 Subscription URL

Copy this URL and paste it into Shadowrocket's subscribe field:

🪜 Steps

  1. Install Shadowrocket

    Shadowrocket is a paid app (~$2.99) on the App Store. It's not available on the China App Store — sign into an Apple ID from a supported region (US, JP, HK, etc.). If you can't, use the free Loon alternative or sing-box (free).

  2. Copy the v2ray subscription URL

    On the homepage, tap and hold the v2rayN / v2rayNG / Shadowrocket URL, pick Copy. This is the v2ray base64 format that Shadowrocket understands.

  3. Import via Subscribe

    Open Shadowrocket → tap + (top right) → TypeSubscribe. Paste the URL into URL, name it anything, tap Save.

  4. Update the subscription

    Back on the main list, pull down to refresh, or tap the subscription row → Update. You should see dozens of nodes appear.

  5. Choose connection mode

    At the bottom tap Config. Global Proxy routes everything; Proxy (Rule-based) only proxies what the ruleset says. Toggle the main switch on the home screen to connect. iOS will request VPN permission the first time.

  6. Verify

    Safari → ipinfo.io. Country should match your chosen node. If not, try another node — free nodes sometimes have broken routing on iOS's stricter TLS stack.

💡 Tips & Troubleshooting

The App Store says Shadowrocket isn't available in my region

You need an Apple ID from the US, Japan, Hong Kong, or similar. Create a new Apple ID with a non-China region and no payment method. Alternatively, use sing-box (free) or Loon.

Auto-update the subscription?

Tap the subscription row → enable Auto Update. Set interval to 1 hour since we refresh every hour.

How do I pick the fastest node?

Tap any server → Latency Test (the lightning icon). Or long-press the subscription → Latency Test All.

Nothing loads after I connect

Toggle the VPN switch off and on once. If still broken, try a different node. VLESS+Reality and Hysteria2 sometimes need ruleset adjustments on iOS.

📚 Other guides