Shadowrocket App Store Purchase Guide: Find the App, Verify the Developer and Icon, and Install

At a glance

This guide is for first-time Shadowrocket buyers using iPhone or iPad. It walks through searching, verifying the official app, paying, installing, and opening it for the first time. You’ll learn how to distinguish an app purchase from a connectivity service, confirm the correct App Store listing, and see what you’ll need after installation.

Before you buy: Check your device, account, and what’s included

Shadowrocket is a paid client for Apple platforms, sold as a one-time purchase through the App Store. This guide focuses on iPhone and iPad. For compatibility, system requirements, and whether the app is a universal purchase on Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Vision, refer to the App Store listing. Check the product details on the device you plan to use; don’t infer compatibility from the purchase button on another device.

Buying the app ≠ buying a service plan. Your purchase gives you access to the app; it does not include a server you can connect to. The steps that follow assume you already have your own provider and subscription. This site does not provide, sell, or recommend nodes or subscriptions. If you haven’t prepared a configuration yet, you can install the app and explore its interface first—there’s no need to connect right away.

Device: Check compatibility on the App Store product page. System requirements are as listed on the App Store page.
Account: Make sure the Apple Account currently signed in to the App Store is the one you plan to keep using. Purchases are associated with that account.
Payment: Check which payment methods are available in your account’s region and review your billing details. The App Store will show the methods currently available to you.
Price: The price, currency, and final charge are as listed on the App Store page. No fixed price is quoted here.

Payment status, download progress, and the app’s connection status are three separate things. A successful payment doesn’t mean the download is complete, and being able to open the app doesn’t mean a usable configuration is in place. Follow the steps below in order to avoid troubleshooting connectivity before payment or installation is finished.

Verify the official app: Name, developer, icon, and app ID

Open Search in the App Store, enter the exact name Shadowrocket, and open the product page. Similar names, keywords, and search result order aren’t enough to identify the right app. Check the developer and app ID first, and use the icon as a secondary confirmation.

The official icon shows a rocket outlined in blue and purple on a white background. Check the developer details on the product page as well; don’t identify the app by the rocket image or the nickname “Shadowrocket” alone.

App Store listing

App name: Shadowrocket
Developer: Shadow Launch Technology Limited
App ID: 932747118

Verify all three; a similar name doesn’t mean it’s the same app.

Purchase details

Available from: App Store
Payment type: One-time purchase for the client
Price and system requirements: As listed on the App Store page

The app purchase and your existing connectivity service are managed separately.

You can usually verify the app ID from the product link: this app’s product page ends in id932747118. It is not an activation code to enter in the app. If you’re unsure which search result is correct, visit this site’s official app verification page to open the matching App Store listing, then check the details above.

Buy and install: From search to Open

Complete these steps in the App Store. The store interface language depends on your device and account settings, so buttons may appear in your local language; Search and Open are used here to describe their functions. Before confirming payment, check the app name and price again. Then wait for the App Store to finish processing the purchase.

Find the app

Open App Store → Search, enter Shadowrocket, and go to the product page. Don’t confirm a purchase directly from the search results before checking the developer.
Verify the listing

Check that the developer is Shadow Launch Technology Limited, compare the official icon, and verify app ID 932747118 in the product link. Then review compatibility and the current price.
Confirm payment

Tap the price button, review the system purchase confirmation, and confirm using Face ID, Touch ID, or account verification as prompted. Available authentication methods depend on your device and account settings.
Wait for installation

Keep your network available and watch the download progress in the App Store. If the Home Screen icon still shows a waiting or progress indicator, installation isn’t finished. Check the download first; don’t troubleshoot in-app settings yet.
Open the app

When the product page button changes to Open, tap it, or launch Shadowrocket from the Home Screen. Once Home loads, check whether your configuration is ready.

A cloud download icon usually means the current account has a previous acquisition record for the app; tap it to download again. It doesn’t mean you need to buy the app again. If you expected to have purchased it but still see a price, check the App Store account and purchase history before trying to pay again.

First launch: Get familiar with the interface before connecting

In Shadowrocket, Home shows connection status and existing server entries; Config manages rule configurations, and Settings contains app preferences. Seeing no entries right after installation doesn’t mean anything went wrong. If you already have a subscription, follow the setup guide to import your own details and check that the configuration is complete. No subscription address is provided here.

Global Routing on Home controls how connections are routed. The Config tab and Global Routing → Config are different: the tab manages configuration files, while the latter selects how connections are handled according to a configuration. The options below compare three basic routing modes in the app. Any recommendation assumes you already have a valid configuration; don’t apply it to an empty setup.

Config: Route according to your configuration

Recommended

Use the rules in the currently enabled configuration to determine how connections are handled. This assumes you’ve imported and checked your own working configuration; it does not mean a fixed share of traffic goes direct versus through a proxy.

Best for: Everyday use with a valid rules configuration, routing traffic by destination.

Proxy: Route through a proxy

Handle connections managed by the app using a proxy. This can help check whether rules are affecting the result. A usable proxy configuration is still required; selecting this mode does not create a connectivity service.

Best for: Temporarily checking the effect of routing rules when you already have a usable configuration.

Direct: Connect directly

Handle connections managed by the app as direct connections. Don’t judge whether this mode is working by looking at proxy results, and don’t use it to test whether payment succeeded.

Best for: Checking whether your local network can reach a destination directly.

The first time you connect, iOS may ask to add a VPN configuration. Confirm that the request comes from Shadowrocket, then approve it as prompted. This permission lets the app establish the corresponding network connection; it is not a second purchase. Settings → On Demand controls when connections start automatically. For your first test, you can connect manually to avoid automatic triggers affecting the result.

Rules and purchase history: Two different kinds of “configuration”

Your App Store purchase history determines whether you can download the app again; in-app rules determine how connections are handled. One doesn’t replace the other. After moving to a new iPhone, downloading the app again won’t necessarily restore local configurations. Check your own backups, rule files, and existing subscriptions separately.

[Rule]
DOMAIN-SUFFIX,example.com,PROXY
IP-CIDR,192.168.0.0/16,DIRECT
FINAL,DIRECT

This snippet illustrates how Global Routing → Config handles traffic. It is not required for installation and contains no server details. Rules are matched from top to bottom: DOMAIN-SUFFIX matches example.com and its subdomains; IP-CIDR matches a specified IPv4 address range; FINAL catches connections that don’t match any earlier rule. Using DIRECT as the fallback here doesn’t mean everyone should configure it that way.

PROXY: Requires a corresponding usable proxy configuration. Adding the keyword alone won’t make a connection work.
DIRECT: Means a direct connection; it is not an App Store download method or payment option.
Rule order: Broad rules placed earlier may match first. Save your original configuration before making changes.

You don’t need to edit these rules when you first buy the app. Verify the listing, install the app, and launch it before reading the rule reference. If the issue is with App Store search, checkout, or downloading, check the store and account status rather than changing DNS, protocols, or rules in the app.

FAQ: Can’t find it, download stuck, or downloading again

Why can’t I find Shadowrocket in the App Store?

First, search for the exact English name, then open the matching product from this site’s official app verification page. If the App Store says the app isn’t available in your region or isn’t compatible with your device, follow that notice. Check your account region and device system requirements; don’t buy a similarly named app as a substitute.

The download is still waiting after payment. What should I do?

Check the download progress in the App Store, then check your local network and available device storage. If needed, pause and resume the download using the options available on your device. Don’t pay again just because the Home Screen icon hasn’t finished updating. First, make sure the transaction record and download status match.

I bought it before. Do I need to pay again on a new phone?

Sign in to the App Store account used for the original purchase, find Shadowrocket in your purchase history, and open its product page. If you see a cloud icon, try downloading it again. For compatibility across devices and whether the purchase is universal, refer to the App Store page. After downloading, check separately whether your personal configuration has been restored.

There are no servers after installation. Does that mean the purchase failed?

These are separate checks. If the product page shows Open and the app launches, you can move on to checking its configuration. Buying the client doesn’t include a service plan. Add details only if you already have your own provider and subscription, following the setup guide. An empty Home list doesn’t mean the payment failed.

The system asks to add a VPN configuration. Will I be charged again?

Adding a VPN configuration is a system network permission, not an App Store purchase confirmation. Check that the prompt was triggered by Shadowrocket, which you just opened, then follow the system instructions. If you don’t have a valid configuration yet, return to the app and explore the interface; connect once you have the details ready.

Verify everything in order: the product listing is correct, you’ve checked the price and compatibility, the purchase appears in your account history, the App Store shows Open, and the app launches to Home. Once all five checks pass, the purchase and installation are complete. Next, import your existing configuration and check connectivity; don’t attribute every connection issue to the purchase.