If you bought Shadowrocket on your iPhone, first check which Apple ID is used for purchases in the iPad App Store, then find the app in your purchases. Redownloading the app, transferring connection details, and approving the local VPN configuration are three separate steps. This guide covers each in order, along with the landscape layout and how to check Global Routing. Instructions involving connection details assume you already have your own service and subscription.
1. Use Your Purchase on iPad with the Same Apple ID
Shadowrocket is a paid app sold as a one-time purchase on the App Store. If you use the same purchasing account, you can usually redownload the purchased app on a compatible iPad without paying for it again. Here, “sharing a purchase” means using the same purchase on your own devices; it does not automatically copy configuration from one device to another.
Check the account used for App Store purchases, not just the iCloud account shown at the top of Settings. They may be different. First confirm the purchase on the device where you originally bought the app, then check the account page in the iPad App Store. Don’t assume that using the same iCloud account on both devices means the purchase records are the same.
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Check the purchasing account
On your iPad, open App Store → account avatar and check whether the current store account is the Apple ID used to buy Shadowrocket. To check further, go to Settings → Apple Account → Media & Purchases.
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Find the purchased app
Go to App Store → account avatar → Apps or Purchased and look for Shadowrocket. Menu names may vary by system version. If you see filters such as My Apps or Not on This iPad, use them to narrow the results.
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Verify the app listing
Open the product page and check the name Shadowrocket, the developer Shadow Launch Technology Limited, and app ID
932747118. Check the App Store listing for the device’s system requirements. -
Redownload the app
Once you’ve confirmed it’s in your purchase history, tap the cloud download button. If the page still shows a price, stop and check the account, purchase history, and store status first. Don’t make another payment your first troubleshooting step.
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Check the app on first launch
After installation, open Shadowrocket and check Home, Config, and Settings. An empty list does not mean your purchase wasn’t restored: app access and connection details are separate.
2. Landscape Changes the Layout, Not the Rules
In landscape, the wider screen gives more room, and lists, details, and navigation may rearrange to fit the app and system layout. Don’t rely on an iPhone button’s fixed position when using an iPad. Look for features by name—Home, Config, or Settings—then find the relevant action. A narrow Split View window may use a more compact layout even when the iPad is held in landscape.
Rotating the iPad does not change protocols, server addresses, or rule priority. If results differ after rotation, check whether you also changed the connection entry, Global Routing, or active configuration before editing protocol settings. Keep the configuration unchanged and compare full-screen landscape, full-screen portrait, and Split View to distinguish a moved control from a changed setting.
- Home: Check the connection entry, current selection, and connection toggle. Seeing a name in the list does not mean its authentication details are valid.
- Config: Check which configuration file is actually active, not just whether a file appears in the list.
- Settings: Check device-specific settings, especially On Demand before enabling automatic connections.
Takeaway: Record the settings before comparing layouts
On both iPhone and iPad, note the selected connection entry, Global Routing, and active Config. Once all three match, check differences in landscape navigation so you don’t mistake a layout change for a configuration problem.
3. Distinguish Connection Details from Rule Files When Syncing
Restoring the app from the App Store does not restore your entire setup. Check connection entries, subscription sources, Config files, and device-specific settings separately. Even if you use an available in-app sync or backup feature, verify the imported content instead of assuming that everything synced because you used the same account.
If you already have a subscription, you can usually import your own subscription again on iPad. If you maintain local rules, you’ll also need to transfer and activate the relevant Config. Refreshing a subscription updates its contents; it does not confirm that custom rules, routing mode, or local authorization have been restored.
| Data type | What to check on iPad | Commonly missed |
|---|---|---|
| Existing subscription | Go to Home → “+” → Type → Subscribe, enter your complete subscription URL, and save it. Then refresh the subscription. | The URL was truncated, credentials have expired, or you didn’t reselect an available entry after refreshing. |
| Single connection entry | Compare the protocol, server address, port, and authentication details against your original information. | The name matches, but the port, password, or other protocol settings do not. |
| Config file | Use the import option available in Config to transfer the file, then confirm that it is active. | The file was imported but not activated; referenced policy names may also be missing. |
| Device-specific settings | Check Home → Global Routing and Settings → On Demand. | Assuming the old device’s automatic connection behavior is the default on the new device. |
Keep the original parameters when transferring a setup; don’t change ports just to “adapt it for iPad.” For example, if the original information uses 443, change it only if the server configuration has changed accordingly. A matching port does not mean the protocol or authentication method also matches. Shadowsocks, VMess, VLESS, Trojan, Hysteria2, and WireGuard require different fields; copying only the address and port is not enough to complete a transfer.
- Keep the working configuration on the old device until you’ve imported and verified it on iPad, so you have a reference throughout the transfer.
- Subscription URLs and configuration files may contain credentials. Don’t include their full contents in public screenshots, chat logs, or support requests.
- After the first refresh, check that the number of entries, names, and protocols match your existing information. A nonempty list suggests the data was parsed; it does not prove that a connection works.
4. Approve the VPN Configuration Separately on Your iPad
Allowing VPN configurations on your iPhone does not authorize them on your iPad. The first time you turn on a connection on iPad, iPadOS asks to add a VPN configuration. Confirm that you initiated the request in Shadowrocket, then allow it and complete any device verification. If you dismissed the prompt, the connection may not start; return to the app and try again.
- In Home, select the connection entry you’ve checked and make sure Global Routing suits your test.
- Turn on the connection. Check which app initiated the VPN configuration request in the system prompt, then allow it.
- Complete the device passcode or other verification requested by the system, then return to Shadowrocket to check the connection status.
- To check the system’s VPN settings, go to iPad Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → VPN and review the relevant configuration and status. Exact labels may vary by system version.
A system status of VPN Connected means a local connection has been established; it does not prove that every destination is reachable. Next, check that your existing entry works, the current routing mode is what you expect, and the request matches the relevant rule. Don’t change DNS, rules, and automatic connection settings all at once before completing a basic connection test.
5. Choose Global Routing for the Test You’re Running
If results differ between iPad and iPhone, first check Home → Global Routing. This compares Shadowrocket’s routing mode, not device performance. The three options below help explain basic troubleshooting. Scene can also apply behavior based on configured conditions; its name alone does not mean it works exactly like Config.
Config
RecommendedHandles requests according to the active configuration. Matching rules and their assigned policies determine where a connection goes. For requests that match none of the preceding rules, check FINAL; they do not necessarily go direct.
Use it when: You have a verified rules configuration and want to check everyday routing behavior.
Proxy
Handles requests intercepted by the app in proxy mode, which can help you compare results with Config. It cannot fix invalid authentication details or guarantee that every type of device traffic follows the same route.
Use it when: You’re temporarily investigating the difference between connection entry availability and rule-based routing.
Direct
Handles requests in direct mode so you can observe how the current network accesses destinations directly. Selecting it does not prove that an imported proxy entry works.
Use it when: You want to compare direct access on the current network and narrow down the issue.
If a request works in Proxy but fails in Config, check the active configuration, rule order, and policy references first. For example, DOMAIN-SUFFIX matches domain suffixes, IP-CIDR matches IP ranges, GEOIP matches against an IP geolocation database, and FINAL is the fallback when no earlier rule matches. Their meaning does not change in landscape.
Takeaway: Change one variable at a time
Keep the network, connection entry, and destination the same. Compare Proxy with Config first, then check the rules. Don’t change the entry, configuration, and DNS at the same time, or you won’t know which change affected the result.
6. What to Check if the App Still Doesn’t Work After Redownloading
Sort the issue into four layers—purchase, data, authorization, and connection—to avoid repeating steps. Reinstalling the app won’t fix an expired subscription or incorrect routing. Likewise, changing connection protocols won’t restore a missing App Store purchase. Choose the layer that matches what you’re seeing, then continue from there.
- App Store shows a price: Check the purchasing account and purchase history, then verify the app listing. If the purchase is recorded but access appears incorrect, follow up through App Store account and purchase support.
- The list is empty after opening the app: Check whether you imported your own connection details, whether the subscription is complete, and whether it refreshed successfully. An empty list does not mean the app hasn’t been purchased.
- The connection toggle won’t stay on: First check whether system authorization is complete, whether an error appears, and whether device management policies restrict VPN configurations.
- Connected, but a particular destination fails: Keep the test conditions fixed, compare Global Routing, and check the active Config and relevant connection logs. Don’t start by deleting all your data.
- Each device works on its own, but not when both are in use: Check the device and simultaneous-connection limits of your existing service, and record each test result separately. Don’t assume the iPad landscape layout is the cause.
After transferring your setup, test a manual connection, disconnect and reconnect once, and verify access to a destination. If you need automatic connections, test the On Demand conditions separately. This confirms which steps are working and gives you a reliable baseline when changing networks or adjusting rules later.