If you already bought Shadowrocket on your iPhone, first check which Apple ID is used for App Store purchases on your iPad, then redownload it from your purchase history. This guide covers restoring a purchase, using the app in landscape, transferring subscriptions and Config files, and testing the connection. Check the app purchase separately from access to your service, and establish and test a connection on the iPad after transferring your setup.
1. Redownload with the same Apple ID
Shadowrocket is a paid app available exclusively on the App Store, sold as a one-time purchase. If you bought it with the same Apple ID and the purchase is still valid, you can usually redownload it on a compatible iPad without paying for the app again. Check the App Store listing for the original price, system requirements, and compatibility.
The account to check is the one used for App Store purchases—not necessarily the iCloud account signed in on your iPad. They can be different. If the product page shows a price, check your purchase history before assuming you need to buy the app again.
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Check your purchase account
Open the App Store, tap the account icon in the upper-right corner, and make sure the account matches the Apple ID used to purchase Shadowrocket. To verify further, check the account used for store purchases under Apple Account → Media & Purchases in Settings.
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Open your purchased apps
On your App Store account page, go to Apps → My Apps. Depending on your system version, this may appear as Purchased. Find Shadowrocket, switching to the Not on this iPad list if needed. Menu names may vary by system version.
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Verify the app listing
Open the product page and check the name Shadowrocket, developer Shadow Launch Technology Limited, and App ID
932747118. Don’t rely on similar names or icons in search results alone. -
Redownload the app
Tap the cloud download button and complete any verification requested by the App Store. If the button still shows a price, go back and check the Apple ID used for the original purchase, your purchase history, and the store’s availability before proceeding.
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Check the app after opening
Open Shadowrocket and check whether Home contains any entries and Config contains a configuration. An empty list doesn’t mean the purchase failed; purchase history doesn’t automatically create a subscription or provide connection details from a service provider.
2. Landscape changes the layout, not the configuration
In landscape, the iPad has a wider content area, and lists and editing panels may appear differently depending on screen size, window width, and the current app view. Don’t navigate by memorizing button positions from iPhone; look for Home, Config, and Settings by name. A narrower window may switch the layout back to a more compact arrangement.
Bottom line: follow section names, not button positions
First check the selected entry in Home, then review the active configuration in Config. After rotating the screen, check which item is selected again; a visible entry doesn’t necessarily mean it’s enabled.
- Home: Check service entries, the current selection, and the connection switch. Seeing an entry in the list only means the data is there; it doesn’t mean a connection has been established.
- Config: Check the active configuration and its rules. After importing a configuration file, make sure the intended file is selected.
- Settings: Review app behavior. To connect on demand, go to Settings → On Demand. During your first connection test, avoid automatic triggers that could interfere with manual testing.
- Editing in landscape: Long domains, rules, and parameters are easier to read, but you still need to save your changes. Leaving the editor or rotating the screen doesn’t confirm that your changes were saved.
Landscape doesn’t change what DOMAIN-SUFFIX, IP-CIDR, or FINAL means, and it won’t automatically select a different route for you. If access changes after rotating the screen, first check whether you selected a different entry, Config, or Global Routing setting instead of attributing the change to screen orientation.
3. Transfer subscriptions, configuration files, and system permissions separately
Before transferring, sort the details into three groups: service entries and subscription sources in Home, routing configurations in Config, and device behavior in Settings. Redownloading the app is separate from restoring these items. Don’t assume that signing in with the same Apple ID will automatically sync all content and connection status.
| What to transfer | What to check on iPad | Commonly missed details |
|---|---|---|
| Subscriptions and service entries | Subscription groups, entries, and update results in Home | An existing entry may not include a subscription source that can still be updated |
| Routing configuration | Configuration files, selected file, and rule order in Config | Adding a subscription alone doesn’t transfer custom rules |
| Authentication details | Address, port, password or UUID, and protocol-specific parameters | Keep the complete set of parameters together; copying only the address isn’t enough |
| System settings and automatic connection | VPN configuration permission and Settings → On Demand | System permission on the original device doesn’t replace approval on this iPad |
Restore your subscription first, then check Config
In Home on your iPad, tap “+” in the upper-right corner → Type → Subscribe. Enter the subscription URL from your provider, save it, and update the subscription. Then check that the group and entries appear. Adding the URL successfully and retrieving subscription content are two separate checks; saving alone isn’t enough.
- Make sure the full URL is intact, especially its query parameters and credentials. Don’t paste subscription credentials into public messages, notes, or screenshot captions.
- If you have manually added entries on your old device, check each protocol and its authentication details. Shadowsocks, VMess, VLESS, Trojan, Hysteria2, and WireGuard use different parameter formats; matching display names don’t prove that two entries are equivalent.
- To keep a custom Config, use the app’s configuration sharing or export option. Transfer the file through a location you control or with AirDrop, then import it in Config on your iPad and select it.
- After importing, check that remote rule references, policy names, and referenced service entries are still valid. Configuration files may contain sensitive information, so limit who can access them during transfer and storage.
When you first turn on the connection, follow the iPadOS prompt to allow adding a VPN configuration and complete any authentication required on this device. This creates a system configuration for this iPad only; it doesn’t change which Apple ID owns the App Store purchase or confirm that your provider allows additional simultaneous connections.
4. Match Global Routing before comparing results
After moving from iPhone to iPad, different results for the same entry may be caused by different Global Routing settings. The options below are three common settings in Shadowrocket. Before choosing one, make sure the entry and Config contents are correct. Scene switches routing behavior according to configured conditions; for your initial transfer test, use a clear, fixed option to reduce variables.
Config
RecommendedRoutes requests according to the rules in the active configuration. Requests matching DIRECT connect directly; requests matching a proxy policy follow that policy. The final result also depends on how FINAL is configured.
Best for: everyday rule-based routing and reproducing results after checking the configuration
Proxy
Routes requests handled by the app through a proxy instead of deciding their destination using regular routing rules. This can help test whether the selected proxy works, but it doesn’t verify that the rules in Config are correct.
Best for: temporarily isolating rule effects and checking the proxy connection itself
Direct
Routes requests handled by the app directly. If access works again, continue checking the proxy path and rules; don’t conclude that there’s a problem with the app installation.
Best for: establishing a direct local-network baseline to distinguish network issues from proxy issues
Bottom line: use the same fixed conditions on both devices first
Use the same network, service entry, Global Routing setting, and Config on both devices, then test the same destination on each. After confirming the baseline, enable automatic behavior such as Scene or On Demand.
Check the transfer with a small set of rules
This example shows the order of two rules only; it isn’t a complete configuration. If your current configuration has other rules, check a copy rather than overwriting the original. In this example, example.com and its subdomains match DIRECT; all other requests use the PROXY specified by FINAL. The actual PROXY route must also be valid in the current configuration.
DOMAIN-SUFFIX,example.com,DIRECT
FINAL,PROXYRules are matched from top to bottom, with FINAL at the end as a fallback. When transferring a configuration that uses IP-CIDR or GEOIP, also check DNS and the relevant rule conditions. Comparing entry names alone can’t guarantee that domain resolution and final rule matches will be the same on both devices.
5. Test the first connection step by step
The goal is to confirm that the iPad can connect on its own, not to make the numbers displayed on both devices match exactly. iPhone and iPad may differ in wireless conditions, foreground apps, and network status; a single latency reading doesn’t prove whether the configuration transfer succeeded.
- Establish a direct-connection baseline: Turn off the connection, then open a site in Safari that normally works without a proxy. If it still won’t load, check Wi-Fi sign-in, the router, or your local network first.
- Confirm the current selection: Select the intended entry in Home and check Global Routing. If you’re using Config, also make sure the intended file is selected there.
- Turn on the connection manually: Complete system authorization and wait for the status to stabilize, then visit a consistent test destination. Don’t update the subscription, switch entries, and change rules all at once.
- Check the request result: Review the destination, matched rule, and error details in the app’s connection or log records. For an authentication error, check the service entry’s parameters; if only one domain has issues, check the rules and DNS first.
- Enable automatic connection afterward: Once the manual connection works, go to Settings → On Demand and set the conditions you need. Then switch networks to verify that the expected triggers work.
6. Common questions about restoring purchases and using landscape
I bought Shadowrocket on my iPhone. Why does my iPad still show a price?
First check the Apple ID currently used for App Store purchases, then review the original purchase history and verify the app listing. If the purchase appears but you still can’t restore it, use the App Store’s purchase support process. An iCloud sign-in match doesn’t guarantee that the store purchase account is the same; don’t pay again just to test.
Do I need a separate subscription or set of rules for iPad landscape?
Screen orientation alone doesn’t require a different subscription or set of rules. Whether you can add a device or connect multiple devices at once depends on the terms of your existing service. Configure rules for your routing needs, not for landscape or portrait orientation.
Home is empty after redownloading. Does that mean my purchase is invalid?
An empty Home means the connection data hasn’t been restored; it doesn’t mean the purchase is invalid. Get the subscription from your provider and import it, then restore any Config files you need. Check the app purchase history separately from the subscription credentials.
Can my iPad simply use the connection status from my iPhone?
A connection on another device doesn’t prove that this iPad is connected. The iPad needs its own system authorization, valid configuration, and network connection. You can transfer configuration data, but the VPN session and system authorization must be set up separately on this device.
Check how to restore your App Store purchase
First verify the Shadowrocket listing and purchase account, then restore your subscription and configuration on iPad. The purchase guide lists the details to check for the genuine app; the setup guide covers the first connection. Shadowrocket is available exclusively through the App Store.
Go to the app verification guide View the guide