If you bought Shadowrocket on your iPhone, you can usually redownload it from the App Store’s Purchased list on your iPad using the same Apple ID, without buying the app again. Purchase history, configuration files, subscription data, and system VPN authorization are separate. Follow the steps below to restore the purchase, identify the iPad layout, transfer settings, and test the connection. You’ll need your own provider account and subscription.
Same Apple ID: Check your purchase history before handling configurations
Shadowrocket is a closed-source commercial app sold as a one-time purchase for both iPhone and iPad. The App Store is the only place to get it. “Shared purchase” here means redownloading the app on your own devices with the same Apple ID used for the purchase. It does not mean app data is automatically shared between devices or that your provider permits simultaneous connections. Buying the app does not include a service plan.
Check the “Media & Purchases” account used for the App Store—not just the iCloud account at the top of Settings. They may be different accounts. Being able to open the app on your iPhone only confirms that it’s installed; it doesn’t confirm that your iPad is using the Apple ID that made the purchase.
Bottom line: Check the Apple ID before deciding whether to pay
If the App Store shows a price instead of a redownload button, first check the Apple ID used for the original purchase and its purchase history. Don’t pay again as a way to restore an existing purchase.
Redownload Shadowrocket on iPad from Purchased
Redownloading requires the app to be available in your current App Store storefront and your device to meet its compatibility requirements. Check the App Store listing for system requirements. Depending on your OS version, the account menu may say “Apps,” “My Apps,” or “Purchased.” Open the list of apps you’ve bought; the payment history page isn’t the place to download apps.
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Check the Apple ID
On the device used for the original purchase, open Settings → your account at the top → “Media & Purchases” and confirm the Apple ID used to buy the app. Then check the same path on your iPad. Don’t assume the iCloud account is also the purchasing account.
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Open Purchased
On your iPad, open App Store → your account picture in the top-right corner → “Apps” or “Purchased.” If you see “My Apps” on the next screen, open your app list. The exact menu path depends on what your device displays.
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Find the app
Search for Shadowrocket in your purchased apps. If there’s a “Not on this iPad” filter, use it to narrow the list. Otherwise, search the full list.
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Verify, then download
Confirm the developer is Shadow Launch Technology Limited and the app ID is 932747118, then tap the cloud download button. After installation, the product page should show “Open,” not ask you to buy the app again.
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Open Shadowrocket
Launch the app and check the existing content in Home and Config. The first time you connect, iOS may ask to add a VPN configuration. Review the prompt and follow the system steps to authorize it; authorization on another device does not apply to this iPad.
iPad landscape layout: Find features in Home, Config, and Settings
The iPad’s wider screen changes the layout, but use page and field names to find your way around. Landscape mode, Split View, and window size can affect list width, line wrapping, and how much content is visible. Avoid relying on instructions like “tap the third button in the bottom-right corner” across devices. If a screenshot doesn’t match your screen, open the corresponding page and look for the feature by name.
Use Home to view the server list, select a connection target, and control the connection; Config to manage and select configuration files; and Settings to adjust app preferences. Global Routing sets how traffic is routed—it is not a subscription type. Seeing servers in Home doesn’t mean the same configuration as on your iPhone is selected in Config.
| Where to look | What to check | Common point of confusion |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Selected server, connection switch, Global Routing | A server appearing in the list doesn’t mean it’s selected |
| Config | Currently active configuration file and its rules | Matching file names don’t guarantee matching file contents |
| Settings → On Demand | Whether it’s enabled on this device and its existing triggers | Automatic connection triggers don’t fix connection settings |
| Server details | Type, address, port, and protocol-specific fields | A subscription group name is not a protocol type |
To compare settings with your iPhone, open the app full-screen on your iPad and check fields with the same names before using Split View. Rotating the screen won’t change Proxy to Config or switch your provider’s plan. If behavior differs, check the settings actually selected rather than guessing from the layout.
Syncing settings: Keep purchases, subscriptions, and rules separate
Using the same Apple ID restores your eligibility to download the app; it does not guarantee that app data will sync. An empty list the first time you open Shadowrocket on iPad doesn’t mean purchase restoration failed. Even if device migration or an available in-app sync feature brings over some data, check each item. Don’t assume passwords, current selections, or device authorization are all the same.
Subscriptions usually update the server list, while configuration files in Config may contain rules and other network settings. Adding a subscription again is not a substitute for fully copying your iPhone configuration. Rule policies may also depend on existing servers or policy groups. After transferring a file on its own, make sure its references still work on the iPad.
- Purchase history: Check in the App Store to confirm whether you can redownload the app under your existing purchase.
- Subscription and servers: Check in Home that your existing link has been added and that the expected entries appear after updating.
- Configuration file: Check in Config. Review the rule order and policy references, not just the file name.
- Device settings: Check Global Routing, Settings → On Demand, and system VPN authorization on this iPad. Don’t use another device’s status as a substitute.
For example, DOMAIN-SUFFIX matches domain suffixes, IP-CIDR matches IP ranges, GEOIP matches IP geolocation, and FINAL handles requests that didn’t match any earlier rule. The presence of these keywords doesn’t guarantee a configuration is correct. Confirm that the target policy is available and test how an actual request is matched.
Add a subscription again: Check the link before updating
The steps below are for users who already have their own provider subscription. Get the complete link from your own saved records, and make sure it hasn’t expired or been revoked and wasn’t truncated when copied. Don’t use a server name shown on screen in place of the subscription URL, and don’t edit its authentication parameters.
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Get the original link
Copy your complete subscription URL. Make sure there are no leading or trailing spaces or line breaks. The token in the link is authentication information; don’t show it in public screenshots.
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Add the subscription
Go to Home → “+” in the top-right corner → Type → Subscribe. Paste the complete link into the URL field, check it, and save. Subscribe is not a server protocol type.
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Update the list
Return to Home and update the subscription. If you pull down on the list to refresh, wait for the update to finish, then check the entries under that subscription. Saving the link doesn’t mean the subscription data was retrieved successfully.
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Check the results
Select the expected server and check its Type and required settings. If an entry is missing or the update fails, first check network access, link validity, and any device limits set by your provider. Don’t keep adding duplicate subscriptions.
A subscription update may change entry names, addresses, or the number of entries. If the iPhone and iPad were updated at different times, their lists may temporarily differ. That alone doesn’t mean importing failed on either device. Update both subscriptions first, then check whether the currently selected server is still listed.
Whether you can use an existing subscription on two devices at once depends on your provider’s account terms and connection limits, not how many times you bought the app. If one device works on its own but drops when both connect, note the conditions and check the account limits. Don’t assume the iPad’s landscape layout is the cause.
Routing modes: Separate everyday use from temporary testing
In Home → Global Routing, first check the current selection. Config, Proxy, Direct, and Scene are not four subscriptions or four protocols. The three routing modes below are useful for basic checks. If Scene is selected, also review its scene settings; don’t assume it behaves like Config based on its name alone.
Config
RecommendedRequests follow the policies in the current configuration. Check rules such as FINAL to see how unmatched requests are handled. After transferring settings, make sure the intended configuration is active—not just present in the list.
Best for: Everyday use with verified rules that route traffic as configured.
Proxy
Routes requests handled by the app through the proxy. This can help rule selection out as a factor during a temporary test. It won’t fix an incorrect address, port, or authentication details, and it doesn’t prove that all app traffic uses the same route.
Best for: Temporarily testing the selected server to distinguish a proxy connection issue from a rules issue.
Direct
Routes requests handled by the app directly, without forwarding them through a proxy server. If a site opens in Direct, that only confirms the direct-connection test worked; it doesn’t confirm that a server in your subscription is available.
Best for: Checking the basic network connection to see whether the issue also occurs on a direct route.
Bottom line: Change one variable at a time
On the same network, test the same request with Direct and Proxy, then switch back to Config to check the rules. Don’t change servers, update configurations, and enable On Demand all at once, or you won’t know which change affected the result.
After transferring: Verify that Shadowrocket works independently on iPad
After downloading and importing, run a complete test on the iPad itself. The system VPN status is a useful connection indicator, but it doesn’t replace testing a target request. A latency test returning a result doesn’t prove that every protocol setting, rule, or destination is correct. Keep a checklist without sensitive information to compare with your iPhone.
- Purchase check: Shadowrocket opens from the App Store, and the purchase account matches the original record.
- Data check: The subscription update in Home has finished and the intended server is selected; the right file is active in Config.
- Routing check: Note the Global Routing selection and test the expected direct and proxy behavior with a destination you normally use.
- Authorization check: Confirm that this iPad has authorized the system VPN configuration. If the connection fails, review the app’s message before checking the settings.
- Automatic connection check: After confirming that a manual connection is stable, go to Settings → On Demand, check the switch and triggers, and confirm they work as expected.
If Shadowrocket works on your iPhone but not your iPad, compare the Apple ID, subscription update times, selected server, configuration contents, and Global Routing one by one. Even on the same Wi-Fi network, the two devices may have different local settings. Check these differences first, then consider provider device limits or network conditions to narrow down the issue.
Verify the official App Store listing
Before redownloading, check the developer name, Shadow Launch Technology Limited, app ID 932747118, and the Apple ID used for the original purchase. Check the App Store listing for system requirements. An existing purchase does not automatically transfer configurations or subscriptions.