How to Use Shadowrocket on iPad: Restore Your Purchase with the Same Apple ID and Understand the Landscape Layout

At a glance

If you’ve already bought Shadowrocket on iPhone, first check that your iPad uses the same Apple ID for App Store purchases, then restore the app from your purchase history. Restoring the purchase does not transfer your setup: check your own subscription, current Config, Global Routing, and VPN permission separately. This guide walks first-time iPad users through getting the app, navigating in landscape, importing a subscription, and checking the connection.

Same Apple ID: Check Your Purchase History First

Shadowrocket is a paid app distributed through the App Store, sold as a one-time purchase. After buying it on iPhone, you can usually restore it from your App Store purchase history on iPad using the Apple ID that made the purchase. You shouldn’t need to buy it again just because you’re using a different device. Check the App Store listing for system requirements and the latest details on purchase compatibility.

“Same Apple ID” means the account used for App Store purchases. The iCloud account shown at the top of Settings doesn’t by itself confirm that the App Store is signed in with the account that bought the app. If the store still shows a price, check the account and purchase history before confirming another purchase.

Check the purchasing account

On iPhone, open your App Store account page and confirm that Shadowrocket appears in your purchase history. Then, on iPad, go to Settings and check that the account under Apple Account → Media & Purchases matches.
Find your purchase history

On iPad, open App Store → your account icon → Apps or Purchased to look for Shadowrocket. Menu names may vary by system version; follow what appears on your device.
Verify the App Store listing

Open the product page and check the developer, Shadow Launch Technology Limited, the official app icon, and app ID 932747118. To find the listing, start with this site’s App Store authenticity check.
Get the app and open it for the first time

Use the redownload button in your purchase history. Once the app is installed, open Shadowrocket and check whether Home already contains any server entries. Installing the app doesn’t mean your service is configured.

iPad in Landscape: Find the Right Section, Then Check Lists and Details

The key actions on iPad and iPhone still revolve around Home, Config, and Settings. Landscape gives you more horizontal space, but that doesn’t mean every screen is always split into two fixed columns. The layout depends on window width, system display settings, and the current screen. In a narrower window, you may need to open a list item to view its details.

When switching from iPhone to iPad, find features by their section names rather than by where they appeared on screen. Especially in landscape or after resizing a window, first identify whether you’re viewing the server list, the configuration list, or an editing screen. Then save or switch items as needed.

Home

Check servers, the connection toggle, and Global Routing

Config

Check configuration files and their rules

Settings

Check app settings and On Demand

Screen	What to check on iPhone	What to check on iPad in landscape
Home	Scroll the list and check the selected server and connection status.	Use the wider display to identify names, but open each entry to check its full parameters.
Config	Distinguish the file list, file contents, and editing state.	Even when more content is visible at once, make sure you know which file is active—not just which one you’re reading.
Settings	Open each setting one level at a time.	Look for the same section name. Don’t assume that details visible in a wide layout mean a new setting has been saved.

Bottom line: Check the current screen state

After rotating to landscape, confirm the current section and selected item before changing a setting. Rotating the screen changes the available display space; it doesn’t transfer configurations or enable rules.

First-time setup: Add your subscription and authorize the VPN separately

Being able to restore the app with the same purchasing account doesn’t mean your iPhone’s server list, configuration files, and local settings will automatically appear on iPad. Check what’s actually there when you first open the app. If Home is empty, import your existing subscription rather than adding the same source more than once.

Import an existing subscription: Home → “+” in the upper-right corner → Type → Subscribe. Enter your own subscription URL and save. Use a link from a service you already have; a webpage URL is not a subscription URL.
Check the import: Return to Home and confirm that server entries appear, then select the one you want to use. A subscription name without any selectable servers doesn’t mean the import succeeded.
Approve the first VPN request: When you turn on the connection, the system may ask to add a VPN configuration. Check the app name and follow the system prompts to approve it. This is a local action on your iPad and won’t happen automatically just because you approved it on iPhone.
Refresh the subscription: Update the existing subscription after importing it or when its contents change, then check that the list has refreshed. If the update fails, check the URL, network, and service status instead of repeatedly creating the same subscription.

When editing a server, its protocol and parameters must match the information from your service provider. Shadowsocks, VMess, VLESS, Trojan, Hysteria2, and WireGuard are not interchangeable labels; changing the Type won’t convert the server to a different protocol. Don’t guess the port, password, key, or transport parameters from a server name shown on another device.

Global Routing: Check Each Device Separately

On each device, go to Home → Global Routing and check the current mode. Even if iPad and iPhone use servers with the same name, different Global Routing modes or active Config files can produce different results. The comparison below explains how Shadowrocket handles traffic; it is not an assessment of service quality.

Config

Recommended

Routes traffic according to the active configuration’s rules. For traffic that doesn’t match an earlier rule, check the final rule rather than assuming it connects directly.

Best for: Everyday use with a verified configuration file and rule-based routing.

Proxy

Sends traffic handled by the app through the selected proxy route, without deciding its destination through Config’s individual routing rules. This can help distinguish a rules issue from a server connection issue.

Best for: Short-term troubleshooting and comparing how the same server behaves in different modes.

Direct

Connects traffic handled by the app directly, without routing it through the selected proxy server. Turning on the connection doesn’t mean that this traffic is using the selected server.

Best for: Comparing results with direct access over your local network.

Scene

Applies settings based on the configured scene conditions. Check what the scene does before using it; it isn’t simply another name for Config, Proxy, or Direct.

Best for: Setups where scene conditions have already been configured and tested.

For a useful comparison, keep the network, server, and test page the same, and change only one mode at a time. If Proxy works but Config doesn’t, check the Config rules. If both fail, check the server parameters, network, and service status before changing rules repeatedly.

Config and On Demand: Check What’s Actually Active After Setup

Seeing a file in Config doesn’t mean it’s the file currently in use. First check which configuration is active, then review the rule order. The examples below illustrate rule keywords and how to work through them from top to bottom; they aren’t a complete configuration you can apply to every setup.

DOMAIN-SUFFIX,example.com,DIRECT
IP-CIDR,192.168.0.0/16,DIRECT
GEOIP,CN,DIRECT
FINAL,PROXY

DOMAIN-SUFFIX matches domain suffixes. This example routes the specified domain and its subdomains directly; check which domains to use for your own setup.
IP-CIDR matches an IP range. 192.168.0.0/16 is an example of a private address range; not every local network uses only this range.
GEOIP matches IP geolocation data. Results depend on the destination IP and the data source; a website’s text language alone doesn’t tell you where its IP is located.
FINAL handles traffic that didn’t match an earlier rule. This example uses PROXY; if your configuration uses DIRECT, the final route will be different.

Next, go to Settings → On Demand and check whether it’s enabled and which trigger conditions are saved. On Demand starts connections based on conditions; it doesn’t choose the right server for you or fix incorrect subscription contents. If the connection starts automatically after you turn it off, check these settings first instead of repeatedly deleting configurations.

Bottom line: Confirm the manual connection first

For your initial setup, first confirm that manual connections and rule behavior work as expected. Then check the On Demand trigger conditions. This makes it easier to distinguish connection problems from automatic connection behavior.

Common iPad Issues: Start with the Relevant Section

I already bought it on iPhone. Why does iPad still show a price?

First compare the accounts used for Media & Purchases on both devices, then check your purchase history on iPad in the App Store account page. If you’ve confirmed it’s the account that made the purchase but still can’t restore the app, check the App Store listing and purchase receipt. Don’t pay again based only on the iCloud accounts matching.

The app is installed, so why is Home empty?

Restoring the app doesn’t automatically import an existing service. First confirm that there are no server entries, then add your existing subscription via Home → “+” → Type → Subscribe. Once it’s added, check the list contents and selected server.

Can’t find the same controls in landscape as on iPhone?

Find controls by their names—Home, Config, and Settings—not by their old screen positions. Exit the current editing screen and check the section. If the window is narrow, widen it before checking lists and details so you don’t save changes to the wrong item.

It works on iPhone, but turning on the connection on iPad doesn’t help. Why?

Compare the server parameters, Home → Global Routing, and the active file in Config in that order. Then check your iPad’s network and VPN permission. Also check your provider’s simultaneous connection limits. Keep the conditions consistent and change one thing at a time to identify the cause.

Can both devices stay connected at the same time?

The app purchase and the number of simultaneous service connections are separate issues. Check with your provider how many devices and connections your plan allows. If one device disconnects when both are in use, try keeping just one connected to compare; don’t assume it’s an iPad landscape issue.

After checking, confirm at least four things: the purchase history is under the original account, Home has the correct server, Global Routing and the active Config match your expectations, and the iPad has system authorization. Check in the same order when you change networks or update a subscription. There’s no need to rebuild the whole setup just because the landscape layout looks different.