Shadowrocket on a New iPhone or iPad: iCloud Sync, Config Backup & Restore

At a glance

When moving Shadowrocket to a new device, keep the old device available and handle the app purchase, Config files, and existing Home subscriptions separately. This guide is for users who already have a provider and subscription and are switching to a new iPhone or iPad. Use iCloud sync alongside a separate file backup, then restore and verify each item on the new device. A file appearing in Config does not mean all connection settings have been restored.

1. Separate your purchase, configs, and subscription before migrating

Shadowrocket is a closed-source commercial app purchased once through the App Store. Buying the app does not include a service plan. Your purchase record determines whether you can redownload the app; your provider manages your subscription and service; and files in Config contain settings such as rules and DNS. These are separate items. Restoring your purchase does not recreate subscription credentials.

Check Home, Config, and Settings separately. Do not assume an exported file from Config is a complete app-data backup: whether it includes server details or references remote resources depends on the file itself. On the new device, review your Settings preferences, selected server in Home, and system VPN authorization as well.

3 items

Check separately: purchase record, config file, subscription credentials

2 copies

Recommended: keep the original on the old device and a separate exported copy

932747118

App ID on the App Store product page

Note the name of the currently active file in Config and check for any unsaved edits.
Make sure you can still find the original subscription URL in your own provider account. Don’t rely on a single copy stored only on the old device.
Note the current selection under Home → Global Routing: Proxy, Direct, Config, or Scene. If you use Scene, also record its conditions and associated policies.
Check whether Settings → On Demand is enabled and note its existing triggers. Leave automatic connections off while restoring.

2. Check your account and files before using iCloud sync

iCloud can sync configs across devices signed in to the same Apple Account, but syncing does not preserve a history of every change. Accidental deletion or overwriting may also sync to other devices, so export a separate copy before switching devices. Don’t confuse an iCloud device backup, files stored in iCloud Drive, and in-app config sync; they are separate features.

On the old device, open Settings, go to your Apple Account → iCloud, and check that iCloud Drive is available, you have enough storage, and the app is allowed to use iCloud. Menu labels may vary; follow what appears on your device.
Save the file you’re editing in Shadowrocket’s Config section. If the current interface provides an iCloud config option, enable it and check the file list. Save the config you need to move to iCloud using the controls provided there.
Keep the old device online and wait for sync to finish. Don’t assume it worked just because the option is enabled. Check that the target file appears, opens, and includes your latest edits.
On the new device, sign in to the Apple Account used for that iCloud space and enable the relevant iCloud permissions. Then check for the cloud file in Config. Review its contents before loading it.

If both devices have a config with the same name, don’t edit them back and forth right away. First export and keep the working version from the old device. On the new device, check the rules and DNS before choosing which copy to use. Matching filenames don’t mean the contents match.

3. Export a config file and keep a separate way to restore your subscription

A useful file backup gives you readable config contents—not just a copied config name or remote file URL. On the old device, open Config, find the target file’s action menu, and use the available share or export option. In the system share sheet, choose Save to Files. If the action only creates a link, make sure the actual config contents are saved separately.

Save changes Export the file Check the contents Transfer to the new device Load and verify

Save the config in a Files location you control, using a filename that makes its purpose clear, such as home-rules-backup.conf. Don’t overwrite the only copy you’ve verified works.
Preview the exported file. Make sure it isn’t empty, and check that the sections you actually use—such as [General] and [Rule]—and any custom content are present. Not every config needs the same sections.
If your config references remote rules or other remote resources, note their source and access requirements. Exporting the main config does not guarantee that remote content is included.
Transfer the file using an iCloud Drive location you control or AirDrop between your devices. Once the new device receives it, use the Shadowrocket option in the share sheet, if available, or the file import option in Config to load it.

Keep existing subscriptions organized separately, too. Subscription URLs often contain access credentials. For example, https://example.com/sub?token=xxxx is a fictitious example and cannot be used for recovery. Don’t include a real URL in public screenshots or support posts. Store it somewhere secure that you control, and make sure you can still access your provider account.

Bottom line: verify the backup by opening the file on the new device

After exporting, open the copy on the new device and check a rule you’ve edited yourself. Verifying the file this way before dealing with the old device is more reliable than checking its name alone.

4. Redownload the app from the App Store, then restore your config and subscription

On your new iPhone or iPad, open the App Store and verify the product name Shadowrocket, its official icon, developer Shadow Launch Technology Limited, and app ID 932747118. The App Store is the only place to get the app. Check the App Store listing for system requirements and universal purchase availability.

Check your purchase account: Find Shadowrocket in your App Store account’s Purchased section or app list. Use the account that originally purchased it. Verify separately which account you use for App Store purchases and which you use for iCloud sync.
Redownload the app: If the store recognizes your purchase, use its redownload option. If you see a price, check your account and purchase history first; buying it again is not a config recovery step.
Load your config: Open Config and select the synced or imported file. Review its contents, then set it as the active config. A file appearing in the list and a file being enabled are two different things.
Restore your existing subscription: If your Home list hasn’t returned, add the original subscription URL from your saved copy and update it. An update fetches what the provider currently returns, which may differ from the list cached on the old device.
Restore your connection setup: In Home, select a server and choose the appropriate Global Routing mode. Choose Config to use the rules in your file. If you previously used Scene, check its conditions before restoring it.
Complete system authorization: The first time you connect, follow the system prompt to allow adding a VPN configuration. Authorization on the old device does not replace approval on the new one.

If a manually added server isn’t in your exported file and can’t be recovered from a subscription, restore it using the details you saved. For Trojan, check Address, Port, Password, and SNI individually instead of copying only the display name. Don’t change Port to 443 just because it’s common in examples; use the value from your original config.

5. Verify rules, DNS, and automatic connections in order

After migrating, test a manual connection before checking automatic connections. This helps distinguish config issues from On Demand trigger issues. The following syntax is an example for checking rule text, not a complete working config. The policy referenced by PROXY must exist in your actual config, and the example domain is not a service endpoint.

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

Check the routing mode first: Rules in the current config are applied only when Home → Global Routing is set to Config. Proxy and Direct do not indicate that rules have been restored. If you use Scene, check that the correct scene is selected.
Check rule order: DOMAIN-SUFFIX matches domain suffixes, IP-CIDR matches IP ranges, and FINAL handles requests not matched by earlier rules. Moving FINAL up may prevent later rules from taking effect.
Check DNS: Compare the actual settings under [General], such as dns-server, in the old and new files. If domain access fails but tests using a direct address behave differently, that’s a reason to investigate DNS resolution—not proof of the cause by itself.
Check dependent resources: If remote rules need updating, make sure the new device can reach their URLs. Policy names referenced in the config must match the names that are actually available.
Restore On Demand last: After manual connection and rule tests pass, go to Settings → On Demand and restore the conditions you need. Check what happens when switching between Wi-Fi and cellular.

Change one thing at a time during verification. Record which config and Global Routing mode you used, what you tried to access, and what happened. This makes issues easier to diagnose than simply noting “can’t connect.” Before wrapping up, test at least one destination that should connect directly and one that should use a proxy policy.

6. Common questions about restoring on a new device

Why can’t I find my config in iCloud on the new phone when it’s on the old one?

First check that both devices use the same Apple Account for iCloud, then check iCloud Drive, app permissions, and available storage. A local file in Config on the old device isn’t necessarily saved to the cloud. Export a separate copy before troubleshooting sync so you don’t lose the only copy.

Why is Home still empty when Config already has a file?

Check whether the imported file contains only rules and DNS, without server details. If so, add and update the subscription using your saved URL; restore manually entered servers from their original details. Reimporting the same rules file won’t populate the Home list.

Why does it connect after restoring, but route traffic differently from the old device?

Check which file is active in Config, then confirm that Home → Global Routing is set to the mode you expect. Compare custom rule order, FINAL, and DNS settings. If you use Scene, check whether the current network has triggered a different scene.

The new device works. Can I erase the old one now?

First verify subscription updates, manual connections, rule routing, and any On Demand conditions you need on the new device, and keep a separate config file. Once you’ve confirmed that you can retrieve your subscription credentials from your own account, clean up the old device according to your personal device plan.

If you can no longer access the old device, you can only recover data that remains in iCloud, file copies, or your provider account. Redownloading the app won’t recreate local changes that were never backed up. Gather the files and credentials you still have, then restore each item carefully to avoid overwriting cloud data with a blank config.