· App Store & Purchase · About 8 minutes

Restore Shadowrocket After Switching or Reinstalling: Redownload from Purchased with Your Original Apple ID

Shadowrocket is a one-time purchase tied to your Apple ID. Redownload it from Purchased on a new iPhone or after reinstalling, with no second charge.

At a Glance

This guide is for people who have purchased Shadowrocket and are switching devices or reinstalling the app. Make sure the App Store is signed in with the Apple ID used for the purchase, then redownload it from your purchase history. Restore your existing subscription and Config separately. If the App Store still shows a price, check your purchase history, hidden purchases, and store region before confirming payment.

1. Understand What Your Purchase Covers—and What It Doesn’t

Shadowrocket is a one-time-purchase commercial app distributed exclusively through the App Store. Your purchase is linked to the Apple ID used for the transaction, not just stored on your old iPhone. As long as the original purchase remains valid, the app is available to redownload for that account, and your device is compatible, switching devices or deleting the app does not trigger a second purchase charge.

Redownloading restores the app itself—not your server list, subscription URL, or Config in Home. Deleting the app may also remove its local data. Whether a full-device backup includes what you need depends on the backup and restore method. The cloud download icon in the App Store does not mean your configuration has been backed up.

  • Purchase eligibility: Check your App Store account and purchase history to confirm that you have already paid for the app.
  • Local configuration: Check Home, Config, and Settings in Shadowrocket. You’ll need to prepare a separate source for restoring this data.
  • Service access: Your existing service provider manages this separately. Buying the app does not include a service plan, and redownloading it does not extend your service period.
  • Device requirements: This guide focuses on iPhone and iPad. Refer to the App Store listing for system requirements, compatibility, and whether the purchase is universal.

2. Save Your Configuration Before Switching or Deleting the App

If the app still opens on your old device, note how it’s currently set up before deleting or migrating it. In particular, distinguish data imported from a subscription from details entered manually. Subscription data can usually be retrieved again from your existing subscription; manually entered data may be impossible to recover if you haven’t saved it elsewhere.

  1. Open Home and check whether the items you use came from an existing subscription or were added manually. Save your subscription URL, or retrieve it from your existing provider account. Don’t post a full URL containing access credentials on a public page.
  2. Open Config, note which configuration file is selected, and use the app’s export or share feature to save the configuration you need. Make sure you can locate the saved file before deleting the old app.
  3. Note the current selection under Home → Global Routing and whether Settings → On Demand is enabled. After migrating, connect manually first; restore your automatic connection settings only after verifying the configuration.
  4. For manually added servers, save the protocol, address, port, and authentication details provided by your existing service provider. Enter the port exactly as given; don’t change it to 443 just because TLS is enabled.

3. Redownload from the Original Account’s Purchase History

On newer systems, Apple ID may also appear as Apple Account. Here, “original account” means the account used to purchase the app in the App Store; it may differ from the iCloud account shown at the top of your device. Check Media & Purchases rather than assuming the purchase account is correct because you’re signed in to iCloud.

  1. Check the account used for purchases

    Open Settings → your account at the top → Media & Purchases and check which account is used for purchases. If it isn’t the original purchase account, make sure you can sign in to and verify that account before following the system prompts.

  2. Open your app list

    Open App Store → your account icon in the top-right corner → Apps → My Apps. On some systems, this appears as Purchased → My Purchases. Select the current “Apps” or “Purchased” entry to open your app list.

  3. Find the app

    Search the list for Shadowrocket. To narrow the results, select Not on this iPhone; on iPad, the label reflects the current device. If the app is already installed, you can also look through the full app list.

  4. Redownload the app

    Tap the cloud download button next to the app and complete any required authentication. A normal redownload does not require another purchase. If you’re taken to a purchase confirmation showing a price, cancel and check the items in the next section first.

  5. Verify the app

    Check that the product page lists Shadow Launch Technology Limited as the developer, shows app ID 932747118, and matches the official app icon. To check these details together, visit this site’s App Store verification page.

If your new device is being restored from a full-device backup, the app icon may appear before the App Store finishes downloading the app. An icon that remains in a waiting state doesn’t mean you’ve lost purchase eligibility. Check that your network is working, you have enough storage, and the App Store isn’t waiting for account verification.

4. What to Check If the App Is Missing from Purchased or Still Shows a Price

A price on the product page does not, by itself, mean you need to pay again. First confirm which account originally purchased the app, then check whether the difference is due to a list filter, hidden purchases, or availability in your current store. An empty search result and a missing purchase record are not the same thing.

You bought it, but it’s not in the list. Why?

Clear filters such as Not on this iPhone and search for the full app name. Then open App Store → your account icon → Purchase History and expand the date range; the default range may not include older purchases. You can also check a saved Apple receipt to confirm which account made the purchase.

I’m signed in to the original iCloud account. Why am I being asked to pay?

Open Settings → your account at the top → Media & Purchases and check which account the store is using. Your iCloud account and Media & Purchases account can be different. Once you’ve identified the account that made the purchase, use it to open the App Store purchase list. Don’t sign out of iCloud on the entire device just to troubleshoot this.

Can I recover an app I previously hid?

Open App Store → your account icon → your account name at the top, then look for Hidden Purchases in account settings. Find Shadowrocket and use the option provided to unhide or redownload it, then check your app list again. Hiding an app only changes how it appears in the list; it doesn’t delete the purchase record.

What if I can’t redownload after changing my store region?

Check the original purchase record and the region of the store currently used by your account. Also confirm that the product page is available in that store. A region change may affect what you can redownload; don’t repeatedly switch regions to troubleshoot. If you have a valid transaction but still can’t download the app, gather your order details and use the Apple Support option on your device to check your account and store status.

The download asks me to verify payment information. Does that mean I’m being charged again?

Account verification, billing issues, and whether this app download incurs a charge are separate questions. Read the system prompt and check for any unresolved billing issue; not every payment-information alert means Shadowrocket is a new order. If you see a specific price and purchase confirmation, cancel and check your purchase history.

5. Restore Home and Config After Reinstalling

After opening the app, check whether Home already has a list, then see which file is selected in Config. An empty list doesn’t mean the App Store restore failed; it means the local data you need hasn’t been restored yet. This guide assumes you already have your own service provider and subscription; it doesn’t provide or recommend any service sources.

  1. Restore an existing subscription: Use the subscription URL you previously saved. In Home, tap “+” in the top-right corner → Type → Subscribe, then add and save it. Use the subscription item’s update option to retrieve its contents. If the URL no longer works, check your existing provider account rather than editing its authentication parameters.
  2. Restore manually added items: Choose the appropriate Type based on your original details, then check the address, port, authentication information, transport settings, and TLS parameters one by one. Shadowsocks, VMess, VLESS, Trojan, Hysteria2, and WireGuard use different parameter structures; changing only the protocol name while keeping the other fields is not enough.
  3. Restore Config: Import your saved configuration file into Config and select the file you want to use. Updating a subscription and restoring Config are separate actions. Seeing server entries in Home doesn’t prove that your old rules have been restored.
  4. Restore system authorization: The first time you connect after reinstalling, read the system prompt to add a VPN configuration and authorize it as required. Seeing the authorization prompt again after reinstalling does not mean you need to buy the app again.

If your old Config contains DOMAIN-SUFFIX, GEOIP, IP-CIDR, or FINAL rules, check that the rule contents, order, and target policies are all intact. Don’t overwrite the entire configuration just to “restore the connection.” First make sure the correct file is selected, then investigate individual differences.

6. Verify the Restore with Global Routing

Once you’ve imported your data, select a server you already have in Home and whose status is clear, then check Global Routing. Restoring the app and restoring the routing mode are two separate steps. For testing, use the same network and webpage, and change only one setting at a time so you can tell whether a change comes from the server, the rules, or the network.

Config

Recommended

Routes connections according to the currently selected Config and the matching rules. First make sure the original configuration file and its referenced policies are restored, then use this mode to check your usual routing behavior.

Best for: Checking that everyday rule-based routing works with an existing, valid Config.

Proxy

Sends connections handled by the proxy to the selected proxy, without using the usual routing results in Config as a comparison. Use it only for brief troubleshooting; it doesn’t mean all system traffic will necessarily go through the proxy.

Best for: Briefly distinguishing a server connection problem from a Config rules issue.

Direct

Uses a direct connection for the relevant traffic to check whether your local network can reach the test destination. If a regular webpage opens under Direct, that only confirms a direct route to that destination works; it doesn’t prove the proxy has been restored.

Best for: Comparing against your local network and ruling out basic connectivity problems.

Conclusion: Find the difference first, then restore automatic connections

If the same destination works under Proxy but fails under Config, first check the current Config rules and referenced policies. Once the manual connection is stable, go to Settings → On Demand and restore your previous on-demand connection settings.

7. Keep a Record Before You Finish Migrating

A successful device migration means more than seeing the app icon on your Home Screen. Confirm the purchase account, configuration source, and actual connection results. Record only what you need, such as the account used for the purchase and configuration name. Don’t include full passwords, private keys, or subscription credentials in ordinary notes or public support requests.

  • The App Store is using the original purchase account, and the purchase history confirms a valid Shadowrocket purchase.
  • App identity verified: developer Shadow Launch Technology Limited, app ID 932747118.
  • Existing service configuration has been restored in Home, and the selected file in Config is the expected one.
  • Global Routing is set to the required mode. Enable On Demand only after completing a manual connection test.
  • Configurations you need to keep have been backed up separately. Clean up the old device only after verifying the new one.

If the app redownloads successfully but connections still fail, troubleshoot the configuration and network instead of buying the app again. If there’s a dispute about the purchase record, keep the order details and use Apple’s account support process. Don’t conflate App Store issues with service configuration problems.

Verify the App Store Listing