Shadowrocket Backup and Restore on a New iPhone: iCloud Sync and Config Export

1. Know what carries over: purchases, servers, and Config

A Shadowrocket purchase and the app’s data are separate. Redownloading a previously purchased app from the App Store on a new device does not automatically restore the servers in Home, rule files in Config, or preferences in Settings. Check each of these separately during migration.

An app purchase does not include a service plan. Get your subscription URL from your service provider; switching devices or reinstalling the app does not reset your service period or server credentials. Shadowrocket is a closed-source commercial app for Apple platforms, primarily iPhone and iPad. Check the App Store listing for system requirements and purchase availability.

2. Back up the old device: review, export, and record

On the old device, check Home to see which servers came from a subscription and which were added manually. Then open Config and note which file is selected. Don’t rely on the filename alone: files with the same name can contain different rules. If you regularly edit your configuration, save the actual version in use rather than just the original remote URL.

1. Record the current setup. In Home, note the selected server and whether Global Routing is set to Config, Proxy, Direct, or Scene. If you use Scene, record its conditions too—not just the mode name.
2. Save the current Config. Open Config, select the active file, and use the available share or export option to save a copy. The exact menu may vary; use the options shown in the app, and don’t mistake Delete for Export.
3. Note external dependencies. Check whether remote rule resources referenced by the configuration are still accessible, and save any resources that exist only on the device separately. Exporting a Config file does not bundle every resource it references.
4. Keep the subscription and manual server details. Save the complete original subscription URL, and record every field for manually added servers. A server’s display name alone is not enough to restore its authentication details.
5. Keep the old device for now. Don’t remove its data until you have checked the connection, rules, and automatic connection behavior on the new device.

3. iCloud sync: check the account, then verify the data

Whether iCloud sync works depends on the device’s iCloud account, iCloud Drive status, app permissions, and available storage. The account used for App Store purchases may differ from the one used for iCloud: one determines your purchase history, while the other determines where cloud data is stored. Check them separately when troubleshooting.

1. On the old device, open the Apple Account page in system Settings, go to iCloud, and confirm that iCloud Drive is on and has available storage. If Shadowrocket appears in the app permissions list, make sure it is allowed to access iCloud.
2. Return to Settings in Shadowrocket and check which iCloud options are available in the app. Enable them only if the app provides that option, and don’t assume a full-device system backup means in-app sync has completed.
3. Keep the old device online, and avoid editing the same Config on both devices at once. If the app shows a sync status or cloud file list, verify the result there rather than assuming a specific wait time.
4. On the new device, sign in to the corresponding iCloud account and check the same permissions. Then open Shadowrocket and review the available content. Compare Config file contents with the Home list; don’t check only the number of files.

Don’t assume iCloud includes every server credential, every Settings toggle, or system VPN authorization. Seeing a Config file confirms only that the file is accessible; verify the server list and other settings separately. If the app has no relevant sync option, restore from the exported file and original subscription URL instead.

4. Export Config: verify the file, not just its name

Config controls configuration behavior, but it is not necessarily a complete backup of Home data. A file may contain rules, DNS settings, policies, or server definitions, or it may simply reference other resources. Check the exported file itself to see what it contains. Reviewing its text is more reliable than just confirming it was saved.

1. On the old device, open the available actions for the current file in Config and use Share or Export to save it in a location you control in the system Files app. Saving it to iCloud Drive is file storage; verify that separately from in-app sync.
2. Open the saved file and check that it is neither empty nor a login page or error message. Make sure it includes your edited rules and the addresses of any referenced resources.
3. On the new device, open the file using an available local import option in Config or a Shadowrocket option in the system share sheet. Follow the actions actually shown, then check the imported content again.
4. Select the imported Config explicitly. Adding a file to the list does not make it the active configuration. To run its rules, go to Home → Global Routing and select Config.

The example below illustrates rule structure; it is not a complete configuration or a recommended replacement for your existing rules. Rules are evaluated from top to bottom. Before copying them into your file, make sure the policy names exist and suit their intended purpose.

[Rule]
DOMAIN-SUFFIX,example.com,DIRECT
IP-CIDR,192.168.0.0/16,DIRECT,no-resolve
GEOIP,CN,DIRECT
FINAL,PROXY

DOMAIN-SUFFIX matches domain suffixes, IP-CIDR matches address ranges, GEOIP checks geographic IP assignments, and FINAL handles traffic that did not match an earlier rule. After migration, check the order of these rules and their policy targets. If your configuration references policy groups, also verify that their members match servers available on the new device.

5. Restore subscriptions and manual servers separately

Reimport a subscription when you can retrieve the server list again from its original URL. Get a valid link from your service provider, then use an available add option in Home on the new device. Updating a subscription retrieves its current remote content, so the new list may differ from the backup. Check service status and required parameters rather than expecting the display order to match exactly.

For example, if the old server’s Port is 443, enter the same value on the new device; don’t change it just because you switched devices. 443 is only an example, not a default for every server. VMess, VLESS, Trojan, and Shadowsocks use different authentication and transport fields. Restore each one from your old records or the parameters provided by your service provider.

• Subscription URL is truncated: Copy the original URL again and check for leading or trailing spaces, line breaks, and missing query parameters.
• The list is empty after updating: First confirm that the subscription is still valid with your service provider, then check the message shown in the app. Don’t immediately delete records that still work on the old device.
• Local names or parameters were changed: A remote update may recreate the affected entries. Before restoring, note why you changed them; check again after updating, and don’t assume a subscription will recreate local edits automatically.

6. Restore your purchase and verify the new device

On your new iPhone or iPad, use the App Store account associated with the original purchase to get Shadowrocket again from your purchase history or the product page. If the page shows a price instead of the expected redownload option, check your purchase history and account first; don’t make another purchase to solve a configuration issue. The app ID is 932747118, and the developer is Shadow Launch Technology Limited.

Restore the purchase and app data in separate steps. After redownloading the app, follow the system prompt to authorize the VPN configuration, then restore your Config and Home servers. While checking the setup for the first time, disable automatic connection conditions so a network change doesn’t trigger a connection and make the current state harder to assess.

1. Confirm the servers work. In Home, select a restored server and connect. You can briefly use Global Routing → Proxy to check access through the proxy. This verifies the connection path at that moment only; it does not prove that your rules have been restored.
2. Confirm the rules are working. Switch back to Global Routing → Config and check the active Config. Then visit destinations that should use a direct connection and those that should use a proxy. If needed, check the connection logs available in the app to see which rules matched.
3. Check other modes. Direct connects without a proxy, so it cannot verify whether a proxy server works. For Scene, check its conditions and confirm that switching behaves as expected; Scene is not simply another name for Config.
4. Restore automatic connections. Go to Settings → On Demand and check the conditions against your old records, then confirm the corresponding status in the system VPN settings. Test on both Wi-Fi and cellular networks rather than checking only one.
5. Keep fallback copies. After checking everyday access, keep a separate Config file and the original subscription details. Clear data from the old device only after confirming the new one works reliably.

7. Common questions about restoring on a new device