Shadowrocket Subscription Not Updating? Manual Refresh, Update On Open, and Troubleshooting

First, tell whether the subscription update failed or the connection failed

Shadowrocket subscription updates fetch server information from an address you provide and organize it in the Home list. This does not update the app itself or connect to a server. If old entries are still visible, that only means data is saved locally; it does not confirm that the latest refresh succeeded.

Note where the failure occurs: does an alert appear as soon as you refresh, does the request time out, or does it report success without adding entries? If the update completed but a server will not connect, troubleshoot it with a connection test. Do not repeatedly delete and re-add the subscription.

This process explains two common scenarios: old servers may still connect even though the subscription URL has expired; or the subscription may refresh successfully while one of its servers is temporarily unavailable. These are not contradictory. The first issue occurs while fetching the list; the second occurs after the list is in use.

Manual refresh: start from Home and keep the existing subscription

Start with a manual refresh so you can see the full result. Do not make “add it again” your first step: importing the same URL more than once can create duplicate groups in Home and make the results harder to interpret. If you need to re-enter the URL, check and edit the existing subscription first.

1. Find the subscription

   Go to Home and locate the subscription group you want to update. Note its name and current entry count so you do not mistake a server added individually for a subscription.

2. Check the URL

   Open the subscription’s edit screen and make sure its URL matches the one from your provider. To import a subscription for the first time, go to Home → “+” in the top-right corner → Type → Subscribe. There is no need to create another one if it already exists.

3. Pull to refresh

   Return to Home, pull down at the top of the list, and wait for the request to finish. If you have multiple subscriptions, check each group separately; success for one does not mean they all updated.

4. Check the result

   Note the success or failure message, then check the target group. An unchanged entry count may simply mean the remote list has not changed. Use the update message to confirm whether the request and parsing completed.

Update On Open: configure it in Settings

Automatic updates can reduce manual work, but they will not fix an expired URL. First confirm that a manual refresh works, then enable Update On Open. Go to Settings → Subscribe, find Update On Open, and turn it on. Labels and their placement may change with app updates; check what appears in your app.

This option triggers a subscription update when you open the app. It is not a scheduled refresh that runs continuously in the background. If you cannot tell whether an update ran after returning to the app, go to Home, refresh manually, and check the result. This is more conclusive than repeatedly toggling the setting.

• Check the setting: Settings → Subscribe → Update On Open. Do not look in Config for an automatic refresh setting for the server list.
• Then verify it: After enabling the option, reopen the app, wait for the request to finish, and check the target subscription for an update result. Seeing the Home screen alone does not mean the request succeeded.
• Check your network: Automatic updates may fail if you open the app before connecting to the internet or while Wi-Fi still requires authentication. Once the network is available, refresh manually.
• Keep the features separate: Settings → On Demand controls on-demand connections; it does not replace the update option under Subscribe. Starting a connection and refreshing a subscription are different actions.

If automatic updates fail but a manual refresh works, compare the network and connection state during each attempt. The app may have opened while the device was switching between Wi-Fi and cellular. One difference does not prove the setting is broken; test again on the same network.

Step 1: Check for an expired subscription URL or changed access

First, ask your provider to confirm that the subscription URL is still valid. Do not substitute a website login URL for the subscription URL, and do not remove query parameters from memory. A long URL may contain an account identifier, access credentials, and an output format. Removing even one parameter can change the response.

https://example.com/sub?token=xxxx

The example above cannot be used for an actual import. When troubleshooting, compare the URL on your device with the source, character by character. Check the protocol, domain, path, parameters after the question mark, and any spaces or line breaks introduced when copying. Do not share the real URL publicly or enter it into an unfamiliar conversion tool.

• URL was reset: If your provider generated a new subscription URL, the old token may no longer work. Save the complete new URL to the existing subscription, then refresh.
• Access permissions changed: Account status, service term, or provider access restrictions may affect the subscription response. Purchasing the app does not grant these permissions.
• Response is 401 or 403: If the error details show either HTTP status, check authorization and access restrictions first. The status code alone does not identify a single cause.
• Response is 404: Check the full path and whether the endpoint has changed. Changing a server port at random will usually not fix a problem with the subscription endpoint path.
• Response is 429: Stop refreshing repeatedly and wait before trying again, following your provider’s instructions. Repeated requests may continue to trigger rate limits.

Being able to open the domain’s home page in a browser does not mean the subscription endpoint works. The home page and subscription path may use different access checks, and a redirect to a login page does not provide a server list. Check the response from the complete subscription URL, not just whether the domain is reachable.

Step 2: Check the network and request timeouts

After confirming that the URL is valid, check whether your device can reliably reach the host serving the subscription. Complete Wi-Fi sign-in if required, confirm that regular web pages load, then compare Wi-Fi with cellular. Change only one condition at a time so you can compare results.

These are examples of messages you might see while troubleshooting. The wording may differ depending on the system language and where the error comes from. Do not ignore the error details just because they differ from one of these examples. If you see a certificate warning, check the device’s date and time and ask your provider to inspect the certificate. Do not bypass the issue by disabling certificate verification.

1. In system settings, confirm that the current network is connected. If Wi-Fi requires web sign-in, complete it first.
2. Note Shadowrocket’s current connection status and Global Routing selection, then refresh once without changing them.
3. Switch only between Wi-Fi and cellular, then refresh the same subscription and compare the results.
4. If you suspect the current connection is affecting the request, disconnect and test under controlled conditions. If On Demand is enabled, check whether it starts the connection again.

Proxy, Direct, Config, and Scene under Global Routing are traffic-handling modes, not “fix subscription” buttons. Do not force a permanent change to how all traffic is handled just to refresh one URL, and do not add a DIRECT rule without verifying that it is needed. The route used for a subscription request depends on the current connection and settings.

Step 3: Check the response content and subscription format

Even when the network request completes, the response may not contain importable entries. An HTTP 200 status means the request succeeded at the HTTP level, but the response body could be a login page, maintenance page, error message, or data the current import option cannot recognize. Changing networks again may not help.

• Check the import type first: Home → “+” → Type → Subscribe is for importing subscriptions. Config manages configuration files; a complete configuration file URL is not interchangeable with a server subscription URL.
• Then check the intended output: Tell your provider you use Shadowrocket and confirm that the subscription output they provide is compatible with the import method you are using. Do not judge compatibility by the file extension alone.
• Check for an empty response: An empty response, or one without recognizable server entries, can prevent the list from updating as expected. Ask your provider to check the response body instead of clearing the local list first.
• Check that entries are complete: Address, Port, and the authentication details required by the protocol must match the server. A readable subscription does not guarantee that every entry has complete, usable parameters.

Shadowsocks, VMess, VLESS, Trojan, Hysteria2, and WireGuard are protocol names; Subscribe is the subscription import type. Two services using the same protocol do not necessarily use the same subscription format. Protocols, subscription formats, and complete configuration structures are different things.

After updating: verify entries, then remove duplicates if needed

After a successful update, check the target group and test the connection using one of its entries. Connectivity Test can show reachability and latency under the test conditions, but it is not a bandwidth test. A single result does not prove that every website or service will work.

1. Confirm the update: Check the target group name and whether its entries changed. If your provider has not changed the content, an unchanged count and set of names may be normal.
2. Test a specific connection: Select an existing entry and run Connectivity Test, then open a page you need to access. Record the list refresh and access test as separate results.
3. Check for duplicate sources: If you imported the same subscription more than once, first confirm which group has the correct URL, then remove the extra group. Do not identify duplicates by server display name alone.
4. Keep a maintenance record: Note whether you changed the URL, network, or automatic update setting. If the same issue comes up again, you can start with the relevant step.

If it still fails, send your provider the network type, time of failure, full error message, and steps you have tried. Use their private support channel to check your subscription access, and hide credentials in any screenshots shared publicly. These details make it easier to determine whether the problem is the URL, endpoint response, or format than simply saying “it won’t update.”

Shadowrocket is a one-time-purchase, closed-source commercial app, primarily for iPhone and iPad. It is available exclusively from the App Store. Check the App Store listing for system requirements. Buying the app ≠ buying a server plan; purchasing the app does not include a server or subscription. This site explains how to manage a subscription you already have and does not provide, sell, or recommend servers or subscriptions.