Do not reinstall first when you cannot connect

Reinstalling only gives you an empty client. An expired subscription, the wrong mode, or a dead node will still be there after you delete and install again.

When a connection fails, deleting Shadowrocket and downloading it again from the App Store is the most common move—and the least informative. After a reinstall you must grant VPN access again, paste the subscription again, and any rules that lived only on the device may be gone. If the real cause is an expired subscription or a dead node, you are back to an empty list or the same broken nodes.

A better approach: pin one symptom, then change only one thing. If you switch modes, swap nodes, update the subscription, and flip the switch at the same time, you cannot tell which step helped. The notes below follow screens that actually exist in the app.

Describe the symptom in one sentence

Do not replace observation with “it doesn’t work.” Write a sentence like these before you change anything:

  • The switch will not turn on, and the system does not ask for VPN permission again.
  • The switch turns on and the status bar shows VPN, but Connectivity Test shows no result.
  • The test returns a number. Sites that should stay direct still work. A site you expected to go through the node does not.
  • No website loads, including sites that normally work over a direct connection.
  • It worked yesterday. After a subscription update the list is empty, or the old node is gone.

For the first case, check system permission. See Install and buy. For the second, check the node and subscription. For the third, check Global Routing and the rules. For the fourth, switch to Direct and confirm cellular or Wi-Fi still works. For the fifth, ask your provider whether the subscription expired—do not change Type.

Three places on Home matter more than Settings toggles

After you open the app, look at these three places first. Do not dive into advanced Settings items yet.

The first is Global Routing. If it is stuck on Direct, traffic never uses a node, so tests and pages look “disconnected.” Switch back to Config and test again. Proxy is fine for a comparison, but do not leave it on as a long-term “broken” state. For what the three modes mean, see How to choose Config, Proxy, or Direct.

The second is the currently selected node. On a long list it is easy to think a tap selected it. Confirm the highlight, then turn the switch on. After a subscription update the previously selected name may disappear—tap a node that is still there.

The third is Connectivity Test. If there is no result, try another node. If several fail, update the subscription. Do not reinstall after the first failure.

In Data and Settings, only open items related to the symptom

Data at the bottom is for traffic stats and similar info. It answers “did any traffic leave the device at all.” It cannot revive a node. Settings includes On Demand: it can raise or drop the tunnel under certain conditions. If the symptom comes and goes while you troubleshoot, check whether you turned that on, then decide whether to turn it off for a comparison.

Do not change several “this might speed things up” options in Settings in a row. Change one item, then watch a site or a test that already failed. Reinstalling right after you change settings throws away the comparison.

Diagnostics is for reading logs, not for guessing

Diagnostics in Settings shows recent requests and routing. Use it to answer: did this visit go to a node or direct, and at which kind of step did it fail. You do not need every field. Find a few lines near the current hostname or time, and compare them with the mode you selected on Home.

If the log shows Direct while you thought you were using a node, go back to Global Routing and the rule file. If it shows Proxy or a specific policy and still fails, the problem is more likely the node or the remote server. When you send a Diagnostics screenshot to your provider, do not include the full subscription URL or other account details.

For the on-screen steps, see Troubleshoot. That guide follows the official Settings pages. This article only stresses the order: symptom → mode → node → subscription → logs. Reinstalling is not in that order.

When a reinstall is actually worth it

Consider deleting the app and downloading it again from the App Store with the same Apple ID only if it will not launch, controls are missing, or it is clearly broken after an update. Before you reinstall, note where you saved the subscription URL (for example your own notes) and whether the rule file needs a backup. Afterward, still verify the developer in Install and buy and grant VPN access again.

If the only problem is “it will not connect,” finish the order above first. A good client and bad material stay bad in a brand-new empty app. This site does not provide nodes, and it cannot tell you from a log whether a given service works.