This guide is for anyone installing Shadowrocket on Android for the first time. Open this site’s download page in your system browser, save the complete APK, allow the app that opens it to install unknown apps, then return to the installer to finish. If tapping the download link in WeChat doesn’t start a download, switch to your system browser instead of tapping repeatedly. Once installed, connect using your existing service configuration.
Check platform and purchase options
Shadowrocket for Android is free, and the installer is available from this site’s download page. The iPhone / iPad version costs $2.99 as a one-time purchase from the App Store; check the App Store listing for system requirements. The Mac (Apple silicon / Intel), Windows, Android, and Linux versions are free. The App Store lists Shadow Launch Technology Limited as the developer.
This guide covers installation on Android. An APK is an Android app installation package. Downloading the file and installing the app are separate steps: the browser saves the file, and the system installer installs it. “Allow unknown app installs” is a permission for the app that starts the installation; it is not a Shadowrocket connection permission.
Download the APK and open the installer
Open the download page in your system browser and select the Android download option. Keep your connection active and wait for the browser’s download list to show that the file is complete before opening it. Don’t rename an in-progress temporary file to .apk or treat a saved webpage as an installer.
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Open the download page
In your system browser, open this site’s Android download option. Check that the address bar shows sr-docs.com, then select the Android installer.
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Confirm the download
If your browser asks whether to keep the APK, confirm that the source matches the download you requested, then continue. A download prompt doesn’t mean installation is complete; wait for the download to finish.
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Open the file
Open the browser menu → Downloads and tap the completed APK. You can also open it from the Download folder in your file manager.
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Allow installation when prompted
If Android blocks the installation, tap Settings in the prompt and allow installs only for the browser or file manager you’re using.
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Return to the installer and install
Return to the system installer, confirm the app is named Shadowrocket, then tap Install. When installation finishes, tap Open or launch the app from your home screen.
Opening a file from the browser’s download list usually means the browser starts the installation. Opening the same file from a file manager may mean the file manager starts it instead. So if you allowed installs for your browser but get another permission prompt after switching to a file manager, that doesn’t mean your earlier setting wasn’t saved.
Allow unknown app installs
On newer Android versions, install permissions are usually managed by source app. A common path is Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps → your current browser → Allow from this source. Menu names and locations vary by device. If the installer blocks the APK, use the Settings shortcut in its prompt when available.
Install from a browser
- Open the file from
- Browser → Downloads → completed APK
- Allow installs for
- The browser you used to open the APK
- Permission
- Install unknown apps → Allow from this source
- When done
- Return to the installer and tap Install
If the browser starts the installation, check the install permission for that browser.
Install from a file manager
- Open the file from
- File manager → Download → completed APK
- Allow installs for
- The file manager you’re using
- Permission
- Install unknown apps → Allow from this source
- When done
- Return to the file list and reopen the APK if needed
The same installer may require separate permissions when opened from different apps.
If you can’t find the setting, search for “Install unknown apps” in Settings, then check which app is selected. Some devices use a similar label such as “Install apps from external sources.” Don’t confuse this with “Display over other apps,” notification access, or accessibility access; none of those permissions allows an app to install APKs.
- After changing the permission, return to the installer. If it has closed, reopen the APK from your downloads.
- If the setting is disabled on a device managed by your employer, school, or parent, a device management policy may be in effect. Contact the administrator.
- After installation, you can return to the same setting and turn off permission for that source. This won’t uninstall Shadowrocket.
- On older Android versions, the setting may be under Security. Follow the options shown on your device; the menu path may differ.
Fix downloads that won’t start in WeChat
When you open a webpage in WeChat, it uses its built-in browser. If tapping Download doesn’t show a save prompt or create a download task, open the page in your system browser instead. A button that doesn’t respond doesn’t necessarily mean the installer is unavailable. Avoid tapping repeatedly and creating multiple download tasks.
Switch from WeChat to your browser
Still in WeChat
- Open the menu in the top-right corner and look for “Open in Browser.”
- If that option isn’t available, copy the link to this site’s download page.
- Don’t keep trying to open the installer from the chat.
Switch to your system browser
- Paste the link into the address bar and confirm the domain is sr-docs.com.
- Select the Android download option again, then check Downloads.
- Wait for the download to finish, open the APK, and follow the system prompts to allow installation.
Recommended order: switch browsers first, then check the download task. Handle install permissions only when you open the APK.
If the download still doesn’t start in your browser, refresh the page and check your connection and available storage. If a download task is stuck waiting, check whether downloads are limited to Wi-Fi. If the task failed, cancel it and download the file again from this site. Don’t open an incomplete file.
Download errors vs. installation errors
First note when the message appears: after tapping the webpage, while saving the file, or in the system installer. Different steps call for different fixes. These are common troubleshooting scenarios, not results from testing on a specific device, and a single message may have more than one cause.
| What you see | Check first | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| No download starts after tapping in WeChat | Are you still using the in-app browser? | Copy the download page link, open it in your system browser, and try again. |
| The file opens as a webpage or text | Did you save a webpage instead of an APK? | Delete the wrong file and download again from the Android option. Don’t change the file extension to disguise it as an installer. |
| Message says installs from this source aren’t allowed | Which app started the installation? | Allow installs for that browser or file manager, then return to the installer. |
| Message says parsing failed or the package is invalid | Is the download complete, and does your device meet the download page requirements? | Download the complete file again and check the system and architecture compatibility notes. |
| Message says there isn’t enough space | Available internal storage | Free up space by removing files you don’t need, then try again. Installation also needs temporary space to unpack the app. |
| Update installation fails when the app is already installed | Previous app source, system message, and compatibility requirements | Keep the full error message and back up your configuration first. Don’t uninstall the existing app right away. |
Don’t bypass installation failures by turning off all system security checks. If Android blocks the installation, read the reason first. Device management policies, system compatibility, and a damaged file require different fixes. Uninstalling may erase local configuration, so avoid repeated uninstall-and-reinstall attempts without a backup.
Permissions after installation and first use
The install-source permission only allows an APK to be installed. When you first connect, Android’s system VPN permission allows Shadowrocket to handle traffic through the system VPN interface. These permissions serve different purposes. Granting VPN permission doesn’t provide a subscription or confirm that a server is working.
Turn off install-source permission after installation
RecommendedAfter installation, return to the system’s Install unknown apps page and turn off Allow from this source for the app you used. If you need to install an update manually later, enable it for the app you’ll use at that time.
Best for: Devices where installation is complete and you don’t normally install apps through that browser.
Keep permission enabled while installing
If you’ve confirmed the file’s source and are continuing the installation, you can leave permission enabled for the current source and return to the installer. This setting doesn’t replace system VPN permission or establish a connection.
Best for: When you’ve just returned from the permission settings and haven’t finished installing the app.
After opening Shadowrocket, first confirm that you already have your own service configuration, then import it using the options shown in the app. Subscription links often contain access credentials; don’t post them in public comments or group chats, or include them in screenshots. After importing, check the server list and run a connection test. Seeing an app icon or a connection toggle doesn’t prove that the network is working.
- Before connecting, confirm that the device can access ordinary websites to rule out basic network issues.
- After importing your own configuration, check that the server details are complete. Don’t keep changing install permissions as if they were connection settings.
- When Android requests VPN permission on the first connection, confirm the request is from Shadowrocket before granting it.
- After connecting, check both the app status and webpage access. If you can’t connect, troubleshoot the server, Global Routing, DNS, and rules rather than changing install-source permissions again.