What is a subscription link? Simply put, it is a server-generated configuration entry point that a client can read. After accessing the link, the client retrieves currently available nodes, protocol parameters, and essential connection details, then organizes them into selectable routes. It is not a proxy protocol or an ordinary webpage address; it is closer to a remote configuration list that can be updated over time.
For beginners, the relationship between a subscription, nodes, and a client is often confusing. The subscription distributes configuration, nodes carry the actual connection, and the client parses the configuration, establishes the tunnel, and applies routing rules. All three must be compatible for the import to work. Copying the link is only the first step; you must also confirm the subscription format, client capabilities, system permissions, DNS settings, and update status.
What a Subscription Link Contains
The subscription address shown in a browser is often just a path and token; the actual configuration is returned by the server when the link is accessed. The response may be an encoded node list, YAML, JSON, or a client-specific structure. Similar-looking links are not necessarily interchangeable. Whether a client can recognize an address depends on whether the server output matches its parser.
| Component | What it does | Common misconception |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription address | Tells the client where to retrieve the remote configuration and carries the corresponding access token. | Treating it as a website that can be opened directly in a browser. |
| Node record | Describes the server address, port, authentication parameters, transport method, and route name. | Assuming the node name is the protocol name or proof of its actual location. |
| Protocol parameters | Used to establish connections with protocols such as Shadowsocks, VMess, Trojan, VLESS, Hysteria2, or TUIC. | Assuming every client can parse every protocol and transport combination. |
| Update result | Synchronizes newly added, modified, retired, or reconfigured routes. | Assuming the configuration will change automatically and in real time across every client after import. |
| Client policy | Determines proxy mode, DNS behavior, routing rules, and connection-testing methods. | Assuming all of these local settings are controlled by the subscription. |
Protocol records also differ. Shadowsocks typically requires a server, port, encryption method, and password; VMess and VLESS commonly use identity fields, a transport layer, and a server name; Trojan relies on a password and TLS-related parameters; Hysteria2 and TUIC focus on UDP-based transport and have additional requirements for the network environment and client core. A subscription only delivers these fields to the client; it cannot add support for protocols the client does not handle.
Get Your Subscription Link from the Account Panel
Get the link from the provider’s account panel rather than relying on search results, forwarded group messages, or third-party conversion sites. After signing in to the SQVPN account panel, find the subscription entry for your current account in the subscription or client section. The panel may offer link copying, QR-code import, and client-specific options; the right choice depends on whether the device and client are on the same device.
- Confirm that you are viewing the SQVPN account panel, and check that the browser address and certificate status look normal.
- Open the subscription or client configuration section, and first read the listed format and supported clients.
- When working on the same device, use “Copy subscription link” to avoid transferring it through a chat tool.
- If you need to scan a QR code, do so only between screens and devices you control, and watch for photo-library syncing, screen recordings, and screenshot backups.
- After importing, return to the client and check the subscription name, node list, and update time before testing the connection.
- ✅ Save the link only on controlled devices, in a password manager, or in protected client configuration.
- ✅ Before sharing a troubleshooting screenshot, cover the complete address, token, server authentication fields, and QR code.
- ✅ When requesting support, provide the error message, client version, system type, and non-sensitive parts of the logs first.
- ❌ Do not paste the subscription link into online decoders, online converters, or speed-test pages from unknown sources.
- ❌ Do not make the same link publicly available for long-term sharing, and do not publish configuration files containing it.
Some browsers display unreadable text, trigger a file download, or return only encoded content when you open a subscription address directly. This usually does not mean the link is invalid, because the address is designed for a client to parse. Judge usability by the update result in a compatible client and any clear error message—not by how the browser page looks.
How to Import a Client on Desktop and Mobile
Most clients provide an Import from URL option under “Subscriptions,” “Configuration,” “Profiles,” or “Remote configuration.” Menu names vary, but the basic flow is the same: create a remote subscription, paste the address, save it, run an update, then choose a route from the node list or policy group. Do not paste a subscription link into a single-node server address field; that field cannot parse a complete subscription.
Windows and macOS
Desktop clients are well suited to direct link copying. Before importing, confirm that the client supports the format returned by the subscription and the required protocol core. After importing, check that a remote configuration was created rather than only a static node. System proxy mode affects only apps that follow system proxy settings; a global tunnel or virtual network interface may take over a broader range of traffic, so review the client’s permission prompt before enabling it.
Android
Android clients can usually create a subscription from the clipboard or a URL. Once complete, allow the client to establish a local VPN tunnel; this is the Android system interface used to hand app traffic to a network client. If battery-saving policies restrict background activity, the connection may drop when the screen locks or the network changes. Check the app’s background permissions instead of repeatedly deleting the subscription.
iOS and iPadOS
Mobile clients need permission to create a system VPN configuration. Importing by QR code is convenient, but the QR code still carries subscription information and should not be stored in a shared photo library or public screenshot. If a client supports only a particular configuration ecosystem, a successful scan may still produce an unsupported-format error or an empty node list. Use the compatible entry point identified in the panel instead.
| Platform scenario | Recommended import method | What to check after importing |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop, same-device setup | Copy the URL and create a new remote subscription. | Configuration type, protocol support, system proxy or tunnel mode. |
| Android | Import from a URL or a controlled clipboard. | System VPN permission, background activity, and per-app proxying. |
| iOS and iPadOS | Use the client-supported subscription entry point or a controlled QR scan. | System VPN configuration permission, format compatibility, and on-demand connection settings. |
| Moving to another device | Retrieve the link again from the account panel on the new device. | Whether the old device still stores the link and whether local rules need to be rebuilt. |
How Often Should You Run a Subscription Update?
There is no fixed update frequency that applies to every client. The purpose of an update is to keep the local configuration aligned with the routes currently available on the server, not to increase the speed of an existing connection. Updating at client startup, manually when a route becomes unavailable, or after a server-side configuration notice are all reasonable triggers. If the connection is stable and the route list has not changed, there is no need to refresh repeatedly.
Before updating, distinguish between remote configuration and local policy. Some clients replace only the node list during an update and preserve user-created routing rules; others may rebuild the entire remote configuration and overwrite local changes. Store important rules in a client-supported override layer, local rule set, or another location that subscription updates explicitly will not replace.
How Routing Rules Work with a Subscription
Routing determines which requests use proxy routes, which remain direct, and which policy group handles each destination. Common criteria include domains, IP ranges, applications, and network type. Subscription updates answer “Which nodes are available?” Routing rules answer “Which exit should handle the traffic?” Neither can replace the other.
Start with a simple routing scenario. Send destinations that require cross-border access through the proxy policy, while keeping local networks and trusted intranets direct; send uncertain traffic to the default policy. Overly complex rules make troubleshooting harder and can misclassify traffic when the domain differs from the address actually used for the connection. After changing rules, test the browser, system apps, and programs that need their own proxy separately.
Why DNS Needs a Separate Check
Even after the client establishes a connection, domain resolution may still use the system’s existing DNS path. If access traffic goes through a proxy while DNS queries continue over the local network, DNS leaks may occur, or domains may resolve to addresses unsuitable for the current exit. Check whether the client takes over DNS, how DNS requests are routed in rule mode, and whether the browser has encrypted DNS enabled independently of the system.
What to Do After a Subscription Link Is Exposed
If a complete link appears in a public screenshot, shared document, forwarded chat, or untrusted tool, treat it as compromised credentials. Deleting the public content alone is not enough, because the link may have been copied, cached, or crawled. The correct goal is to invalidate the old link, obtain new subscription credentials, and remove the old configuration from every device.
- Stop sharing the related screenshots, QR codes, configuration files, or logs, and delete public copies that you still control.
- Look in the account panel for an option to reset the subscription, update the access token, or disable the old subscription.
- If the panel has no such option, contact SQVPN support, explain that the subscription credentials may have been exposed, and request that the old link be handled.
- After confirming that the old link is invalid, obtain a new link on a controlled device and re-import it into the client.
- Delete the old remote configuration from the client, and check automation scripts, backup files, and other devices for references to the old address.
Changing a subscription link does not automatically update every client. The old configuration may still retain nodes already downloaded locally but can no longer synchronize; it may also lose connection capability immediately if revoked by the server. If duplicate nodes appear after re-importing, delete the old subscription instead of guessing which configuration is valid from the node name alone.
Subscription Troubleshooting: Start with the Error Type
When subscription import fails, first record the original error shown by the client. Do not immediately uninstall the client or reset all network settings. The problem usually occurs at one layer: retrieval, parsing, connection, or routing. Identifying the layer first prevents format issues from being mistaken for node issues and DNS problems from being mistaken for an expired subscription.
- ✅ For “Unable to download,” first check that the link is complete, the network can reach the subscription endpoint, and the system time and certificate validation are correct.
- ✅ For “Unsupported format,” first confirm that the client type, subscription output format, and protocol core are compatible.
- ✅ For “No nodes,” check whether the subscription update succeeded and whether the client placed the configuration in another policy group.
- ✅ For “Imports but cannot connect,” continue by checking protocol parameters, network support for UDP, system permissions, and route status.
- ✅ For “Some websites are not working,” check routing rules, the DNS path, the browser’s independent proxy settings, and its cache.
- ❌ Do not repeatedly reset the subscription token before confirming the cause of the error, or devices still using the old link may all stop working at once.
Another common case is that a subscription update reports success but the node names differ from expectations. Node names are merely labels supplied by the server; the client may also reorder them by policy group or add prefixes. Judge the result by the remote configuration source, protocol type, and actual connection behavior together—not by the name alone.
If a direct route can retrieve the subscription but cannot maintain a stable connection, while a relay or IEPL dedicated route performs normally, the issue may be cross-border link quality rather than the subscription itself. Direct routes typically reach an overseas entry point through the user’s network, making them more dependent on carrier routing; relays first enter an intermediate node before forwarding; IEPL dedicated routes use dedicated resources designed for cross-border transmission. These describe route topology, not subscription format, and they do not change the client’s basic protocol compatibility requirements.
After troubleshooting, keep a record without credentials, including the system type, client version, subscription format, operating mode, error text, and checks performed. Do not attach the complete subscription address when contacting support. SQVPN registration requires no email address; a username and password are sufficient. Store account credentials and subscription credentials separately and securely.