Shadowsocks
by shadowsocks · GPL-3.0-or-later · open source
The Shadowsocks project’s own Android client. Add your server or a subscription link, then send all apps, or only the ones you choose, through an encrypted proxy.
Needs:No root · a Shadowsocks server · Android 6.0+
2113 Apps is independent, not affiliated with or endorsed by shadowsocks. Official sources: source code on GitHub.
- Version
- 5.3.5-nightly
- Size
- 14.8 MB
- Requires
- Android 6.0+
- Updated
- 2026-02-13
Introduction
Shadowsocks is an encrypted proxy protocol, loosely based on SOCKS5, that is widely used to get past network blocks. This is the Shadowsocks project’s own Android app. It is a client only: you need a server, either one you set up yourself on a cloud machine or one from a provider, added by hand or through a subscription link.
Modes and routing
From the app’s settings:
- Three modes: proxy only, VPN, which sends traffic through the proxy using Android’s VPN slot, and transproxy.
- Per-app routing in VPN mode, so only chosen apps use the proxy, or chosen apps are left out.
- Route lists that bypass the local network or particular regions, plus your own rules by address or hostname pattern, or rules loaded from a URL.
- Subscriptions that refresh your server list.
- Plugins, which are separate apps. The app warns you when a plugin doesn’t come from a known, trusted source.
About this file
- The version name, 5.3.5-nightly, is simply how the project names its versions: on GitHub it is the latest regular release, not a pre-release.
- This is F-Droid’s build, signed with F-Droid’s key. F-Droid removes the QR code scanner, because it relies on non-free libraries, so you add servers by link or by hand rather than by scanning.
- Google Play’s listing of the same app was last updated in 2021, with the older 5.2.6. The two are signed differently and won’t update each other.
- The 14.8 MB file has native code for ARM and x86, 32- and 64-bit, and declares 13 permissions.
What’s inside the APK
Trackers
No code matching the Exodus Privacy tracker signatures.
Native code
Runs on 64-bit and older 32-bit ARM phones.
Android versions
Built for Android 16 (target API 36).
Permissions
3 of them need your approval first.
CPU types in this build: arm64-v8a (64-bit ARM, almost every phone since 2017); armeabi-v7a (32-bit ARM, older and budget phones); x86 (32-bit Intel, emulators); x86_64 (64-bit Intel, emulators and Chromebooks).
Asks you first (3)
Android shows a prompt before the app can use these.
- Show notifications (Android 13+) · POST_NOTIFICATIONS
- Read shared storage (Android 12 and older) · READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
- Write shared storage (Android 10 and older) · WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
Granted at install (9)
Low-risk permissions Android grants automatically, plus any we have not classified.
- ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
- CHANGE_NETWORK_STATE
- FOREGROUND_SERVICE
- FOREGROUND_SERVICE_SPECIAL_USE
- FOREGROUND_SERVICE_SYSTEM_EXEMPTED
- INTERNET
- QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES
- RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED
- WAKE_LOCK
Defined by other apps (1)
Permissions that belong to another app or to this app itself.
- com.github.shadowsocks.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION
More Information
- Package name
- com.github.shadowsocks
- Version
- 5.3.5-nightly (build 5030550)
- File size
- 14.8 MB (14,792,235 bytes)
- Requires
- Android 6.0 or later
- Category
- Network & Privacy
- License
- GPL-3.0-or-later
- Developer
- shadowsocks
- Source code
- github.com/shadowsocks/shadowsocks-android
- Released
- Feb 13, 2026
- Signed by
- F-Droid, which built this APK from the published source code. Because the key is F-Droid’s, it won’t install over a copy from Google Play or GitHub (or the other way round) without uninstalling first.
- Signer SHA-256
- 3ced42093b12aa0d08f745e5a0f01d13cb9ec4ef6cba0b8a0a056dbaecd45b98
- File SHA-256
- 037fef062735bd0298221b7b29a7ef7ccd24dc3449fc0fbc2bfccdd8ae13b4ea
- Checked
- , against the F-Droid index · how we check · verify it yourself
Common questions
Is this APK the official Shadowsocks release?
It is F-Droid’s build rather than the developer’s own: F-Droid compiled Shadowsocks 5.3.5-nightly from the published source code and signed it with its own key. Its SHA-256 matches F-Droid’s signed index. Because the key is F-Droid’s, it won’t install over a copy from Google Play or GitHub without uninstalling first.
What Android version does Shadowsocks need?
Android 6.0 or later (API level 23). Version 5.3.5-nightly is built for Android 16 (target API 36). Runs on 64-bit and older 32-bit ARM phones.
Can Shadowsocks access the internet?
Yes. The APK requests Android’s internet permission. In total it declares 13 permissions, and 3 of them need your approval first.
Does Shadowsocks contain trackers?
No known trackers: our scan of version 5.3.5-nightly found no code matching the Exodus Privacy tracker signatures. The scan covers known tracker libraries; it doesn’t show what data the app itself sends.
Is Shadowsocks open source?
Yes. Shadowsocks is released under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence, and its source code is published at https://github.com/shadowsocks/shadowsocks-android.
Recent releases
| Version | Released | Size | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| v5.3.5-nightly · this download | Feb 13, 2026 | 14.8 MB | Android 6.0+ |
| v5.3.4-nightly | Oct 9, 2024 | 14.2 MB | Android 6.0+ |
| v5.3.3-nightly | Feb 9, 2023 | 12.2 MB | Android 6.0+ |
Versions currently kept in the F-Droid repository. We host and check only the newest one. Full changelog.
