Hiddify: subscription setup and the pitfalls
How to add a subscription to Hiddify on Android, Windows and iPhone, which modes to choose, why the app sometimes picks the "wrong" server and how to fix it.
Hiddify is an open cross-platform client built on sing-box. It can do everything an Xray subscription needs and runs on Android, Windows, macOS, Linux and iPhone. The only downside: there are many settings, and some of them trip up newcomers. Step by step.
Installation
Android: Google Play or the build from the project's GitHub. Windows, macOS, Linux: releases on GitHub. iPhone: App Store. The app is free everywhere.
Adding the subscription
On the main screen tap "+" → "Add from clipboard", having copied the subscription link from your Surok account. Hiddify loads the server list and shows the profile name.
Which mode to choose
Hiddify has two important switches.
- Operating mode: "VPN" for the whole device or "System proxy" for browsers only. A phone needs VPN.
- Server choice: "Auto" picks a node by latency, and that is a trap. Direct foreign nodes answer pings quickly but do not pass traffic from Russia. Choose the server by hand, an entry starting with the 🇷🇺 flag.
Pitfalls
Hiddify insists on Amsterdam or Berlin. That is "Auto" mode. Turn it off and choose the server yourself.
Russian sites open via VPN and complain. In routing settings enable the "Russian sites direct" rule or choose the "Russia" region. Surok's subscription carries that rule, but Hiddify applies its own routing on top, so it must be enabled once.
The list does not refresh. Enable auto-update in the profile settings; it may be off by default.
The tunnel won't come up on Windows. Run Hiddify as administrator on first launch: it needs to install a network adapter.
When Hiddify is overkill
If you are not going to tweak settings, Happ or v2RayTun with fewer switches are simpler, or the Surok app with one button. The subscription is the same for all of them, no need to change it.