Settings overview
On iPhone and iPad, settings are at the bottom of the Me tab. Each entry opens a sheet (or a page on iPad). On the Mac, everything is on the panel’s Settings tab, grouped into sections. Changes generally apply immediately; where a reconnect is needed, this page says so.
Map of settings
Section titled “Map of settings”| iPhone / iPad entry | Mac section | What’s inside |
|---|---|---|
| Proxy & Speed Test | General | DNS mode, latency test method and URL, subscription sync interval |
| Traffic control | Overrides | Block QUIC, Proxy APNs, DNS hijack, bypass list, custom rules |
| Local proxy | Local proxy | HTTP / SOCKS5 proxy port, LAN access, authentication |
| Wi-Fi automation | Wi-Fi | Turn the proxy on or off by network |
| Network settings | Network settings | Fast mode, user-space TCP stack, node statistics |
| HTTPS decryption (MITM) | Overrides (opens a window) | See HTTPS Decryption |
| Record logs | General | Detailed per-connection and DNS logging |
| View config | — | The running config.yaml, read-only and selectable |
| Appearance | General (Theme) | Light / dark theme, style, app icon, colors |
| About | About | Version, core version, disclaimer |
| — | — | General |
| — | — | Tools |
| — | — | System status |
Each entry on the iPhone shows a short summary of its current state on the right, for example “Follow subscription · HTTPS latency” or “Fast on · Own stack on”.
Proxy and speed test
Section titled “Proxy and speed test”iPhone / iPad: Me › Proxy & Speed Test. Mac: Settings › General.
| Option | Choices | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| DNS mode | Follow subscription (default), Redir-Host, Fake-IP (Mac: Follow / Redir / Fake-IP) | How MeowX answers DNS queries while connected. See Concepts. If the effective mode changes while connected, MeowX reconnects automatically |
| Test method | HTTPS latency (default), Real connection latency, TCPing | How node latency is measured. See Nodes |
| Test URL | Cloudflare (default), Google, Google (connectivitycheck), Apple, Custom (Mac: a text field) | The URL used for latency tests and health checks. Changes are pushed to the running engine immediately |
| Sync interval iOS | Manual, Every 6 hours, Every 12 hours, Daily (default), Every 3 days | When the app starts, the current subscription is refreshed if it is older than this |
| Background App Refresh iOS | Status, with Go enable when it is off | Whether iOS may refresh an outdated subscription in the background. Toggled in iOS Settings |
Traffic control
Section titled “Traffic control”iPhone / iPad: Me › Traffic control. Mac: Settings › Overrides.
These are your own overrides. They are stored separately from your subscription, so refreshing or switching subscriptions does not touch them. Changes apply immediately while connected (to new connections).
Block QUIC
Section titled “Block QUIC”Off by default. Drops UDP traffic to port 443, which is what QUIC (HTTP/3) uses. Apps notice that QUIC does not work and fall back to regular HTTPS over TCP.
Why you might want it: some nodes or protocols handle UDP poorly, and QUIC traffic through them can be slower or unreliable. Forcing TCP often makes video sites and browsers more consistent.
Proxy APNs
Section titled “Proxy APNs”Off by default. APNs is Apple’s push notification service. When this is off, push notification traffic (Apple’s push servers and port 5223) always goes direct, regardless of mode or rules, so notifications arrive promptly even if a node is slow or down. Turn it on to route push traffic according to your rules like everything else.
DNS hijack
Section titled “DNS hijack”Make specific domains resolve to an IPv4 address you choose. This takes priority over the subscription’s hosts and DNS settings, in every DNS mode.
Pattern syntax:
| Pattern | Matches |
|---|---|
example.com |
Exactly example.com |
*.example.com |
One level of subdomain, such as www.example.com |
+.example.com |
example.com and all of its subdomains |
Enter the domain and an IPv4 address such as 192.0.2.1, then tap Add. Up to 1,000 entries. The address cannot be inside the Fake-IP range (198.18.0.0/16).
Bypass list
Section titled “Bypass list”Bypass proxy: connections matching an entry here always go direct, regardless of the outbound mode or the subscription’s rules. It has two lists:
- Domains, using the same
example.com/*.example.com/+.example.comsyntax as DNS hijack. - IP / CIDR, such as
192.0.2.1or10.0.0.0/8. These match the connection’s real destination IP.
Up to 1,000 entries per list.
Custom rules
Section titled “Custom rules”“This domain or IP goes Direct / Proxy / Reject”, applied in Rule mode before your subscription’s rules. See Custom rules for the full explanation.
Local proxy
Section titled “Local proxy”iPhone / iPad: Me › Local proxy. Mac: Settings › Local proxy.
MeowX can expose an HTTP and SOCKS5 proxy on the same port. Other apps, or other devices on your network, can point their proxy settings at it to use MeowX’s routing.
| Option | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Enable local proxy iOS | Off | On iPhone / iPad the local proxy runs inside the VPN while MeowX is connected. On the Mac there is no switch: the local proxy is how system proxy mode works, so it always runs while connected |
| Port | 7890 |
Between 1024 and 65535 |
| Allow LAN connections | Off | Off: only apps on this device can connect (127.0.0.1). On: devices on the same network can connect too |
| Username / Password | Empty | Leave the username empty for no authentication. Credentials apply to LAN clients; connections from the device itself never need them. On the Mac, these fields appear when LAN access is on |
When the local proxy is on, the iPhone page lists the addresses to use: 127.0.0.1:7890, and with LAN access your Wi-Fi address (for example 192.168.1.20:7890). Touch and hold an address to copy it.
On iPhone and iPad, the first time you allow LAN connections, iOS may ask for Local Network permission.
Wi-Fi automation
Section titled “Wi-Fi automation”iPhone / iPad: Me › Wi-Fi automation. Mac: Settings › Wi-Fi › Switch by Wi-Fi.
Turn on Switch by Wi-Fi, then decide what happens on each network:
- Wi-Fi rules: add a network by its name (SSID). Each rule’s action is Turn on proxy, Turn off proxy or No change.
- Other Wi-Fi: networks that have no rule.
- Cellular iOS / Wired network macOS.
SSIDs are case-sensitive; type them exactly as they appear in the system.
On iPhone and iPad, the rules are handed to iOS (VPN On Demand), so they work even when MeowX is not running. iOS matches the network name itself, so no location permission is needed. After you disconnect manually, MeowX will not be brought back up automatically until you connect manually again.
On the Mac, MeowX watches the network itself while it is running. Extra options:
- Read current fills in the name of the Wi-Fi network you are on. macOS only reveals Wi-Fi names to apps with Location Services permission; if it is denied, use Open location settings, or rely on Other Wi-Fi.
- Each Wi-Fi rule can also switch to a specific subscription (or “Don’t switch profile”).
- After you toggle the connection by hand, automation does not interfere again until the network changes.
Network settings
Section titled “Network settings”iPhone / iPad: Me › Network settings. Mac: Settings › Network settings.
| Option | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Fast mode | On | Outbound connections and the tunnel’s packet I/O use more direct system interfaces. Faster, with lower CPU and memory use |
| User-space TCP stack | On | TCP connections inside the tunnel are handled by MeowX itself instead of making an extra pass through the system’s network stack. Noticeably lower CPU use during downloads. On the Mac it only matters in TUN mode |
| Node statistics | Off | Record each node’s connection success rate, latency and download speed, separately per network type, stored only on this device. View them by touching and holding a node (iOS) or hovering over it (Mac). Takes effect immediately. See Nodes |
Reconnect for changes to Fast mode and the TCP stack to take effect. Both are recommended to stay on; if you run into connection problems, turning one of them off at a time is a useful comparison when troubleshooting.
macOS The Mac’s General section has an IPv6 setting for TUN mode:
| Choice | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Off (default, recommended) | MeowX does not take over IPv6. Systems prefer IPv4 for destinations reachable over both |
| Blackhole | IPv6 is pulled into the tunnel and TCP is refused, forcing apps to fall back to IPv4. Nothing leaks over IPv6, but apps that do not fall back (Telegram, for example) may fail to connect |
| Proxy | Actually proxy IPv6. Needs nodes with IPv6 egress; still considered experimental |
Changing it reconnects. On iPhone and iPad there is no IPv6 setting; IPv6 is not routed through the tunnel.
iPhone / iPad: the Record logs switch sits directly in the Me tab’s settings list. Mac: Settings › General › Record logs.
Off by default. When off, the engine only records warnings and errors. When on, it additionally records how each connection was routed and every DNS query. View logs in Activity (Mac: the Logs tab). Turn it on while investigating, and off afterwards.
Appearance
Section titled “Appearance”iPhone / iPad: Me › Appearance. Mac: Settings › General › Theme.
| Option | Choices |
|---|---|
| Theme | Follow system, Light, Dark (Mac: System / Light / Dark) |
| Theme style iOS 26+ | Classic or Liquid Glass |
| Glass style iOS 26+ | Clear (more see-through) or Tinted (more opaque, higher contrast). Shown with Liquid Glass |
| App icon iOS | Default (follows light / dark), M · Dark, M · Light. iOS shows a confirmation when it changes |
| Card color, Hero card color, Accent color iOS | Presets or a custom color. Card color changes content cards; hero card color changes the Home connection card and power button; accent color changes highlighted text, selections, the tab bar selection and progress bars (adjusted automatically if contrast is too low) |
Shows the app Version and the proxy Core version, and the disclaimer. On the Mac, About also has Check for updates, Disclaimer and Quit MeowX.
Mac-only settings
Section titled “Mac-only settings”| Section | Option | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| General | Launch at login | Start MeowX when you log in |
| General | Show speed in menu bar | On by default. While connected, shows live upload / download speed next to the menu bar icon |
| General | Default terminal | Which terminal app Open terminal with proxy uses (System default or an installed terminal) |
| Tools | Network speed test | Opens the speed test |
| System status | Network extension (TUN) | Activation state of the TUN system extension, with Activate, Allow or Uninstall buttons |
| System status | System proxy helper | Whether the helper is enabled, needs approval, is not registered, or was not found (MeowX must be in the Applications folder). Register / Allow buttons |
| System status | Exit IP | Your direct and proxied public IPs, with a re-query button |
See Mac menu bar app for the rest of the panel.