Support

Check that the server address (including http:// or https:// and the port) is correct, that your phone is on the same network as the server (or that the server is reachable from outside), and that iOS has granted SubShadow Local Network permission (iPhone Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network). The in-app log (Settings → Help & Support → App Logs) shows the connection log.

You don't have to solve this to use the app: Settings → Connection lets you switch to On Device and play video held on the phone, or to Demo, neither of which touches the network.

SubShadow follows what your server reports as "now playing." Make sure playback is running on a player connected to the same server account, and that the item actually has a subtitle track selected. Demo mode (Settings → Connection) is a quick way to confirm the app itself is working.

You're almost certainly watching in Plex Web — Plex in a browser tab. Plex Web doesn't implement the Companion protocol that remote controls use, so no app can pause or seek it. SubShadow detects this and disables those buttons instead of sending commands nothing will receive; the note under the controls says so.

The rest still works — the transcript follows the playhead and word lookup is unaffected; the video simply keeps playing while you read. To get the controls back, play through a Plex app (Apple TV, Android TV, a smart-TV app, the desktop or mobile app), all of which speak Companion — or play the episode inside SubShadow, where playback is local and always controllable.

Switch to On Device in Settings → Connection; that section then offers both ways to get files in, and Settings → Data & Storage → On-Device Media manages them afterwards:

• Wi‑Fi transfer. Tap the transfer button and SubShadow shows an address like http://192.168.1.20:8080 and a four-digit PIN. Open the address in a browser on a computer on the same Wi‑Fi network, enter the PIN, and pick your files. The transfer server runs only while that screen is open, only on your local network, and only receives — it never sends anything off the phone.
• The Files app. SubShadow's media folder appears under On My iPhone → SubShadow, so you can drag files in (and delete them) directly.

MP4, M4V and MOV play as-is. MKV is converted on import — the container is rewritten without re-encoding the video, so it's fast and the picture is untouched. AAC and Dolby audio is copied as-is; Opus and FLAC audio, which MP4 can't carry, is converted to AAC. If a file can't be made playable (10-bit H.264 "Hi10P" is the usual reason — no iPhone has a decoder for it), On-Device Media says which file, why, and offers to copy an ffmpeg command that fixes it.

The item needs a text subtitle track (SRT or ASS) on the server, or an .srt / .ass file sitting next to the video for on-device playback. If there isn't one, you can search and download a matching Japanese subtitle from inside the player:

• Jimaku — anime and Japanese TV. Create a free account at jimaku.cc and paste your API key into Settings.
• OpenSubtitles — live-action TV and film. No key needed. Signing in with an OpenSubtitles account is optional and only raises your daily download limit.

Subtitle download is free, not a Pro feature. If a subtitle is offset from the audio, the built-in sync control shifts it, and the adjustment is remembered for that episode.

Pro gates exactly two things: saving more than 20 cards, and playing your Plex or Jellyfin library inside the app. Demo mode and video stored on the phone play in-app for free, and so does shadowing what's already running on your TV.

Open the paywall and tap Restore Purchases. Purchases are tied to your Apple Account, so make sure the phone is signed in with the account that made the purchase.

Subscriptions are managed by Apple: iPhone Settings → your name → Subscriptions → SubShadow Pro. Cancelling stops the next renewal; you keep Pro until the end of the paid period.

Refunds for App Store purchases are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.