What is Apple Volume Purchase Program (VPP)?
Apple retired the Volume Purchase Program on 14 January 2021. Bulk app and book buying did not stop, it moved: Apple now calls it Apps and Books, and it lives inside Apple Business and Apple School Manager.
This guide keeps the VPP name because that is still what most teams call it. Where the current Apple term differs, both are given.
Available for iOS as well as macOS devices, Apple Volume Purchase Program or Apple VPP enables IT admins to centrally purchase, distribute and manage applications on iPhones, iPads, and Mac. Along with apps, IT teams can also purchase, distribute and manage books using Apple VPP.
With Apple VPP, company IT teams can find apps suitable for business, can purchase licenses in volume, distribute them on the devices and manage them.
Using Apple VPP, IT teams can find apps in the App Store and distribute them across enterprise iOS devices. Alternatively, IT teams can also privately distribute customized apps built by third-party app developers for their business using Apple VPP.
Where is Apple Volume Purchase Program (Apple VPP) Available?
The Apple VPP program is available in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
How does Apple VPP work?
To use Apple VPP, company IT teams can start by creating an account on the Apple VPP portal. Complete the verification process, add administrators and purchase information.
Once this information is verified, IT admins can start purchasing app licenses and distributing them on managed iOS devices using an Apple MDM solution.
In this article, we shall be discussing the step-by-step process to enroll in Apple VPP, the Apple VPP setup, and how to use the Apple VPP account for business.
Benefits of Apple VPP for business
- Using Apple VPP, IT teams can purchase iOS and macOS apps and iBooks in volume using Apple VPP.
- IT teams can privately distribute custom apps built exclusively for their business by third-party developers.
- With Apple VPP, IT teams can effectively manage the app distribution. They can track the apps assigned to a particular device. Further with the help of an MDM tool, these apps can be revoked, reassigned and redistributed to other devices.
- Apps developed in one country can be published on devices located in other countries, provided the country of purchase has VPP store available.
Step-by-step Apple VPP enrollment guide
In this section, we will have a look at the detailed process to create an Apple VPP account. This procedure is valid for the Apple VPP account setup for new users.
If your business is enrolled in Apple DEP – Device Enrollment Program, you can the same agent account to access Apple VPP. In this case, you are not required to create a new Apple ID for ADP. You can directly sign in using the Apple ID used for DEP and enroll in the Volume Purchase Program.
Step 1: Create an Apple ID for ADP (Apple Deployment Program)
Visit business.apple.com. Create a program agent account by using the email address associated with your business. Consumer email addresses are not accepted by Apple VPP so ensure you are not using your personal account to register.
Step 2: Verify email and enable two-step verification for Apple VPP account
Verify your email ID. Enable two-step verification with the My Apple ID website. Save the recovery key provided to access your account and devices in case you forget the account password.
Step 3: Complete the process for Apple Volume Purchase Program enrollment
- Enter verification contact for an individual who can verify your authority to enroll devices for your business. This verification contact should have the legal authority to sign for and bind your organization to terms and conditions by VPP.
- Enter your business information including D-U-N-S number, business address, zip code.
- Enter your tax registration information. This varies for each country/ EU zone. Provide your existing Apple Customer Support number for any tax exemption.
- Apple will cross-check the information and revert to you if there are any discrepancies. Apple will also get in touch with the verification contact entered by you over the phone or email.
- Once your verification is completed, you will receive an email. Agree to the terms and conditions and your enrollment process will be completed. You can now login your Apple VPP account.
How to use Apple VPP for business?
Once your enrollment and sign-up for the Apple VPP account are completed, you can start using it for distributing applications on the devices deployed for business. Log in to the Apple ADP website to start using the Apple VPP account.
- Add administrators. You can add as many administrators as required by adding their name and work email. These administrators can further add multiple administrators to the VPP account.
- Select and purchase content. You can search for iOS apps, macOS apps or books. Once you have selected a product, enter the quantity to purchase.
- Now, you have to select a distribution method for the selected app or book. You can distribute the apps and books by using a redeemable code or by using an MDM solution.
- After you have selected the distribution type, you can enter the purchase information. Make sure you use a corporate credit card for app purchases through Apple VPP.
- You can now start distributing apps and books with Apple VPP. Free apps can also be distributed through Apple VPP and the payment for free apps will be zero.
How much does Apple VPP cost?
Apple Volume Purchase Program is free to use. Anyone using Apple devices for business can make use of Apple VPP free of cost.
You have to only pay for the purchased app licenses for paid apps. Apps available for free in the App Store or Mac Store are distributed free of cost using Apple VPP.
How to get Apple VPP token (content token)?
The Apple VPP token, which Apple now calls a content token, links the Apple VPP account to the chosen MDM solution. It is available in the Account Summary section of the Apps and Books store. Download it and upload it to your chosen Apple MDM server.
How to renew Apple VPP token?
Content tokens are valid for one calendar year from the date they are downloaded, so they need replacing annually. Generate a new one as above and add it to your MDM. A token also expires if the password on the Managed Apple Account that downloaded it is changed.
How to purchase Apple VPP credit?
Businesses purchasing apps or books on VPP store can purchase VPP credit using a purchase order, from Apple or an Authorized Reseller. A VPP credit purchased by a business is added to the VPP account electronically.
Also read: What happened to Apple Business Essentials
Apple Business and Apple VPP
What VPP did is now the Apps and Books section of Apple Business. You still buy licenses in bulk and hand them to an MDM to distribute; the purchasing, the license pool and the token all sit in the same place as device enrollment rather than in a separate portal.
A legacy Apple DEP or VPP account is still the way in to Apple Business for organizations that never migrated. Admins who bought content under VPP hold the Content Manager role in Apple Business, and the purchasing and token steps work the same way.
Note: the Volume Purchase Program has not been available since 14 January 2021. What it did is now Apps and Books inside Apple Business or Apple School Manager.
Apple Configurator 2 and VPP
While using an MDM with Apple VPP is the best way to distribute, manage, revoke and reassign apps for business, Apple VPP can also be used with Apple Configurator 2.
To use Apple VPP with Apple Configurator 2, sign in to your VPP account in Apple Configurator and start managing apps.
If you are using iOS 10 and macOS Sierra, preloading apps for deployments is also possible.
Apple VPP lets IT buy app licenses in bulk and push them to managed devices without touching each one. Integrate Apple Volume Purchase Program with Scalefusion MDM to effectively drive application management in your organization.
With Scalefusion, you can quickly enroll iOS and macOS devices, both company-owned as well as employee-owned, and start distributing apps using Apple VPP.
FAQs
1. How does VPP work on Apple devices within an organization?
Apple’s Volume Purchase Program (VPP) is now Apps and Books, inside Apple Business and Apple School Manager. It lets organizations buy apps and books in bulk. Linking either platform to an MDM such as Scalefusion distributes those licenses to enrolled Apple devices over the air, and lets you reclaim and reassign them later.
2. What is the primary use of Apple VPP for businesses and educational institutions?
The main benefit of VPP is to simplify the process of purchasing and deploying apps and books in volume. Licenses are held centrally, so an MDM such as Scalefusion can assign, revoke and reassign them as people join, move or leave, rather than the license being stuck to one device.
3. How do I redeem Apple VPP credit?
Organizations can purchase VPP Credit through Apple or authorized resellers. The designated content purchaser receives a link to a secure inbox to download redemption codes, which are then entered in the “Apps and Books” section of Apple Business or Apple School Manager to add the credit to the organization’s account.
4. What is Apple VPP credit?
Apple VPP credit is prepaid funds that organizations in Apple Business or Apple School Manager can use to buy app and book licenses in bulk.
