What is Apple Volume Purchase Program (Apple VPP) ?
Apple Volume Purchase Program (Apple VPP) empowers enterprises to drive effective application management across Apple devices deployed for work. 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 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 discover world-class applications and distribute them on their enterprise iOS devices. Alternatively, IT 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 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?
Apple VPP token is necessary for linking the Apple VPP account to the chosen MDM solution. This VPP token is available in the account summary of the VPP store. You can download the VPP token and upload it to their chosen Apple MDM server.
How to renew Apple VPP token?
Apple VPP token needs to be renewed once a year. To renew an Apple VPP token, you can generate a new token as mentioned above, and add it to your MDM.
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.
Apple Business Manager and Apple VPP
Apple VPP is seamlessly integrated into the Apple Business Manager. Users can continue to use Apple VPP along with an MDM solution to distribute apps or books or upgrade to Apple Business Manager and use VPP available within Apple Business Manager.
Users can use their Apple DEP/VPP account to access Apple Business Manager. The admins in Apple Business Manager are assigned the role of Content Managers within the Apple Business Manager account. All purchases and Apple Business Manager VPP token process remain the same.
Note : To continue using the Device Enrollment Program and Volume Purchase Program, please upgrade to Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager. The Volume Purchase Program is no longer available as of January 14, 2021.
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 helps company IT to purchase apps in bulk and seamlessly distribute them on managed devices. 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.
