How to buy content in Apple School Manager
Apple School Manager and your mobile device management (MDM) solution work together so your organization can buy content in volume, assign it to devices or users, and then install and update it wirelessly, even if the App Store is disabled.
You can also revoke and reassign apps to different devices and users, so your organization retains full ownership and control of purchased apps. You can assign the apps you buy through Apple School Manager to any devices or users in any country or region where those apps are available from that location’s App Store. (The App Store Country or Region is determined by the address submitted when your organization enrolls in Apple School Manager. For example, if your organization enrolled with an address in the United States, the App Store locale is set to United States.)
Assign books
When books are assigned to users, those books follow the same country and region download restrictions as apps.
Note: Books purchased through Apple School Manager or volume purchasing can be distributed through managed book distribution, but they can’t be revoked and reassigned.
Type of app or book | Can be assigned to iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac | Can be assigned to users |
|---|---|---|
Custom app | Yes | Yes |
Free or paid apps purchased through Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager | Yes (iOS 9 or later) (iPadOS 13.1 or later) (OS X 10.11 or later) | Yes (iOS 7 or later) (iPadOS 13.1 or later) (OS X 10.9 or later) |
Free or paid books purchased through Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager | No | Yes |
The App Store and Apple Books both feature thousands of apps and books for education. Apple School Manager gives organizations a simple way to buy content in an area called Apps and Books. When you buy apps there, you can access special pricing for 20 or more copies if you’re an eligible education organization—either an organization for grades K–12 (or their districts), or one for higher education if the organization is accredited and grants degrees. For books, special pricing is not available.
Note: Depending on your local tax requirements, you may be required to provide tax information when you initially set up your organization to buy content.