Intro to apps and books licenses in Apple Business
Overview
The App Store features thousands of apps and Apple Business gives your organization a simple way to get licenses for and manage these apps in the App Store. Using device management, you can install and update apps remotely, even if the App Store app is removed from the device.
Note: Depending on your local tax requirements, you may be required to provide tax information when you initially set up your organization to get licenses.
How do I distribute apps?
Besides getting licenses for apps, you can also revoke and reassign apps to different devices and users. In this way, you always retain full ownership and control of apps you bought. You can assign the apps you bought through Apple Business to any devices or users in any country or region where those apps are available from that organizational unit’s App Store. (The App Store Country or Region is determined by the address submitted when your organization signs up for Apple Business. For example, if your organization signed up with an address in the United States, the App Store locale is set to United States.)
App distribution works best when the app is assigned before devices are configured or given to users. After the user receives the device and completes the Setup Assistant, the built-in device management automatically assigns app licenses to Managed Apple Accounts. Third-party device management services can send the user an invitation by email or push notification. When the user accepts the invitation, the user has access to all of the apps—which are then remotely installed on the user’s devices. To alleviate bandwidth saturation during the initial mass deployment, consider distributing only the apps necessary for the first day of deployment, and then make additional apps available to users for download over time. If the device is supervised, apps are installed silently.
Note: In-app purchases and subscriptions aren’t compatible with volume purchasing, managed apps, or Managed Apple Accounts. Developers may offer a separate full-featured version of their apps (sometimes as a Custom App) for education or enterprise customers that need to deploy apps at scale. See Learn about Custom Apps.
How do I distribute Apple Books?
Apple Books bought through Apple Business can be distributed only to users, not devices. They can’t be revoked and reassigned. When books are assigned to users, those books follow the same country and region download restrictions as apps.
Note: Some Apple Books content isn’t available in certain countries or regions. To learn whether certain Apple Books content is available in your country or region, see the Apple Support article Availability of Apple programs and payment methods for education and business.
What happens if I assign apps to a device through device management?
Apps that are assigned to a device or user through a device management solution, including Apple Business, may be automatically removed when a user unenrolls the device from device management.
In addition, if a user restores apps through a backup from the Finder or iCloud, the apps aren’t automatically reinstalled.
Note: To learn whether purchasing apps and books in volume is available in your country or region, see the Apple Support article Availability of Apple programs and payment methods for education and business.
App and book assignment summary
The table below shows the types of apps or books, and the criteria for assigning them to devices and users.
Type of app or book | Can be assigned to iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro | Can be assigned to users with a Managed Apple Account or an unmanaged (personal) Apple Account |
|---|---|---|
Managed apps (Free or paid apps bought through Apple Business) |  | |
Free or paid books bought through Apple Business |  | |
Custom Apps | | |
Unlisted Apps | | |