When you purchase content for your school or business in Apps and Books, you can distribute your purchases directly to your users in one of three ways. You can use the User Assignment and Device Assignment features of managed distribution, or the redemption codes feature of Apple Business Manager.
| Managed distribution |
Redemption codes3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| User Assignment | Device Assignment | ||
| Requirements |
|
|
— |
| Distribution of free apps | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Distribution of paid apps | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Distribution of custom apps | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Distribution of free books | ✓ | — | — |
| Distribution of paid books | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Mobile Device Management (MDM) used for distribution1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| If apps are revoked or reassigned, the organization retains ownership | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Apple ID isn't required for access to apps | — | ✓ | — |
| Content is available across multiple devices in purchase history | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Content is available via family sharing | — | — | ✓ |
| End users can make and restore in-app purchases2 | ✓ | — | ✓ |
1. Some MDMs may support managed distribution and/or redeemable codes. Contact your MDM provider for more information on the requirements.
2. While in-app purchases aren't supported as standalone content that can be bought and distributed with Apps and Books, end users can make and restore in-app purchases from within Apps and Books-assigned apps, as long as those apps aren't device-assigned.
3. Redemption codes are available only in Apple Business Manager.
If you want to switch from redeemable codes to managed distribution
If you are currently using redeemable codes and you want to use managed distribution, learn how to migrate to managed distribution.
If your new Apps and Books purchases don’t show up for assignment in your MDM solution
Apps and Books server tokens are valid for one calendar year after initial download. Before the year is up, you need to go to the Account Summary section on the Apps and Books Store to obtain a new token. You also need to perform these steps if you ever change your password.
If you want to use managed distribution, but don’t have an MDM solution
Apple offers Apple Configurator 2 and Profile Manager as part of macOS Server. There are also many third-party options depending on the needs of your organization.
For more information on managing devices, visit:
• Managing devices for Education
• Managing devices for Business
Some apps and books might not be available subject to country or region and developer opt-in. See program and content availability.