What is Apple's Volume Purchase Program

Volume Purchase Program (VPP) is a fundamental part of enterprise management for Apple devices. It lets you deploy public apps (apps from the Apple App Store), as managed by your organization, to devices. This enables you to deploy managed apps without the need for a user's Apple ID. The apps have no relation to the personal Apple ID, and your organization can take full responsibility for the managed apps while assuming no (or limited) responsibility for any apps installed via the personal Apple ID on a company device. This creates a clear separation between company and personal use.

Short History on VPP

The Apple Volume Purchase Program (VPP) was introduced in 2010 to help businesses and educational institutions streamline the bulk purchasing and distribution of apps and books across multiple devices. By allowing organizations to buy app licenses in bulk and assign them to users or devices, VPP made it easier to manage large-scale deployments of Apple software.

In 2018, Apple began integrating VPP into Apple Business Manager (ABM) and Apple School Manager, consolidating its device management and app distribution tools into unified platforms. By the end of 2019, Apple officially deprecated the standalone VPP portal, requiring organizations to transition to ABM or Apple School Manager to continue managing app licenses and device enrollments.

Today, VPP functionality lives on within ABM, continuing to offer organizations an efficient way to purchase and manage app licenses while benefiting from the enhanced features of the broader ABM ecosystem.

VPP Device-Based Licenses

One of the key benefits of the Apple Volume Purchase Program, now embedded within ABM, is the ability to deploy apps via device-based licensing. This method allows organizations to assign app licenses directly to devices rather than to users, which means apps can be installed on devices without requiring users to sign in with their personal Apple IDs.

This is especially useful for organizations that manage corporate-owned devices or want to maintain greater control over app distribution without linking apps to individual users. With device-based licensing, apps can also be easily reassigned between devices, providing flexibility and simplifying the app management process in enterprise environments.

Conclusion

The Volume Purchase Program, now part of Apple Business Manager, remains a vital tool for organizations managing Apple devices. By enabling bulk app purchasing, simplifying deployment, and supporting device-based licensing, VPP ensures that enterprises and educational institutions can efficiently distribute and manage applications at scale—all while maintaining a clear boundary between personal and corporate data.

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