1. Procuring and Managing Apps through Apple’s VPP
Background
Purchasing apps in bulk has traditionally been a complicated process, so the arrival of
Apple’s Volume Purchasing Program is a welcome one. Unlike prior systems consisting
of redeemable codes and vouchers, apps purchased through VPP are owned and
controlled by the institution and lent out on an as needed basis. Once an app is no
longer needed on a student device, its license can be reclaimed and redistributed.
The steps for setting up your VPP account and purchasing app licenses is outlined
below. If you have any questions while working through the processes, please email
patrick@esparklearning.com.
Before you begin
● Create an Apple ID for use with Apple’s education services if you don’t already
have one. This should be separate from the Apple ID you use for personal
purchases. Associate an institution-controlled credit card with this Apple ID. You
will not be able to proceed with an Apple ID that has previously been registered
with Business VPP, the iTunes Store, or the App Store.
● Once you have an Apple ID, turn on two-factor authentication. Apple’s
deployment programs require it, and it serves as an important layer of
institutional protection. You will be promoted to set up two-factor
authentication during the process of creating your VPP account. For more
information, you can see an extract from Apple’s two-step verification
walkthrough here.
Signing up
● Access to Apple’s deployment services are available at deploy.apple.com. To
go directly to the Volume Purchasing Program, go to volume.itunes.apple.com.
We recommend working from deploy.apple.com, since you can manage three of
Apple’s most popular education deployment services (the Volume Purchasing
Program, Under 13 Apple ID creation, and the Device Enrollment Program) from
the site.

2. ● Select the program you want to sign your school up for. You can navigate via
the sidebar, or just click “Get Started” next to the option you choose.

3. ● Click Admins on the sidebar. This will give you a chance to add yourself as an
administrator.
● Select “Add Admin Account” and fill out the required fields.

4. ● Enter the verification code you received.
● Now you’re ready to enroll! Let’s start with the Volume Purchasing Program. You’ll be
presented with two options: Education and Business. For our purposes, we’re going to
select Education.

5. ● You will encounter an error message if you’re using an Apple ID that’s already associated
with the App Store or a VPP Business account. We strongly recommend using an
account exclusively for your VPP and DEP enrollment and management processes to
avoid these issues.

6. ● Once you’re logged in, you can search for apps using the search field at the top of the
page.

7. ● Once you find your apps, make sure to select the version you want (iPad or iPhone, paid
or free).
● Choose how many licenses you need for the app you’ve selected.

8. ● The final step in purchasing a number of app licenses through Apple’s VPP is clicking
“Place Order”.
Once you’ve made purchases, they can be reviewed by clicking the Apple ID button on the top
righthand corner of the page. You’ll see several options, including Account Summary, Purchase
History, Redeem VPP Credit, and Sign Out.

9. ● The Account Summary page provides an overview of your institution’s VPP settings.
● Purchase History provides an overview of managed licenses you’ve already bought.

10. Redeeming VPP credit is a simple process. Just input your credit code, click Redeem, and the
licenses will appear on your Purchase History page.
Conclusion
Apple’s Volume Purchasing Program makes managing app licenses convenient and
supports the company’s zero-touch deployment goal. eSpark Learning’s Orchard
MDM is built with VPP integration in mind and works seamlessly to deliver apps silently
and wirelessly while still giving schools control over license distribution and revocation.
If you have any additional questions, please contact your School Partnership Manager
or patrick@esparklearning.com.