Managed distribution

You can assign apps and books in a variety of ways to devices, device groups, users, and user groups.

Type of app or book	Can be assigned to Mac computers	Can be assigned to iOS devices	Can be assigned to users
In-house app	Yes	Yes	Yes
In-house book	No	Yes	Yes
VPP app	Yes (OS X El Capitan or later)	Yes (iOS 9 or later)	Yes
VPP book	No	No	Yes

Note: Once books from the iBooks Store are assigned to users, they can’t be revoked.

Assign apps to devices

To create a device group, see Manage device groups.

Make sure the device is enrolled with Profile Manager.
Install the Volume Purchase Program service token. For information, see View app and book purchases in Server Help.
Select Devices or Device Groups from the Profile Manager sidebar, then select the specific device or device group.
Select the Apps tab.
Click Add to view the app list.
Select the app or apps you want to assign to the device.
Once you assign an app purchased using the VPP to a device or device group, the number of apps available for assignment decreases accordingly. When you revoke an app, the number increases.
Choose automatic or manual from the Installation Mode pop-up menu.
If they are enterprise apps, the installation mode is automatic.
Click OK, then click Save.

Assign books to users and user groups

Books from the iBooks Store can’t be assigned to iOS devices. Books you create (called enterprise) can be assigned to devices.

Make sure the device is enrolled with Profile Manager.
Select Devices or Device Groups from the Profile Manager sidebar, then select the specific device or device group.
Select the Books tab.
Click Add to view the book list.
Select the book or books, click OK, then click Save.

Assign apps and books to users and user groups

There are several ways to distribute apps and books to users. For apps purchased through the VPP, the user must accept an invitation and have an Apple ID. Invitations can be done by user, by user group, or by devices already associated with users. For example, you can invite an entire group of users who have devices already assigned to them. The invitation can go to the device, not necessarily the user.

Note: For user and user group assignment, you must have port 25 open on your firewall for Profile Manager to send the invitation to users or user-assigned devices. If you want to use your mail server as a relay, select “Relay outgoing mail through ISP” in the Mail service and enter your outgoing mail server name in the window.

Create users or bind to another supported directory service. For information, see Create a user account in Server Help.
Install the Volume Purchase Program service token. For information, see View app and book purchases in Server Help.
Invite users or groups to enroll in VPP managed distribution. For information, see Invite users to enroll in VPP managed distribution and Invite groups to enroll in VPP managed distribution.
Select Users or Groups from the Profile Manager sidebar, then select the specific user or group.
Select the Apps or Books tab.
Click Add to select an app or book from the list.
Once you assign an app or book purchased using the VPP to a user or group, the number of apps or books available for assignment decreases accordingly. When you revoke an app, the number increases. Books purchased using the VPP can’t be revoked.
Select Apple ID from the assignment mode pop-up menu.
Select manual or automatic from the installation mode pop-up menu.
If you select manual, when users log in to the App Store on their Mac or iOS device, the app appears as available for installation in the Purchases list. Assigned books appear in iBooks.
If you select automatic, the app is downloaded automatically.
Click OK, then click Save.

When users log in to the App Store on their Mac or iOS device, the app appears as available for installation in the Purchases list. Assigned books appear in iBooks. If you want apps or books to be downloaded without user interaction, see Push purchased apps and books to users and user groups.