
Apple recently introduced the Volume Purchasing Program for apps in the App Store. This is a significant change in how apps were handled in the past, and we will be instituting the new purchasing rules for our iPod touch and iPad cart deployments. The process is a little confusing, but we have developed a system that should make it a bit smoother for all of us. Unfortunately, it will be slower than what we have done in the past as it includes a card-by-mail-with-scratch-off process. We believe that we have, however, figured out a way to make it work at all buildings.
In order to properly license and deploy apps on to the cart iPod touches and iPads, we need to have a license for each device. Apple instituted the Volume Purchasing Program (VPP) in order to facilitate this process. It's still in its infancy, so any of the bumps we experience now will probably get resolved over the next several months. As it is, the VPP gives schools and developers things that they have needed in the past to make iPod touch and iPads "a go" in schools:
- Proper licensing by schools and compensation for developers (I know that some will argue this point, but we think it's the right way to go about it)
- Up to 50% discounts on 20 or more licenses for the same app- developers set this discount (and we encourage it!)
- Ability to use purchase orders (POs) to buy apps... removing the "gift card" or credit card hurdle for many school systems
- Sales tax no longer charged (and then reimbursed) for App store purchases
- Multiple distribution models are enabled (either one syncing machine or individual syncing stations)
The process for purchasing requires an "Authorized Purchaser" at the district or school level. This is not just for iTunes and apps, this person can also make purchases via PO or credit card in the education store for their institution. Up until this point, we had been "old school" and did everything via a faxed PO, working with our inside sales team at Apple Education in Austin to develop the quotes from our own saved quotes. This part of the process has been the most challenging to set up. If you already have an Authorized Purchaser (AP), then you are ahead of where we were.
Once set up, the AP then creates different accounts for people to be "Program Facilitators" (PFs), who will be able to actually get and distribute the license codes to the carts/teachers/students. The apps can then be purchased and downloaded and synced to the number of iPod or iPad devices for which they purchased a license. It is up to the PF and/or the teacher to track how many devices actually get the app loaded, there is not currently a way that iTunes can do that for us.
Here's the step-by-step process we went through to get set up to begin using the VPP:
- Created AP account for district technology purchaser to use for getting program vouchers
- We called this something like "applestorepurchases@canby.k12.or.us"
- Applied to become authorized to make VPP purchases
- We created PF accounts, managed by each building's technology specialist and pre-purchased and redeemed $200 in vouchers for each PF account for each cart in that building.
- This is done through a process working with your education inside sales team in Austin, and you set them up via a spreadsheet which is then entered into Apple's system- the process takes 3-5 days
- The PF accounts cannot be used on the iTunes store- these are specific to the VPP purchase process
- We set them up similar to "volumelicensing-schoolname@canby.k12.or.us" so that they are set to a school, not a person
- There is a separate agreement clause that presents itself the first time a PF logs in to the VPP web site which allows you to purchase multiple codes but use only one for syncing and distribution to multiple iTunes libraries and iOS devices. We have just gone ahead and done that for the PFs so that it wouldn't get missed. You have to agree to that so you can continue to sync the carts as we have done in the past.
At this point, you are set up and ready to roll for the VPP purchase process. In reading Apple's online VPP documentation, we understood that the VPP process in schools at the end-user level is assumed to be:
- Teacher finds an app they want,
- Teacher asks the PF to get them a download code (could be the same person, actually),
- PF then asks the AP to purchase a "voucher," using a PO or credit card, sold only in increments of $100, $500, $1,000, $50,00, and $10,000
- Apple turns around and sends back (via snail mail) a scratch-off card (like an iTunes gift card, but "different") called a "voucher"
- AP gets voucher to PF
- PF redeems the voucher here
- PF "purchases" the correct number of licenses/codes on that same site
- PF gets download codes (licenses) for the app equal to the number purchased
- PF gives those codes to the teacher/cart manager/student for them to download and install app
- Whew. New app? Rinse, repeat the above from step 1, unless there are "credits" left over from the previous "voucher"...which means that you can jump to step 7.
To make it simpler for our teachers and our building techs, here's the process we've lined out for Canby SD's iPod touch & iPad cart deployments:
- Teachers look for apps they want to put on their devices
- Teachers contact their building technology specialist when they need download codes
- Tech specialists log in to the PF account and purchase the license codes and email one to the teacher (this is similar to the "free song download" code at Starbucks- when the code is redeemed, it will automatically download that app)
- Teacher only needs one code to download the app and install it on all the iPod touches in the cart
- Tech specialists record all the license codes and the carts/devices they are installed on in the VPP 2010-11 Google spreadsheet form (available in the "volumelicensing-schoolname@canby.k12.or.us" Google Docs account), as well as the dollars expended by that purchase and track the total dollars spent to make sure that each cart is fairly being charged and accounted for.

We are researching some desktop applications that will allow us to remotely monitor and collect information about installed apps on the iOS devices. We'll have a blog article about that as soon as we land on something (if we do).
We encourage teachers to look for apps that come with a discount. Your building technology specialist can help you figure that out, or you can look yourself without having to log in by going to the
VPP App Store.
We also encourage developers to consider discounting their apps for the purchase program, as schools and teachers are much more likely to purchase it if it's more affordable.
Comments
Pam Imholz (unauthenticated)
Sep 21, 2010
Well written - we're in the midst of this process too. The biggest problem we've run into is a browser glitch that doesn't allow us to use our VPP log in - it just keeps kicking us back to the sign in page. I FINALLY got it to work using Opera - neither safari nor firefox would work.
Peter Monether (unauthenticated)
Dec 29, 2010
Thanks for this detailed article - very helpful to schools such as mine faced with similar issues and in need of these solutions. Appreciate Pam's comment also about the browser issues.
Melinda (unauthenticated)
Jan 27, 2011
Do you only allow apps to be loaded through this process? I bought teacher iPads. What if the teachers want to enter their credit card information and buy their own apps? How would that effect syncing?
Tim Fortin (unauthenticated)
Jan 31, 2011
Do you have any ability to control the environment on each Ipad/Ipod, i.e. does the student have the ability
to change the look and feel of the Ipad/Ipod to make it unusable? It would really be nice to have an
application similar to the blackberry phone platform (Blackberry Enterprise Server) that would allow for
deployment and desktop control over the end devices.
Melissa Seward (unauthenticated)
Feb 7, 2011
Thank you for sharing this information. This is very helpful to me as I research an iPad/iPod implementation for our students.
Joseph Morelock
Feb 19, 2011
Comment for Melinda:
When using a large group of iOS devices, this is the way you license the apps. You sync them in any manner you wish. If you have teachers individually syncing their devices, you can send them one of the codes from your volume purchase and they download and install via the iTunes library that is connected to that device. Remember that iOS devices only sync to one iTunes library at a time. The VPP can actually help you in this way.
Joseph Morelock
Feb 19, 2011
Comment for Tim:
Not in the classic "control" sense, no. You have to remember that we are basically harnessing a powerful consumer device and trying to fit it into an educational environment. You can make backups along the way, and restore from those as you need to. At this time, there are no "playlists" for apps (that would help), or basic certificate installs (like from iPhone Config Utility) to make them all look the same (backgrounds, apps on certain pages, etc).
Larry Francis (unauthenticated)
Feb 25, 2011
Where/how does Apple give us an accounting of apps downloaded, licenses, dollars spent, and amount remaining on our account?
Joel (unauthenticated)
Mar 2, 2011
It's unfortunate that this volume licensing and discount program only applies to educational institutions. It would be great for other non-profits such as churches. I work for the IT department of a hospital which is actually considered a non-profit organization (I know, right). We are purchasing 25 ipads for use during medical seminars, etc. It would be nice to be able to purchase the same app for all of them at once. It would not be efficient to have 25 different itunes accounts to purchase apps for. I hope there's a better way!
Joseph Morelock
Mar 4, 2011
Comment for Larry:
When you log in to the VPP store, your account balance is listed for you. Also, when you get the download codes in the spreadsheet (or in the browser), you can see the licenses you have. We have been saving those in a Google spreadsheet.
Joseph Morelock
Mar 4, 2011
Comment for Joel:
Well, as it stands right now, it's for education... but I think we are just the "test monkey" for rolling it out to all enterprise deployments like yours and others. The uptick on iPad and iPod touch and iPhone in the enterprise is pretty significant, so I would not expect the wait to be too long!
TaxExempt (unauthenticated)
Apr 19, 2011
Comment for anyone who has insight!
Does anyone know how to use this program to NOT pay sales tax on an "In-App" purchase?
Joseph Morelock
May 9, 2011
Comment for TaxExempt:
At this time, the VPP only applies to the app itself. In-app purchases are not yet covered. We believe you can be reimbursed by Apple for the taxes you pay, but you'd have to check with your salesperson.
Emma VEC (unauthenticated)
May 26, 2011
Can Irish schools use this process?
Josh (unauthenticated)
Jun 6, 2011
Can anyone advise me on the browser not letting me in to the VPP portal? It just keeps looping back to continue, as the first commenter stated.
@ICTEvangelist (unauthenticated)
Jun 28, 2011
Shame, unless I've been misinformed, that this feature is only available in the US. For schools in the UK, we won't enjoy any kind of discounts on apps, even when we're looking to deploy 1400 iPads across the school. Come on Apple - get it going elsewhere!!
MD Betty (unauthenticated)
Aug 1, 2011
My Q is some what off base.But I think there similar to VPP ours is not all educational. What happens if you have a Ipad product that is sold with an purchase of that product so the App is free ? Otherwise you have to purchase the app from I Tunes?
Joseph Morelock
Aug 4, 2011
Answer for Emma VEC: I am unsure if that program is available in Ireland at this time. Contact your account rep at Apple to find out.
Joseph Morelock
Aug 4, 2011
Answer for Josh: Try another browser. We had that issue, and sometimes it's a caching thing. We go back and forth between Safari and Firefox to make it work. I think it's better now.
Sheryl Salgado (unauthenticated)
Aug 8, 2011
We also had trouble with the login issue. We found it a bit funny that we got it to work on a PC browser no problem! Even had the Apple IT guys in the VPP Store scratching their heads. But that was a couple of months ago now, so hopefully yes, they are making improvements.
965 Studios (unauthenticated)
Sep 5, 2011
Hi There, I am a developer of educational apps and have received emails from several schools asking about this volume purchasing. Would you be willing to email me so I can ask you a few more questions about how this works. I would be happy to also send you free promo codes for our educational apps. Specifically I am curious about how you use one code to install an app on several devices - each of your devices is simply synced with the same iTunes Library? Please email me if you can: 965studios(at)gmail(dot)com Thanks so much in advance!
KB (unauthenticated)
Nov 11, 2011
I am looking into Kindle Fire vs. IPOD Touch. I need help with figuring out what is best for a foreign language classrooms. The cons I see are: Kindle Fire has no video or audio and a much smaller library of apps. IPOD is small but has a history being used in the classroom. Can anyone help with their opinions? Thanks. KB
Joseph Morelock
Jan 13, 2012
Comment for KB:
We would definitely go iPod touch. It's easy to change the language of the device (your world language kids can operate the whole device in the target language) and you have access to hundreds of thousands of apps- the vast majority of which will never come to Kindle.