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Apple Business Manager apps

With Apple Business Manager, you can buy iOS, iPadOS, and macOS app licenses in volume for distribution within your organization.

You can integrate Sophos Mobile with Apple Business Manager to assign these apps to devices or users.

Note

Apple Business Manager replaces the Device Enrollment Program (DEP) and the Volume Purchase Program (VPP).

Assigning Apple Business Manager apps to users or devices

For iPhones and iPads, you can choose to assign an Apple Business Manager app to a user or a device. For Macs, you assign Apple Business Manager apps to devices.

To simplify deployment, we recommend that you assign apps to devices.

The following rules apply:

  • When you assign an app to users, they can install it on all their Apple Business Manager managed iPhones and iPads.
  • When you assign an app to an iPhone or iPad, you don’t need to associate it with an Apple ID.
  • When you assign an app to a Mac, it’s available to all users that sign in to that Mac.

Inviting users to Apple Business Manager

Before you can assign an app to a user, you must invite them to Apple Business Manager.

This step isn’t required for devices.

Installing Apple Business Manager apps

You install Apple Business Manager apps in Sophos Mobile Admin, the same way you install other apps.

On iPhones and iPads (but not on Macs), users can install apps from the App Store.

Unassigning Apple Business Manager apps

You unassign an Apple Business Manager app in the following ways:

  • You deselect the required users or devices on the app’s details page.
  • iPhones and iPads: You deselect the app on a user’s details page.
  • Macs: You transfer a task bundle with an Unassign VPP app task to the device.

App licenses are automatically released in the following situations:

  • The app is uninstalled.
  • The device is unenrolled from Sophos Mobile.

Tip

When you unassign an Apple Business Manager app, users can continue to use it for 30 days.