How to handle iOS in-app purchases? (Sketchbook)

jhuls
Contributor III

I have VPP operating just fine but I have an instructor requesting Autodesk Sketchbook. It comes free from the app store but has an in-app purchase of $4.99 for their Pro Tools which he wants. With this possibly going on 24 iPad Pro's I'd prefer to have a simple(preferably automated) method to install this. I've checked VPP and it's not offered as a Pro version to avoid the in-app purchase.

How is everyone else dealing with in-app purchases these days?

7 REPLIES 7

tsossong
New Contributor III

As I know there is no option to deal with in-app purchases. We have this problem too, but we just ignore it. :-) No seriously, our policy is not to do any in-app purchases because they are still bound to the Apple ID...and we have shared iPads around.

I heard that there is a feature request under review by Apple to implement VPP in-app purchases but heard nothing about it since the introduction of Schoolmanager.

A workaround for non shared iPads could be that you use the same Apple ID for purchases on each of the 24 iPads and buy the content once. Maybe you can recover the purchase then on the others...like the old way to buy 500 apps with one schoolwide Apple ID.

PeterClarke
Contributor II

The other "Current Solution" - is that in a few cases - some suppliers offer "Another Version"
- with the extra parts already included - for a different price…

if the item you are interested in falls into that case - then it's just an issue of VPP of 'that version'…

Of course many apps don't come in that alternative offering…
Leaving you with your original problem…

It's worth pointing out though - that there are some cases where there is this alternative...
(which you likely knew about already..)

RLR
Valued Contributor

You can also try emailing the developer to release a paid version without the in-app purchase. I've found some developers are not really aware of VPP and don't realise in-app purchasing is an issue for us.

jkinghh
New Contributor

I'm running into this issue, however, developers have options to make it work. I just spoke with Crestron and they have a way that involves them opening up the paid version in the Volume Purchase Store, once verified through our integrator. Lots of hoops to jump through but it can be done.
Long story short, contact the developer to see if there's something they can do.

rtrevizo
New Contributor

@jkinghh Can you kindly advised if Crestron was able to assist you? I also would like to distribute the Crestron iPad App for Conference room devices. Can you reply and let me know the steps taken.

rtrevizo
New Contributor

@jkinghh Can you kindly advised if Crestron was able to assist you? I also would like to distribute the Crestron iPad App for Conference room devices. Can you reply and let me know the steps taken.

TJB70
New Contributor

@rtrevizo I had to push out the fully paid version of the Crestron for iPad app today via Jamf and found this post. I did some further research and finally found a way to do it:

https://support.crestron.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5484/kw/MDM

I hope this helps anyone else trying to do this.

Edit: So it appears that Crestron could only push out paid apps to the Enterprise VPP Store and not the Educational VPP Store.