In app purchases with VPP?

[GabeShack]

We just bought Notion for our iPad pros with Apple Pencil using VPP, however I cannot get the handwriting $7.99 in app purchase to download. Does VPP disable in app purchases? If so what are the work arounds if any?

Gabe Shackney
Princeton Public Schools

[GabeShack · Accepted solution]

I found a work around sort of...I now assign an iPad app to the USER (the old way) instead of the device. Then it shows up in the users (iTunes account) purchase history and then also allows in app purchases when downloaded this way. After that we have to buy a gift card for that account to purchase the in app purchases.

Its too bad I can't use VPP credit to buy gift cards....

Gabe Shackney
Princeton Public Schools

[chriscollins]

As far as I am aware VPP purchased apps do not support in app purchases.

We had the same issue with Omnigraffle and had to convert licenses to direct purchases.

[mpermann]

@gshackney I think some app developers will let you purchase the app with all the in-app purchased features up front in so you don't run into this issue. I've not personally need to do that, but I've read about it in some other threads on JAMF Nation. You might want to check with the app developer about that.

[GabeShack · Accepted solution]

I found a work around sort of...I now assign an iPad app to the USER (the old way) instead of the device. Then it shows up in the users (iTunes account) purchase history and then also allows in app purchases when downloaded this way. After that we have to buy a gift card for that account to purchase the in app purchases.

Its too bad I can't use VPP credit to buy gift cards....

Gabe Shackney
Princeton Public Schools

[bcampbell]

@mpermann I communicated with a developer about this once as that was the answer I received from an SE at Apple when asked how in-app purchases could be acquired via VPP. It requires the developer to create an additional version of the app that has the in-app purchases as built-in features then that new version can be made for sale via VPP. (This is like the lite/free version versus the paid version for some apps in the retail app store.) Some developers are willing to do that extra work. Some don't want to have to maintain two or more apps. (An app that has multiple in-app purchase options would require a separate app in the VPP store for each combination of in-app purchase features the dev would want to make available via VPP.

[cdenesha]

@gshackney I've got the same situation for an assistive app that allows a better voice to be downloaded by in-app purchase only. I'm curious what happens when the VPP app is unassigned from the user. When reassigned can the purchase be restored?

thanks,

chris

[GabeShack]

It can if that user that you assigned the purchase to is logged in to the store. Really annoying having to go through the trouble.

Gabe Shackney
Princeton Public Schools

[leaann_renner]

Gabe,
I'm curious how you "assign an iPad app to the USER (the old way)". Do you mean through JAMF and, if so, how? I have a similar situation with the Heads Up app. I purchase through VPP And assigned to a group of iPads but now the teacher wants to use the custom option which must be purchased (from within the app). Since the app is device assigned, it can't be done. I know I can repurchase the app and use an appleid to purchase the custom option. What I'm wondering is if I can reassign the ones I've already purchased (device assigned) to accomplish this without having to repurchase.

Clear as mud?

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

[GabeShack · Accepted solution]

@leaann_renner So in this case you would make a user account in iTunes that you can assign app purchases with. Ours is a generic account that I control the password to. Then click on the Users tab (at the top of the page next to Computers and Mobile Devices) and create a user matching the iTunes account you just created (to make a new user first search for the username you created then when it cannot find them you can click the plus button to create a "New" user. Inside the users tab you can assign the app purchase by clicking on the VPP assignments and clicking the Plus button. Then find the App you want to assign to that user and make the Target the user you just created. When all of this is done, then the app will show up in the "Purchase History" of that users app store account and you can download it from there (on any device they are signed into, {hint, hint} and then you should be able to purchase extra content. This works well with iTunes gift cards added to this newly created iTunes account. Also, yes you certainly can reassign already purchased apps to users instead of devices.

EDIT....I maybe missing a step by creating a VPP invitation for that newly created user (which is in the VPP invitations tab under users. Sorry its been so long since I had done this.

Hope that helps a bit...

Gabe Shackney
Princeton Public Schools

[JonThompson]

What happens to the in-app purchases if the license gets rescinded from the AppleID?

[bcampbell]

I believe (and some posts earlier in this thread support that) they are pretty much useless unless the Apple ID that was used to make the in-app purchase, gets access to the app later via a purchase or future license assignment.

I haven't tested this myself, but it seems like it would work similarly to how in-app purchases work if you get an app via Family Sharing -- in-app purchases can't be shared. They can be bought in an app to which you get access via Family Sharing (or VPP in this case) but the in-app purchase can only be used by the Apple ID that made the in-app purchase.

As discussed above, a workaround for this in limited cases is to purchase a premium version of the app from the beginning (if one exists) that includes the extra features/content as part of the package.

I've never found an acceptable way to provision or manage in-app purchases via VPP so I have avoided all apps where there is no premium option not requiring in-app purchases. The gift card method also mentioned above seems the best of the only and less than desired options, but it does not scale well.

[jgraper]

Has anyone used this workflow recently? I am following these steps but the app is not showing up in the user's Purchase History. Just trying to verify this still works as someone at Jamf told me a lot has changed with VPP and Apple School Manager since 2016.

Thanks

UPDATE: Never mind! I got this work after all

[raphaelhuber]

This is by no means a solved issue. The work-around which is considered a "solution" is not scalable. We are a school with 300 ipads and we want an inApp purchase of an App that has no premium version distributed to all of them without user interaction.

There are many Apps like this and we are not able to buy and use them because of this.

[aedi]

If only apple provided a way to specify which in-app purchase you want activated when you purchase the licences