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Distributing iOS Custom Apps Privately via Apple VPP
Custom apps are tailor-made applications explicitly designed to meet specific business functionalities while maintaining the utmost security to protect corporate data. Hexnode UEM administrators can privately distribute these custom-developed apps for iOS, macOS, or tvOS devices through the Apple Business portal.
To publish a custom app privately, you must first upload it to Apple Store Connect. Once the app gets approved by Apple, it will be available for distribution within your organization’s Apple Business or Apple School Manager (ASM) console.
Follow the comprehensive steps below to privately distribute the custom-developed apps for businesses:
- Publish the custom-made app in Apple Store Connect with pricing and availability settings and wait for Apple to review and approve the application.
- Acquire the app licenses within the Apple Business console.
- Deploy the custom application as VPP app via Hexnode UEM.
Prerequisites for Publishing an App in Apple Store Connect
Before beginning the VPP app distribution process, ensure that:
- Your organization is enrolled in Apple Business or Apple School Manager.
- You have already created an App Record for the custom app in Apple Store Connect.
- The Organization ID of the target business (your organisation) is readily available.
Phase 1: Publish the App in Apple Store Connect
To publish an app and make it available securely and exclusively for the specified organizations:
- Go to the Apple Store Connect homepage.
- Navigate to My Apps and select the custom application.
- Under the Pricing and Availability tab, locate the App Distribution Methods section.
- Select the Private option.
- Choose your distribution Type based on your management portal:
- For Apple Business/ASM (Modern): Select Organization ID and enter the target business’s ID and Name.
- For Legacy VPP (Legacy): Select Apple Account and enter the Apple Account associated with your legacy Volume Purchase Program account.
Note: To find your Organization ID: Sign in to Apple Business or Apple School Manager with an Administrator account > Click your organization name in the top-right corner > Settings > Organization Information
- Click Save.
- Submit the app for review. Once approved, it will appear in the Custom Apps section of your Apple Business/ASM console.
Note: If you have already submitted a custom app for review but haven’t got it approved yet, you can follow the same procedure to make it private. However, Apple Store Connect removes this option as soon as Apple approves the app.
Phase 2: Acquire App Licenses in Apple Business
Once Apple approves the custom app, you must first purchase the apps (acquire licenses) from the Apple Business console.
- Access Apple Business/ASM: Log in to the Apple Business or Apple School Manager console.
- Locate App: Navigate to Custom Apps in the left sidebar and select the approved custom application.
- Assign Location: Under the Buy Licenses section, select the appropriate Location for license assignment.
- Specify Quantity: Enter the required Quantity of licenses and click Get.
Phase 3: Deploy Custom Apps via Hexnode UEM (VPP Integration)
Hexnode UEM synchronizes application licenses procured within the Apple Business console via Apple’s Volume Purchase Program (VPP) framework. Consequently, the Hexnode UEM console categorizes and deploys these custom applications as VPP apps.
The following three core steps complete the deployment process:
- Download the VPP token from Apple Business.
- Configure VPP account settings in the Hexnode UEM portal under Admin > Apple Business/School Manager > Apple VPP.
- Distribute apps to the target devices via Hexnode UEM’s Install Application Action or Required Apps Policy.
Advanced Troubleshooting Resources
For granular error codes and specific deployment hurdles, refer to these technical deep dives:
- Issues encountered while deploying VPP apps to iOS devices: A specialized guide for resolving VPP-specific communication errors, license exhaustion, and token sync failures.
- Common issues with iOS app installation: A comprehensive index of iOS-specific error messages and its resolutions.
