License Management

How VPP Licenses Work

When you purchase app licenses through Apple Business Manager Apps & Books, each license represents the right to install that app on one device. GuardMDM uses device-based assignment — a license is consumed when an app is assigned to a specific device, not to a user.

Key characteristics of device-based assignment:

• One license per device per app — installing the same app on the same device consumes only one license
• Reassignable — a license can be freed and reassigned to a different device when the app is removed
• Persistent — once assigned, the license remains with the device until explicitly revoked
• No user Apple ID required — apps install silently without user interaction

License Counts

GuardMDM displays three license counts for each VPP app:

Count	Description
Total	The total number of licenses purchased through Apple Business Manager
Assigned	Licenses currently assigned to devices in your organization
Available	Licenses not yet assigned (Total minus Assigned)

These counts are updated after each sync with Apple Business Manager. If push notifications are enabled, counts update in near real-time when Apple reports a change.

Viewing License Counts

1. Go to Apps & Books in the GuardMDM console
2. Select an app from the list
3. The license summary is displayed at the top of the app detail page

Automatic License Assignment

When you deploy an app through a Blueprint policy, GuardMDM automatically handles license assignment:

1. The policy specifies which apps are required
2. When the policy is applied to a device, GuardMDM checks for an available license
3. If a license is available, it is assigned to the device and the installation command is sent
4. If no license is available, the installation is queued until a license is freed

This process is fully automatic — no manual license assignment is needed when deploying through Blueprints.

License Shortage

If your organization runs out of available licenses for an app:

• New devices assigned to a policy requiring that app will show a Pending License status
• Existing installations are unaffected
• GuardMDM logs the shortage in the deployment history
• Purchase additional licenses through Apple Business Manager and sync to resolve

License Revocation

When an app is removed from a device, the license is automatically revoked and returned to the available pool.

Removal Scenarios

Scenario	License Behavior
App removed from Blueprint policy	License revoked on next policy sync
Device unenrolled from MDM	All assigned licenses revoked
Device wiped	All assigned licenses revoked
Manual app removal via command	License revoked immediately

Revoked licenses are available for reassignment within minutes of the revocation event.

Viewing License Assignments

You can view which devices hold licenses for a specific app.

1. Go to Apps & Books
2. Select the app
3. Click License Assignments or View Assignments

The assignment list shows:

• Device name — the enrolled device the license is assigned to
• Serial number — the device serial number
• Assigned date — when the license was assigned
• Status — Active or Pending Revocation

Filtering Assignments

Use the search and filter options to narrow the list:

• Search by device name or serial number
• Filter by assignment status (Active / Pending Revocation)
• Sort by assigned date

Managing the License Pool

Monitoring License Usage

Regularly review license usage to ensure adequate coverage:

1. Go to Apps & Books
2. Review the Available column for each app
3. Investigate apps with low or zero available licenses
4. Check assignment details to confirm all assigned licenses are in use

Freeing Licenses

If a device no longer needs an app, you can free its license:

1. Go to Devices and select the device
2. View the installed apps list
3. Click Remove next to the app
4. Confirm the removal

The license is returned to the available pool and can be assigned to another device.

Bulk License Management

For large deployments, use Blueprint policies to manage licenses at scale:

• Add an app to a Blueprint — licenses are assigned to all devices in the group
• Remove an app from a Blueprint — licenses are revoked from all devices in the group
• Move devices between groups — licenses are adjusted automatically based on the new group's policies

Best Practices

• Monitor license counts weekly to catch shortages early
• Purchase 5-10% extra licenses to accommodate growth and new devices
• Review assigned licenses quarterly and revoke unused ones
• Set up alerts for low license availability (if supported by your monitoring tools)
• Keep the VPP token valid and synced to ensure accurate license counts

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Next: App Deployment Workflow