Apple now allows developers to distribute custom apps to schools

Apple on Thursday announced an upgrade to Apple School Manager that allows developers to better serve educational institutions through the distribution of customized apps.

Announced in a post to Apple's developer portal, the new feature enables app makers to create and privately distribute custom apps to one or more organizations through the company's Apple School Manager platform. The capability allows developers to fulfill the needs of individual institutions, Apple says.

"You can offer a tailored look and feel, specific functionality for a process or workflow, special configuration for IT environments, security features for company data, and custom features for partners, clients, dealers, franchises, or employees," Apple explains.

Schools can also use the feature to distribute their own apps for internal use.

Once an app is completed, devs are able to authorize downloads by target organizations in App Store Connect. Selected schools are granted access to the app through Apple Business Manger or Apple School Manager and can distribute the software via Mobile Device Management or via redemption code.

Apple notes developers will need to fill out a Paid Applications Agreement if they want to make an app available only to specific organizations. This rule applies to both paid and free apps.

Apple School Manager debuted in beta form in 2016. The website, styled after Apple's business app distribution platform, acts as a central hub for educational administrators tasked with managing large-scale mobile device ecosystems. School Manager provides tools for creating and monitoring Managed Apple IDs, managing MDM enrollment, buying and distributing apps and e-books, building custom courses and more.

12 Comments

GeorgeBMac 11421 comments · 8 Years

About 4 years ago

This is good, but I doubt it is anywhere near enough.

Google and Microsoft are killing Apple in schools. Just slaughtering them. Apple seems to think that just being Apple is enough. Obviously it is not.

My 7th grade grandson's school uses Google for almost everything and accesses it mostly through Windows.

At his request, I bought him a MacBook Air for Christmas which he was very pleased with. But, when preparing a presentation using Google Slides (as was mandated by his teacher) I got to see how it appeared to be far ahead of Keynote with all of its features (photos, documents, backgrounds, etc.). Then, after a frustrating 1/2 hour trying to import photos and backgrounds into his slides using his new MacBook, he announced: "I can't use this thing" --- and pulled out his mom's old Windows laptop and completed the assignment with no problem.

So, what do I do now? He wants his own computer. So, should I sell his MacBook and buy him a Windows machine? Or, replace the crappy 128Gb SSD in the MacBook, buy a Windows 10 license, and install it using bootcamp?

In any event, he is comfortable using Google and Microsoft products -- but not Apple products (except his iPhone which is purely for pleasure). So, essentially, for real work, Apple likely just lost a lifetime customer. Yeh, he'll still love his iPhone. But for work & school, its a non-entity.

Apple needs to step up its game here -- maybe invest some of its cash in improving its offerings and support to schools instead of giving it away to shareholders saying that they have no better use for the money.

healthy_scratch 8 comments · 5 Years

About 4 years ago

@GeorgeBMac - what are you talking about? Apple School Manager (ASM) has nothing to do with your anecdotal experience (Google Slides in a SaaS tool. Just have your grandson point his browser to https://www.google.com/slides/about/ and edit his document there. Or, have him download the mobile apps to his iPhone).

ASM has to do with how Schools and Academic Medical Center and HealthCare companies managed their corporate/school owned fleet of hardware, apps, and books.

The ability for ASM to now allow for custom apps is great, but it's frankly 3 years too late for my company. We have a separate Apple Business Manager account specifically so that we can use and deploy custom apps. For us to switch now would require us to replace the sToken on our MDM which would revoke the licenses for the apps and then reinstall them.

GeorgeBMac 11421 comments · 8 Years

About 4 years ago

healthy_scratch said:

@GeorgeBMac - what are you talking about? Apple School Manager (ASM) has nothing to do with your anecdotal experience (Google Slides in a SaaS tool. Just have your grandson point his browser to https://www.google.com/slides/about/ and edit his document there. Or, have him download the mobile apps to his iPhone).

ASM has to do with how Schools and Academic Medical Center and HealthCare companies managed their corporate/school owned fleet of hardware, apps, and books.

The ability for ASM to now allow for custom apps is great, but it's frankly 3 years too late for my company. We have a separate Apple Business Manager account specifically so that we can use and deploy custom apps. For us to switch now would require us to replace the sToken on our MDM which would revoke the licenses for the apps and then reinstall them.

He did, but despite a half an hour of frustration was unable to get it to copy background & pictures to his slides. He had no trouble (a few seconds) doing it on his mom's Windows 10 machine. Whether that was from software issues or his lack of familiarity the result is the same: He couldn't use his MacBook to complete his school assignment.

So, my point stands: Schools (not just his) are training and orienting their kids to Google and Microsoft products and Apple is simply just not part of the picture. For the kids, a MacBook is like a foreign language that may or may not do the job and they have little incentive to spend time trying figure it all out. That's not the kid's fault nor the school's fault: Google and to a lesser extent Microsoft give them the tools they need at prices they can afford. Both the schools and the kids go with what works for them.

mcdave 1927 comments · 19 Years

About 4 years ago

GeorgeBMac said:

This is good, but I doubt it is anywhere near enough.
Google and Microsoft are killing Apple in schools.   Just slaughtering them.   Apple seems to think that just being Apple is enough. Obviously it is not.

My 7th grade grandson's school uses Google for almost everything and accesses it mostly through Windows.
At his request, I bought him a MacBook Air for Christmas which he was very pleased with.   But, when preparing a presentation using Google Slides (as was mandated by his teacher) I got to see how it appeared to be far ahead of Keynote with all of its features (photos, documents, backgrounds, etc.). Then, after a frustrating 1/2 hour trying to import photos and backgrounds into his slides using his new MacBook, he announced: "I can't use this thing" --- and pulled out his mom's old Windows laptop and completed the assignment with no problem.

So, what do I do now?   He wants his own computer. So, should I sell his MacBook and buy him a Windows machine?   Or, replace the crappy 128Gb SSD in the MacBook, buy a Windows 10 license, and install it using bootcamp?

In any event, he is comfortable using Google and Microsoft products -- but not Apple products (except his iPhone which is purely for pleasure).   So, essentially, for real work, Apple likely just lost a lifetime customer. Yeh, he'll still love his iPhone.   But for work & school, its a non-entity.

Apple needs to step up its game here -- maybe invest some of its cash in improving its offerings and support to schools instead of giving it away to shareholders saying that they have no better use for the money.

Nice try but as someone who regularly uses Keynote, Slides and PowerPoint for ‘real work’ you fell at the second paragraph.

mcdave 1927 comments · 19 Years

About 4 years ago

GeorgeBMac said:

healthy_scratch said:

@GeorgeBMac - what are you talking about? Apple School Manager (ASM) has nothing to do with your anecdotal experience (Google Slides in a SaaS tool. Just have your grandson point his browser to https://www.google.com/slides/about/ and edit his document there. Or, have him download the mobile apps to his iPhone).

ASM has to do with how Schools and Academic Medical Center and HealthCare companies managed their corporate/school owned fleet of hardware, apps, and books.

The ability for ASM to now allow for custom apps is great, but it's frankly 3 years too late for my company. We have a separate Apple Business Manager account specifically so that we can use and deploy custom apps. For us to switch now would require us to replace the sToken on our MDM which would revoke the licenses for the apps and then reinstall them.

He did, but despite a half an hour of frustration was unable to get it to copy background & pictures to his slides. He had no trouble (a few seconds) doing it on his mom's Windows 10 machine. Whether that was from software issues or his lack of familiarity the result is the same: He couldn't use his MacBook to complete his school assignment.

So, my point stands: Schools (not just his) are training and orienting their kids to Google and Microsoft products and Apple is simply just not part of the picture. For the kids, a MacBook is like a foreign language that may or may not do the job and they have little incentive to spend time trying figure it all out. That's not the kid's fault nor the school's fault: Google and to a lesser extent Microsoft give them the tools they need at prices they can afford. Both the schools and the kids go with what works for them.

Sounds like you need to teach your son patience and open-mindedness or he’ll be exploited for the rest of his days. How are you going to do that?