Apple Business is Apple’s service for organizations at business.apple.com. It covers Brand Services, which control how an organization appears on Apple platforms and in Apple Maps, and Managed Services, which manage “the deployment and configuration of Apple devices and accounts that are owned, controlled, or managed by the Organization”.[1] The Managed Services include the Volume Content Service, which lets an organization license or buy App Store apps and Apple Books content in bulk, “solely for distribution to and use by Your Authorized Users”.[1] Apple publishes the Apple Business Terms of Service separately for each country.[2] The Apple Developer Program License Agreement still defines Custom App Distribution by reference to “Apple Business Manager”, the service’s earlier name.[4] The Apple Media Services Terms refer to “the Volume Purchase Program” as an example of an additional service with its own terms.[3]
Editions
The terms are organized as one agreement with attachments rather than as editions.[1]
| Component | What it governs | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Terms of Service | Access to Apple Business, licence grant, fees, confidentiality, termination | Main body §1–§25 |
| Attachment 1, Brand Services | Brand presence and Apple Maps location information | Attachment 1 |
| Attachment 2, Managed Services | Device enrollment, MDM servers, Managed Apple Accounts, EULA acceptance, subscriptions | Attachment 2 |
| Volume Content Service Addendum | Bulk purchase and distribution of apps and books | Addendum to Attachment 2 |
| Attachment 3, AppleCare Technical Support | Service Plans sold in Support Incident packages | Attachment 3 |
In the United States, organizations can also buy monthly subscriptions through Apple Business: additional iCloud storage for Managed Apple Accounts, and AppleCare+ for Business. Both are billed monthly on the previous month’s usage until cancelled.[1] Apple “reserves the right to charge or change fees” for the Apple Business Services, including the Managed Services, now or in the future.[1] Catalog proof: Apple Business fees may be introduced or changed.
Metrics
| Apple term | Catalog row | Unit | Definition in the terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authorized Users | Authorized User (Apple Business) | User | Employees, Contract Employees and Service Providers of the Organization and of its directly or indirectly wholly-owned subsidiaries. For hospitals, also credentialed physicians, referring physicians and clinicians.[1] |
| Device Assignment | Device Assignment | Device | Assignment of App Store Volume Content directly to a unique device owned or controlled by the Organization or an Authorized User.[1] |
| User Assignment | User Assignment | User | Assignment of Volume Content to a specific Apple Account or Managed Apple Account of an Authorized User.[1] |
| Content Codes | Content Code | Code | Alphanumeric codes generated by Apple and redeemable for specific App Store Content (not Subscriptions) or Apple Books Content.[1] |
Contract Employees are people who work on a non-piece-rate basis and have internal access to the organization’s IT systems or secured premises.[1] Permitted Entities, such as a vehicle manufacturer’s dealerships or a hotel group’s branded properties, may have their employees and Contract Employees use managed devices as Permitted Users. They may not deploy Managed Apple Accounts without Apple’s written approval.[1]
Counting / floors
Device Assignment: one licence per device (effective 2026-09-09). When App Store Volume Content is assigned to devices, “separate purchases must be made for each unique device”, and a single licence may not be shared by several devices at the same time. For end user licence agreements attached to the app, the Organization is deemed to be the end user.[1] Catalog proof: Device Assignment requires a separate licence per unique device.
User Assignment and ownership. App Store Volume Content can be assigned to users or to devices. Apple Books Volume Content can be assigned only to users. The user must have a valid Apple Account or Managed Apple Account and must accept the organization’s invitation, issued through an MDM solution.[1] The Organization keeps ownership of App Store Volume Content whether it is assigned to an account or to a device ID. It may revoke an assignment and reassign the content, after which the previous user or device is no longer authorized to use it.[1] Apple Books content works differently: it becomes the property of the account it is assigned to, is non-transferable, and may not be lent in a library-type scenario.[1] Catalog proof: Organization keeps ownership of App Store Volume Content and may reassign it, Apple Books volume content passes to the user; no library lending.
Content Codes. Codes are sent by email at purchase, become active immediately and do not expire, subject to availability. When a code is redeemed, the owner of the redeeming Apple Account becomes the licensee of that copy of the app, or the owner of that copy of the book, and the licence is non-transferable.[1] As an accommodation that may be withdrawn, Apple lets an organization sync app content to as many devices as it bought codes for using a single code.[1] Where the same app is distributed by code and by Managed Distribution, the two methods move entitlement in opposite directions: a redeemed code passes the licence to the account holder, while Managed Distribution keeps it with the Organization.
Relationship to the per-app Usage Rules. Apps bought individually for an Enterprise follow the Apple Media Services Usage Rules. They may be used by a single individual on one or more of the Enterprise’s devices, or by several individuals on one shared device, and each device used by several people needs a separate licence.[3] Mac SLAs defer to the copy count of any “volume or maintenance license program”.[6] Catalog proof: App Store apps for Enterprises: one individual or one shared device per licence, macOS volume or maintenance licence sets the copy count.
Subscriptions bought in volume. Some App Store content can be bought through the Volume Content Service as a subscription. These subscriptions renew automatically on a Renewal Date until cancelled, and Apple charges no more than 24 hours before that date.[1] The charge applies whether or not the licences have been assigned to an Authorized User. After cancellation, the licences stay in the account until the next Renewal Date, and entitlement to a subscription lasts only for the paid term.[1] Catalog proof: Volume subscriptions billed whether or not assigned; licences survive to renewal date.
Sales final, no price protection. Prices may change at any time, and the service gives no price protection or refund if a price is later reduced or discounted. All Volume Content sales are final. The only remedy is a refund if content becomes unavailable before its first download, or, if technical problems prevent delivery, reissued licences or a refund at Apple’s choice.[1] Unused Volume Content balances cannot be redeemed for cash or resold.[1] Catalog proof: Volume Content sales are final with no price protection.
Virtualization & partitioning
The terms contain no virtualization rules. Apps under Device Assignment are licensed to a unique iOS, watchOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS or visionOS device.[1] Virtual machines running macOS are governed by the macOS SLA, which is covered in macOS licensing.[6]
Managed device boundaries (effective 2026-09-09). Authorized Devices are Apple-branded devices that the Organization owns or controls. Personally owned (BYOD) devices may not be enrolled in supervised device management unless Apple agrees in writing.[1] Devices may not be resold with Device Enrollment Settings enabled, and must be removed from the Managed Services before they are resold or transferred.[1] Catalog proof: Apple Business: BYOD devices cannot be supervised, Apple Business: release devices before resale or transfer.
Cloud / BYOL
Apple Business is itself a cloud service. The organization receives a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-sublicensable and non-transferable licence to access and use it, for the term of the agreement.[1] The Managed Services may be used only for the organization’s, and any Permitted Entity’s, internal business and IT purposes. They may not be licensed, rented, hosted, time-shared or offered as a service bureau to third parties, except as the agreement allows.[1] A Service Provider may administer the service only on the organization’s behalf, under a written agreement at least as protective of Apple, and the organization is responsible for what the provider does.[1] Catalog proof: Apple Business Managed Services for internal use only.
EULA acceptance. An organization may accept the operating system EULAs on its users’ behalf, outside the normal device activation flow. To do so, its authorized representative must accept them on the Apple Business portal before deploying devices, and again promptly when they change. Until then, the organization cannot add devices to its MDM server. The terms state that nothing in them supersedes the EULAs.[1] Catalog proof: Apple Business: accept OS EULAs on the portal before deployment.
Programs
- Apple Business. The platform and its Managed Services.[1]
- Volume Content Service. Available only to organizations domiciled in, or with verifiable operations in, a supported country. It is not enabled by default, and administrators must be given purchasing authority to use it.[1] Purchases are made with the App Store in the Territory where the organization is domiciled. Content Codes may be redeemed only by Authorized Users in that Territory, while Managed Distribution can assign apps to Authorized Users in any country where the app is sold.[1] Volume Content may not be resold, exchanged for compensation, or distributed to anyone other than Authorized Users.[1] Catalog proof: Volume Content limited to the Territory and to Authorized Users; no resale.
- Custom App Distribution. Developers can distribute a “Custom App”, built for specific organizations or for their own internal use, through Apple Business. Free Custom Apps fall under Schedule 1 of the DPLA and paid ones require Schedule 3.[4] Apple directs organizations to the Apple Developer Enterprise Program only when custom apps through Apple Business, the App Store, Ad Hoc distribution or TestFlight do not meet their needs.[5]
- AppleCare OS Support and AppleCare for Enterprise. Attachment 3 defines a Support Incident as “a specific, discrete problem whose origin can be isolated to a single cause”. Service Plans come in single or unlimited incident packages. Apple may end a Service Plan without cause on thirty days’ notice.[1]
Audit rights
The Volume Content Service Addendum gives Apple an explicit audit right. Apple may audit purchases to make sure that only eligible purchases were made and that all purchase conditions and usage rules were followed. The organization must “keep complete and accurate records of all uses of the Volume Content You purchased”.[1] If an audit shows an ineligible purchase or a breach of purchase conditions, Apple may:
- disable the Managed Apple Account;
- charge the organization’s credit card, or invoice it, for the difference between the price paid and the price Apple charged the general public on the order date, with invoices payable within fifteen days; and
- take legal action if the invoice is not paid, with the prevailing party entitled to attorneys’ fees.[1]
If the product is no longer offered, the difference is measured against the closest equivalent goods. Apple may also request supplementary information and audit relevant records to confirm compliance.[1] Separately, Apple may monitor use of the Apple Business Services to check that organizations follow its guidelines.[1] Catalog proof: Volume Content audit: records required, shortfall charged at public price. For how such clauses are handled in practice, see software license audit and entitlement.
Out of scope
This article does not cover Brand Services, the data processing and privacy terms, or the country-specific versions of the terms. It also omits Apple School Manager, which has its own agreement on the same platform-services index, the terms of AppleCare+ for Business hardware coverage, and pricing for individual apps, which is set per app on the App Store.