Apps with in-app purchases for schools

Question

Brachi OP

Created Nov ’21

Replies 1

Boosts 0

Views 1.6k

Participants 2

Hello,

As far as I know, schools download apps for their student iPads via the "Apple School Manager". Through this, I guess schools can buy apps for their student iPads and developers can give discounts for certain purchase quantities, right?

However, it seems that the School App Store does not allow in-app purchases. Is that right? (Or schools can't do in-app purchases?)

So, if an already existing app includes in-app purchases, would a developer therefore need to create a 2nd separate paid version of the app with no in-app purchases that schools can download from the Apple School Store ("Apple School Manager")?

Does this require creating a whole new separate app that is only available in the App Store for Schools, or is it possible to create some kind of sub-version under the already existing app, so that the sub version does not contain in-app purchases and can be made available for a fee in the Apple School Store?

Or what would be the right approach otherwise?

Thank you so much!

Boost

Answer 1

Theo OP

Mar ’22

I'm offering two free educational apps with in-app purchases in the App Store. I regularly see educational downloads for both of these apps and I know from feedback from teachers that the apps are used in lessons, but that they apparently cannot do in-app purchases. For that reason I created separate paid versions of these apps without in-app purchases, as you're suggesting. This approach works well for me, and I'm seeing many educational purchases of that paid version of the app.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem a way to make an app available only for educational institutions, so the paid version will be visible on the App Store, too. So make sure that you're explicitly declaring that new app as an educational version and put an explanation in the App Store description (I'd recommend using a modified app icon, too), otherwise it might confuse other users who don't know which version of the app to use.

0