Apple launched multiseat purchasing on 22 October, letting organisations and educational institutions buy auto-renewable app subscriptions in volume through Apple Business and Apple School Manager. Apple announced the new purchasing option in a developer news update.
A single Apple In-App Purchase covers all the seats an organisation needs, and those seats can be assigned and administered through the device management tools the organisation already uses. Seats can be added or removed at any time.
For auto-renewable subscriptions, multiseat purchasing is enabled by default in App Store Connect unless a developer previously changed the setting. Developers can also decide at any time where a subscription is available: Apple Business, Apple School Manager or the App Store.
Apple is preparing group purchases alongside multiseat. From 28 October, the day of Apple’s Pro and tell event, developers can configure and test group purchases in their Sandbox Apple Account. The feature will then reach the App Store this winter, letting individuals buy several seats for a subscription and invite others; Apple hasn’t given an exact date.
Apple has not said whether the two purchasing options will be available in every region, and it has not announced pricing, discounts or commission rates for multiseat purchases.
Why it matters
In our view, multiseat purchasing closes a long-standing gap in Apple’s management platforms: buying subscriptions for hundreds of employees or students previously meant individual transactions. The launch follows Apple’s Developer Program License Agreement update with new subscription terms, and with consumer group purchases coming to the App Store this winter, subscriptions are becoming more flexible for organisations and individuals alike.