A method for supporting an application by Device to Device (D2D) communication in a wireless network includes acquiring range control information from an application upon selection of the application installed in the source device, controlling transmission power of a discovery signal for discovering a target device to conduct D2D communication, based on range control information defined for the selected application, and transmitting the discovery signal with the controlled transmission power. An apparatus includes a controller configured to acquire range control information from an application upon selection of the application installed in the source device, and control transmission power of a discovery signal for discovering a target device to conduct D2D communication, for the selected application based on range control information defined for the selected application, and a transmitter configured to transmit the discovery signal with the controlled transmission power.