Does iTunes 12.7 get rid of downloaded apps?

[mdwsta4]

I'm still using iTunes version 12.6.3.6 which kept the app section so I can manage/update apps on my computer and install/remove on all my devices. Why Apple got rid of this feature made zero sense to me.

Was going to update my iPhone X to 11.3, but receive a message stating that iTunes 12.7 is required to perform the iOS update. Does 12.7 remove the App Store on iTunes? Is there another version that keeps it? If not, will there be any issues syncing my phone if I update to 11.3 OTA?

Thanks!
M

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

Members here are reporting their success, or lack thereof:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/does-itunes-12-6-3-work-with-ios-11-3.2112346/#post-25936441
[doublepost=1523566271][/doublepost]But yes 12.7 removes them

 

[mdwsta4]

Thanks. Knew there had to be a thread about it. Guess I’ll be holding off on upgrading to 11.3

 

[techwarrior]

On my Macs, I still have the .ipa files, they are very old!

To find them, Music > iTunes > Mobile Applications. If iOS follows Mac conventions (highly likely given a common OS underbelly), I believe the Application Support files, but not the Applications themselves have been backed up for some time. Unless you updated all of your mobile apps in iTunes prior to upgrading to iTunes 12.7, there will be outdated apps in this folder.

With 12.7 and later, if you restore an iOS device using iTunes (new device, or wipe\restore), the Application Support files, and the icons on the Springboard (iOS Desktop if you will) are restored. Then, the device proceeds to download all the latest versions of the apps from the App Store. If your backups are encrypted (always for iCloud backups, optional for local iTunes backups), the passwords are also stored in the backup and will restore flawlessly.

Does it take longer, sure. But, it allows iTunes backups to be smaller (great if you are backing up to iCloud and not your PC\Mac).

I suspect they stopped backing apps up when iCloud backup was introduced, so removing App Store from iTunes was an inevitable thing eventually.

 

[posguy99]

I suspect they stopped backing apps up when iCloud backup was introduced, so removing App Store from iTunes was an inevitable thing eventually.

They stopped backing up applications when app thinning was introduced, as there would no longer be a point to it.