I just updated itunes to 12.7.0.166 before making a backup of my iphone 5. To my surprise I can't find an apps section when configuring the phone in itunes, nor can I find the apps section in the itunes library itself.
I'm confused. Have they removed that section in the update? If so, then that would make my backups useless — there is no way to back up my apps. Transferring purchases from the phone does nothing, it just finishes immediately.
I could not find an itunes changelog.
Do I need to downgrade itunes to make a decent restore of my phone nowadays?
Update:
To clarify, I have apps that are no longer available for download. There is no other option than itunes.
Best Answer
You can find a overview/summary of iTunes 12.7 changes on this Apple support page.
Changes include:
According to MacWorld:
So to answer your question, that section (apps) has been removed from iTunes, and restoring apps will require redownloading via the AppStore in iOS. Plan on using Wi-Fi or a hotspot to prevent large data usage when redownloading apps.