iTunes back up and restore

From what I've heard, the latest iTunes on your PC does not back up your phone by copying app data

It does back up app data, but the apps themselves have never been included in the actual backup, the apps it will look to redownload from the store (which has been the case for a while). If you have a copy of the app in your computer's iTunes library, or on your computer/backup of your computer, you can copy it back to the phone via iTunes.

Apps that were in your library before the update to 12.7 haven't been removed from your computer, but are no longer shown in the iTunes interface. If you don't have a local copy, you install a version of iTunes lower than 12.7, and the app is a universal app then it can be transferred from the device into iTunes. Newer apps that make use of app thinning to make smaller bundles for each different device cannot be transferred. No point downgrading if it isn't necessary or won't help.

tt2

You are safe to backup, whether the restore will put it back will depend upon whether it's still in the store, if it's not, and if you have a copy on your computer that you can add back to the phone, you can do so (though obviously that won't contain any local content that's currently in the app)

Gusttox wrote:

So... I'm safe to just click back up in iTunes now and the app will be in the new iPhone when I restore from back up?

Presumably the data for that particular app will be restored with the rest of the backed up data, even though the app is no longer in store. You can drag and drop the app from Explorer/Finder to the device where it appears in the iTunes sidebar to add it back to the device, and it should pick up its data. (Or perhaps not? 😕)

I think you get to be a guinea pig. 😮

tt2