iOS 11.3 & iTunes 12.7.3 - any way out?

Solution 1:

I may have found a workaround, rather than a solution...

I kept iTunes 12.6.3 & did the iOS 11.3 update OTA.
iTunes can still sync/backup & still keeps the older apps features operable.

I imagine this workaround will fail the first time I need to set up a new iDevice or restore from a backup.