What’s New in WordPress Version 5.6 – Before Upgrade
Video Transcript
The next couple of classes are going to introduce you to the WordPress version 5.6 and some of the additions and changes that come along with it.
Now, first and foremost, do not upgrade to a major WordPress release, like for example 5.6, for at least a few days after it’s been fully released. This is going to allow any themes and plugin creators that had not yet fully updated their product files to do so. So don’t break your site by updating too soon.
As always, it’s just best practice to wait with the major updates. Now, the minor updates, however, are mostly security patches, and you should update those immediately. major updates wait a bit minor updates take care of those immediately. But whether you follow that advice or not always do a full backup of your files and database before doing any updates. Now one of the big things with WordPress 5.6 is the second phase or the continued rollout of the jQuery updates within the core files of WordPress. And if you recall, with the first rollout that being with WordPress version 5.5. Several months ago, around 1 million sites broke because those sites had themes and or plugins that had not yet updated their product files to work with that new jQuery update. And this is just one more reason not to update to the major releases right away.
Now there is a plugin that people use the last time to get their sites working again. And this plugin is still updated and available for anyone that still needs it is called enable jQuery migrate helper. But if your site is still using themes or plugins that have not yet been updated to work with a version of WordPress that’s several months old, that being 5.5. And now 5.6, then you might want to consider alternatives to those plugins and or themes, because phase three will roll out with the next major update. And that’s going to be with version 5.7. WordPress, and that’s scheduled to take place in the spring of 2021. Now there’s a lot to cover in the updates for version 5.6 of WordPress. And we’re going to go through all those in the next couple of classes. So definitely be sure and check those out. But for now, that’s going to bring us to the end of this first of several classes.
That’s going to introduce you to WordPress version 5.6. Thanks for checking it out and you have a great day.