Today’s the day that WordPress 4.6 is slated for release, with the process beginning at 5pm (UK time) and the full release going live at 8pm (UK time). While you get ready to upgrade to the latest version of WordPress this evening, let’s take a look at all the new features you can expect.
The second release candidate hit the web last week and featured a whopping 30 changes from the original release candidate, so it’s clear the team are actively working on fixing bugs and improving features right up until the moment WordPress 4.6 is released. Users who beta tested 4.6 were urged to report any bugs or issues on the support forums so the team could work through the list of known issues before today’s release.
Select changes that were made in the second release candidate include:
- Fixes for streamlined updates, which include enhanced failure messages and error handling
- The reported compatibility issue with PHP 7.0.9 and 7.1 was fixed
- Support for custom HTTP methods was restored
Developers were also encouraged to test all of their plugins and themes with WordPress 4.6 ahead of the release so they can ensure their creations are compatible with the new version.
So what are some of the biggest changes and new features you can enjoy in WordPress 4.6?
The new native system fonts are likely to be an exciting inclusion, replacing the Open Sans font that had been previously used in the admin area. The change has been made to bring users faster speeds and trim back unnecessary features.
The Editor has had a couple of big changes and one of these that’s been heavily discussed in recent weeks is the improved autosave feature, which has been redesigned to stop users losing data if they forget to save and accidentally click away or refresh the page. The broken link detector is another change to the Editor that’s likely to be very welcome, as the feature highlights any broken links in red to ensure you won’t miss any mistakes before you publish a post.
So now you’ve only got a few hours to wait until WordPress 4.6 is available, it’s a great time to ensure your plugins are fully up to date, your site is backed up and you’ve got everything ready to spend some time getting to know this latest version.
