What The New Wordpress Automatic Updates Mean To Your Blog.

bytrishw

229 followers

12 years ago

Beginning with Wordpress 3.7, all new installations contain automatic updates. This means that you will no longer be asked if you wish to update. Your Wordpress blog will update automatically without asking your permission.

Depending upon your experience with Wordpress, this new feature will be looked upon as yet another great benefit of using the Wordpress platform, or you will worry that something may go horribly wrong during the update. Often the lack of control simply doesn't feel good. How will the update work? Will we as users have any control?

All updates for Wordpress are not the same. Updates generally are within three categories.

1. Security Updates - where security vulnerabilities and loopholes are patched
2. Minor Updates - these are the updates from 3.7 to 3.71 etc.
3. Major Updates - these are generally the updates which jump a whole number such as 3.6 to 3.7

It is within the Major Updates that we often hear of problems. Perhaps you have experienced update problems yourself. If so, here is the good news:

Automatic Updates will not be applied to Major Updates - they will only be applied with security and minor updates. You will now receive one of three email notifications when automatic updates take place.

1. Update Successful
2. Update Didn't Occur
3. Critical Update Failure

It is a good idea to always check your website after you receive any of these emails to make certain everything is as it should be.

If you wish to control how automatic updates are applied or turn off automatic updates entirely, there is a plugin to help you do so.

I hope you find this helpful and would love to hear your thoughts about the new automatic u[pdate feature.