Weekly WordPress News: Some WordPress 5.5 Issues + More

Hey, WordPress fans. Last week, WordPress 5.5 officially launched. It’s one of the bigger major releases in a long time in terms of features, which brought both pros and cons. There are also reports of compatibility issues, so you might want to wait a couple of weeks before you update (don’t worry – there are no security fixes, so you won’t be exposing your site to risk by waiting).

Beyond that, WooCommerce 4.4 is also out and we have some great guides and beginner-friendly explanations.

Let’s get to all of this week’s news…

WORDPRESS NEWS AND ARTICLES

• Why WordPress 5.5 is Breaking Sites – Search Engine Journal digs into some of the issues.
• Why You Should Support Your Free WordPress Plugins – why developers should provide support on free plugins.
• WordPress Documentation Team Discusses Modifying External Linking Policy Following Opposition to the Ban on Commercial Links – the documentation team might roll back this change.
• WooCommerce 4.4 is now available! – it brings block updates, centralized coupon management, and more.
• No Minimum PHP Version Bump This Year, WordPress to Support PHP 5.6 for a While Longer – a celebration for PHP 5.6 users, I guess…?
• Full Site Editing in WordPress: Lowering Barriers to Entry or the End of Themes? – some thoughts from Joe.
• Local Avatars in WordPress? Yes, Please – should WordPress ditch Gravatar in the core?

TUTORIALS AND HOW-TOS

• Complete Guide to Building a Successful WooCommerce Wholesale Store – learn how to build a wholesale store.
• Headless WordPress: Making Your Own API Endpoints – tips for working with headless WordPress.
• WordPress 5.5 Custom Code Compatibility Fixes – some developer fixes for issues with WordPress 5.5.
• How to Create a WooCommerce Multi-Language Site (Plugin & Tutorial) – translate your store.
• Autoplay Video in the WordPress Media & Text Block – how to make this work.

RESOURCES

• WordPress Post vs Page: Key Differences & When to Use Each – key WordPress terms explained.
• WordPress Category vs Tag: Key Differences & When to Use Each – another beginner-friendly term explained.
• WordProof.io: Building trust over the internet through Blockchain & WordPress – a new episode of Matt Report about WordProof, which we use and wrote about here at WPLift.
• HappyScribe App Sumo Deal – this creates automatic subtitles and transcripts – an interesting option for video or audio content.