WordPress News Roundup August 2020: WordPress 5.5 “Eckstine” Brings Auto-Updates, Sitemaps and the Block Directory

August 2020 delivered one of the most feature-rich WordPress releases in years. WordPress 5.5 “Eckstine” arrived on August 11 with automatic updates for plugins and themes, updates by ZIP upload, XML sitemaps, native lazy loading for images, block patterns, inline image editing and a Block Directory inside the editor. A record 805 people contributed to it.

The release also removed jQuery Migrate, which broke some older plugins and themes and led to a fast-growing helper plugin. Around it, the Community Team launched Learn WordPress, cancelled in-person flagship events for 2021, and a public tussle with Apple over in-app purchases briefly made WordPress mainstream tech news.

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Investments

• MotoPress acquires Gutenix: MotoPress bought the Gutenix WordPress theme, a block-focused design.
• Mario Peshev buys WP-CRM System (August 25): The DevriX founder acquired WP-CRM System, stepping into a market with established competitors.
• Disable Comments for sale: The developer of the Disable Comments plugin looked for a new owner, with the highest bid to go to charity.

WordPress Core Updates

• RC2 (August 4): A second release candidate preceded the launch.
• WordPress 5.5 “Eckstine” (August 11): Named after jazz singer Billy Eckstine, 5.5 introduced opt-in auto-updates for plugins and themes, plugin and theme updates via ZIP, XML sitemaps, lazy-loaded images, block patterns, the Block Directory and inline image editing. It shipped in 50 languages.
• Record contributors: 805 people from 58 countries contributed to 5.5.
• jQuery Migrate removed: As a first step in updating jQuery, 5.5 dropped jQuery Migrate 1.4.1. The Enable jQuery Migrate Helper plugin let affected sites restore it temporarily.
• Gutenberg 8.7 and 8.8: 8.7 improved the Post blocks and updated pattern designs, and 8.8 advanced Global Styles and template management for full site editing.
• 5.6 kicks off: Planning for WordPress 5.6 began with an all-women release squad.
• No PHP bump yet: WordPress decided not to drop support for PHP 5.6 this year, and contributors proposed a fixed schedule for dropping old versions.

Other WordPress News

• Learn WordPress: The Community Team soft-launched Learn WordPress, a home for video workshops and discussion groups, with support from the Training, TV and Meta teams.
• No flagship events in 2021: The Community Team cancelled in-person flagship events for 2021, giving existing organisers the option to go online.
• Apple and the WordPress app: Automattic said Apple had blocked updates to the WordPress for iOS app over its lack of in-app purchases. After public attention, Apple backed down.
• P2 relaunched: Automattic relaunched P2, the collaboration tool it uses internally, with a self-hosted version on the roadmap.
• Astra suspended and reinstated: Astra was briefly suspended from the Theme Directory over a guidelines issue and then reinstated, prompting the Themes Team to work on a delisting approach.
• Atomic Blocks becomes Genesis Blocks: WP Engine rebranded Atomic Blocks as Genesis Blocks, with a migration path planned.
• Elementor 3.0: Released in August, it let users create a personal design system with global colours and fonts.
• do_action India: The first online do_action India hackathon built websites for five NGOs.
• Accessibility goals: The Accessibility team published its goals for WordPress 5.6 and beyond.
• Online WordCamps: WordCamp Minneapolis/St. Paul ran online on August 21 and sold more than 1,400 tickets.
• Clarifying the brand: Automattic updated its press page to clarify the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com.

Security Alerts and Plugin Vulnerabilities

• Divi, Extra and Divi Builder: On August 4, Wordfence disclosed a critical vulnerability, since patched by Elegant Themes, affecting more than 700,000 sites, which could allow authenticated users to upload malicious files.
• Advanced Access Manager: A high-severity vulnerability was patched on August 20.
• Quiz and Survey Master: Critical flaws, including file upload and deletion issues, were fixed on August 13.
• Facebook Chat plugin: Wordfence found that the official Facebook Chat plugin could be abused for social engineering attacks before it was fixed.
• Auto-updates debate: With 5.5 adding opt-in auto-updates, security researchers weighed the benefits of faster patching against the risk of a bad update.

Industry Trends and Insights

• Performance by default: Native lazy loading and sitemaps in core raised the baseline for millions of sites ahead of Google’s planned page experience update.
• App store power: The Apple episode showed the influence platform owners have over open source projects that rely on their stores.
• Shorter certificates: Apple announced it would limit trusted TLS certificate lifetimes to about one year from September 1, with other browsers expected to follow.
• Learning online: Learn WordPress reflected the community’s shift from in-person teaching to online workshops.

Theme of the Month: Gutenix

Gutenix, acquired by MotoPress in August, was built for the block editor with a clean design and ready-made layouts. The deal was another sign that block-first themes were becoming valuable products.

Plugin of the Month: Enable jQuery Migrate Helper

When 5.5 removed jQuery Migrate, many sites saw broken sliders, menus and admin screens. This official helper plugin restored it and logged deprecated code, and it passed 10,000 active installs within days of the release.

Host of the Month: Liquid Web

Liquid Web, which had acquired iThemes in 2018, offered managed WordPress and WooCommerce hosting with a strong focus on support. Help with testing updates was useful as sites adjusted to the changes in 5.5.

Founder of the Month: Mario Peshev

Mario Peshev founded DevriX, a WordPress agency known for enterprise and retainer work, and has long written about the business of WordPress. In August he acquired WP-CRM System, adding a product business alongside his agency.

Looking Ahead to September 2020

A 5.5.1 maintenance release is expected at the start of September to fix issues found after launch. Planning for WordPress 5.6 continues, including the choice of a new default theme. Gutenberg 8.9 is due, and online WordCamps are planned in several countries.

Site owners who have not yet updated should test 5.5 on staging first, paying particular attention to older themes and plugins that relied on jQuery Migrate.