Our Roll-Out Plan for WordPress 5.0
The most anticipated version of WordPress, version 5.0, is now officially released. It will substantially change the way people edit their website content by introducing the new block editor (also known as Gutenberg). To make the transition to the new editor as smooth as possible, we have temporarily stopped the automatic WordPress updates. After its restart, we will automatically install the Classic Editor plugin along with the new WordPress core update. This will give you the opportunity to take full advantage of all the great options in the new block editor while being able to easily switch to the old way of editing your posts if you need to.
Auto-Updates on Hold
Normally our auto-update system installs new WordPress versions within 72 hours after their release. We’ve exceptionally put this function on hold for WordPress 5.0 and higher for the next several days. This will allow us some time to monitor how the new editor behaves on real sites and address problems early adopters report if there are any. After that short monitoring period, we will gradually enable the auto-update system. An email notification about the scheduled update will be sent out as usual, based on the update interval set for your account in our system. For anyone eager to get the new WordPress going immediately, the option to manually update through the wp-admin is still available.
Classic Editor will Remain Available
With the auto-update to WordPress 5.0, we will install the Classic Editor plugin on all websites that do not have it yet. It will NOT overwrite the new block editor, but will allow people to also use the Classic Editor as an alternative for each of their posts.
We will install the Classic Editor with the new block editor set as default and the option to switch to Classic Editor set to yes.
Every user can fine-tune these settings and have the Classic Editor as the default or even as the only option. If, on the other hand, you do not want to use and see the Classic Editor at all, you can easily deactivate and delete the plugin. If your site already has the Classic Editor Plugin installed at the time of the auto-update, we will not change its current settings.
Can You Skip the Update?
As always, we do not advise skipping a new version of WordPress, as keeping your site up-to-date at all times is crucial for security. If you do not want to use the new block editor for your site, there is a safe way to update to WordPress 5.0 and still keep your current editing experience unchanged. All you need to do is install the Classic Editor plugin before the update and use its settings to have the old editor as the default. This way, whether you upgrade to WordPress 5.0 manually or via our auto-update system, nothing will change in the way you edit your posts.
If, for any reason, you are totally sure that you want to skip the update to WordPress 5.0, you will be able to do it once we restart our auto-update system. Depending on your settings, you may receive a warning about the upcoming update up to 72 hours before it kicks in. Go to our Auto-Update tutorial to learn how to set up your update delay and how to skip updates.
What if You Use Elementor?
If you were not using the standard WordPress editor before WordPress 5.0, and you edited your posts with page builders like Elementor instead, with the new WordPress version, you will hardly notice a change. You will continue to use your page builder of choice as before. Only the native WordPress editing experience will be affected by the update.
