For all of us who shudder when we need to update our WordPress site and plugins, something amazing is being released on July 17th. WordPress 6.6 includes a feature that will certainly be most welcomed, called rollback auto-update.

WordPress states: “Now you can have the convenience of setting all your plugins to auto-update and the inner peace you get [sic] from knowing that if anything goes wrong, 6.6 will do a rollback. Automatically.”

Are you excited about it already?

Let's dive in and find out what pain points it aims to solve and how you need to prepare for the upgrade. I promise you this: The rollback auto-update feature will certainly be a pivotal moment in how we manage updates on our WordPress sites.

How it has been up to now when updating WordPress plugins

Without question, keeping your WordPress site, plugins, and theme updated is crucial for protecting against attacks and vulnerability exploits. However, the fear of potentially crashing your website due to a plugin's auto-update seems more frightening than the thought of hackers silently infiltrating your site.

"As long as they don't break anything..." right?

Preparing for update: 10… 2, 1. Update Plugins.

The security measures you take when updating your WordPress site may feel like a N.A.S.A. launch:

1. The team gets ready and in position
2. Backups are created and saved
3. A staging environment mirroring the live site is created for the update testing
4. A candle is lit before pressing ‘update’ even if functioning appears correct.

We are familiar with the relief that comes when everything proceeds smoothly (you'll receive virtual confetti on Slack channels and sometimes be treated as a hero). But we certainly remember more vividly when things go wrong.

And we just hope it's only a broken style because if we lose access to the site... well, that's a story for another post.

The WordPress promise: How it's going to be from now on

From version 6.6 onwards, you'll be able to set plugins to auto-update and, if an update fails, WordPress will automatically roll back to the previous version.

This doesn't mean it will solve all your problems; it only addresses PHP fatal errors that occur on your website during an auto-update. However, this rarely happens when you have a well-curated plugin list in your WordPress.

If an error occurs during the auto-update of a plugin, WordPress will roll back your site to a stable state, and the website admin will receive an email detailing the issue and identifying the plugin that caused it.

The good news is that your site will remain online, and you'll be able to check what the issue was - whether it was plugin conflicts, compatibility issues, or just an unattended bug that needs to be fixed by the plugin's creator.

You can read more about this upcoming WordPress feature here.

I NEED the upgrade. What's next?

First, you'll need to update your WordPress site, including all plugins.

You may encounter numerous pitfalls, particularly if it's been a while since you last updated your plugins, or if there are unmaintained free plugins that are preventing your site from being current, performant, and secure.

At Dura Digital, we can help you prepare for WordPress 6.6.

And not just WordPress 6.6. With every WordPress update that comes along, your site will remain secure for your visitors and your business under our watch.

For your peace of mind, we offer a robust backup plan, plugin audits and cleanups, solutions when things go wrong, and all the support you need on your WordPress journey.

You take care of your business. We take care of its security and performance.

The Dura Digital Takeaway

Ensuring your WordPress site is up-to-date with the latest features and security measures is essential for performance and reliability. At Dura Digital, we provide the expertise and services to make this process seamless.

Let us take the wheel and navigate the constant evolution of WordPress, so you can focus on what matters most - growing your business. Contact us for a comprehensive WordPress update plan.