In the 15 years of running WPBeginner, I never thought I would have to write a blog post covering any WordPress industry drama. My focus with the blog has always been to provide high quality free WordPress tutorials for non-techy beginner users and small business owners.

But unfortunately, we are at a point where a lot of misinformation and fear is being spread about WordPress by media outlets and influencers who’re hungry for clicks.

This is causing panic among some website owners, agencies, as well as people in enterprise companies. Some folks are asking questions like whether WordPress is still safe and should they search for an alternative CMS option for their websites.

In this post, I want to explain what this latest WordPress drama is about, who it impacts, and what you can do to protect your websites. 

TLDR: No, this is NOT the end of WordPress, and your websites are safe.

With that out of the way, let’s jump right into what’s happening around this WordPress drama involving WP Engine vs. Automattic.

What is This WordPress Drama All About? (Short Summary)

Quick Summary: There is a lawsuit between two WordPress companies (WP Engine and Automattic) around a trademark dispute. Due to their influence, there have been escalations that have led to a lot of negative PR for the WordPress ecosystem. The vast majority of WordPress sites are NOT impacted by this at all.

This whole thing started because two big companies in the WordPress industry are in a legal battle over a trademark dispute.

Automattic is a company started by WordPress co-founder, Matt Mullenweg. They are the creators of WooCommerce, WordPress.com hosting service, Jetpack plugin, and more.

WP Engine is a managed WordPress hosting company owned by a large private equity firm Silver Lake.

Automattic has the exclusive commercial rights to use the “WordPress” trademark. They asked WP Engine to negotiate a licensing agreement which involved either payments to Automattic OR increased contributions to the free open source WordPress project.

Because the parties failed to come to an agreement, Matt publicized the dispute at the annual WordCamp US conference, where he claimed that WP Engine, despite being a $400M+ revenue company, does not give back enough to the free open source WordPress project.

As things escalated, both companies sent each other a formal legal Cease and Desist (C&D) letter. Due to the legal threats, Matt, as co-founder of WordPress, banned WP Engine from accessing WordPress.org servers.

This meant that any customer with websites on WP Engine hosting were no longer able to receive updates from WordPress.org servers.

The ban was later reverted temporarily to protect users and allow WP Engine to build their own update servers. Since WordPress is open source, the WP Engine team was able to build their own updater to ensure users on their hosting platform can get software updates.

The server block officially went back into effect on October 1st. Shortly after, WP Engine filed a federal lawsuit against Automattic and Matt Mullenweg.

Due to the escalation, WP Engine’s team were banned from accessing their WordPress.org accounts. This means the WP Engine team is no longer able to release updates to their WordPress plugins from the official WordPress.org servers.

One of the plugins owned by WP Engine is Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) which is popular among developers and used by over 2 million websites. To ensure security updates are available to all users, the WordPress.org team forked the ACF plugin, renamed it to Secure Custom Fields (SCF), and took over the original ACF plugin directory page without the consent of WP Engine. The reasons given for this were to maintain and provide updates to users who were unaware of the drama. 

This decision was not well received and garnered a lot of negative comments from developers, influencers, and press outlets.

At the time of writing this post, all other WP Engine plugins are still available for download on the WordPress.org plugin directory, however, the WP Engine team is still banned, so they are not able to use WordPress.org servers to issue updates.

In summary, at the root of this WordPress drama is a heated legal trademark dispute between WP Engine hosting company, Automattic, and Matt Mullenweg (co-founder of WordPress). 

Since there is a federal lawsuit filed by WP Engine against Automattic, I believe only the courts can decide the outcome unless the parties come to an amicable resolution outside of the courts. The official WordPress Twitter account tweeted that the situation could be resolved under the following conditions:

Is this the End of WordPress?

The answer is NO. Absolutely not.

WordPress powers over 43% of websites on the internet, and it’s bigger than any one person or company. The vast majority of small business owners and users of WordPress don’t even know about this ongoing drama because it simply doesn’t impact them.

I talked with a local small business owner who’s my personal trainer, and he wasn’t aware of the negative press around WordPress at all. When I briefly told him about it, here is what he said:

“I am not going to switch from WordPress because some big companies are having a trademark dispute. What matters to me is that my website is working and my business is growing.” – Sean Nelson, Founder of Hustle Training 360.

The reality is that the WordPress software you built your website with hasn’t changed.

If you’re using popular plugins like Elementor, WPForms, WooCommerce, AIOSEO, Duplicator and literally 60,000+ others, they are still the same.

Something as big as WordPress simply doesn’t end because two companies have a trademark dispute. 

In the grand scheme of things, there are a small portion of users who are impacted, and I will share how you can find out if your website is impacted, and what you can do about it.  

Is My Website Affected by All of This?

The vast majority of users and websites using WordPress are NOT impacted by this legal dispute between Automattic and WP Engine.

If you are using a free plugin that was developed by WP Engine, and you are NOT on their hosting platform, then your websites are impacted because you will not be able to receive updates for those free plugins from WordPress.org.

Here are the popular free plugins built by WP Engine that are blocked from sending updates from WordPress.org servers:

• Advanced Custom Fields
• Nitropack
• Better Search Replace
• WP Migrate Lite
• WP Offload SES Lite
• Frost
• Genesis Blocks
• Genesis Custom Blocks
• For the full list, see plugins built by WP Engine.

What Can You Do to Protect Your WordPress Site?

As I said earlier, if you’re not using the plugins made by WP Engine, then you don’t need to do anything.

Your WordPress site is safe and good to go. 

Although, I always recommend having regular WordPress backups and using a firewall like Cloudflare (see more WordPress security tips).

Now, if you’re using the plugins built by WP Engine, then you will need to either install the WP Engine updater plugin to continue receiving updates or find an alternative, depending on your personal preference.

What Should I Do as a WordPress Agency with Concerned clients?

You can send them a link to this blog post and re-assure them that WordPress is still safe and by far the best open source CMS option in the market.

A legal trademark dispute between two companies does NOT change the fact that WordPress powers 43% of all websites (and growing). There are 60,000+ free WordPress plugins and thousands of free WordPress themes available in the market that make it easy to build any type of website they want.

WordPress core development progress continues, and WordPress 6.7 is coming soon.

Here are some more insights on WordPress market share and trends.

My Final Thoughts

Despite everything that’s going on right now, I still love WordPress, and I believe in our amazing WordPress community.

I have spent more than half of my life in the WordPress community, and I will continue to do everything in my power to support the community and our users. See my recent post on contributing to the WordPress ecosystem.

Lastly, I truly hope that the two respected companies involved in the lawsuit can come to an agreement soon, so we can all focus on growing WordPress and helping democratize publishing & commerce across the world.

As always, I want to thank you for your continued support of WPBeginner, and I look forward to continuing serving you for years to come.

Yours Truly,

Syed Balkhi
Founder of WPBeginner

References:

• WP Engine Cease & Desist Letter
• Automattic Cease & Desist Letter  
• WP Engine formal lawsuit against Automattic and Matt Mullenweg
• A full list of commentary on The WP Minute

The post WordPress Drama Explained (and How it May Affect Your Website) first appeared on WPBeginner.

Have you ever wished you could learn all proven email marketing hacks and tactics that bring results WITHOUT spending hours on trial and error?

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WPBeginner Live Workshop Details

Here’s what you will learn in the workshop:

• Transform Website Visitors into Engaged Subscribers: Find out how to turn casual visitors into loyal email subscribers by understanding their needs and motivations. 
• Design Contact & Opt-in Forms That Convert Like Crazy: Discover how to easily create eye-catching contact forms and opt-in forms that capture leads without spending a fortune on expensive tools or designers.
• Create Irresistible Offers that Drive Sign-Ups: Learn how to create high-converting lead magnets – from ebooks and checklists to exclusive content and giveaways – that entice visitors to join your email list.
• Actionable Tips for Email List Growth: Get actionable advice on using email marketing and automation software to grow your email list.

Plus, you will hear more industry secrets directly from Angie Meeker, our workshop guest speaker.

Meet Angie Meeker: Our Workshop Guest Speaker

Angie Meeker is the General Manager of OptinMonster, the best lead generation and conversion software for WordPress.

She has 20 years of experience educating small businesses on how to grow their businesses online using WordPress, with a specialty in lead generation and email marketing.

Through working with her customers, she’s helped thousands of email marketers grow their email lists, so she knows what it takes.

Don’t Miss Out! Join Our Workshop Now!

With this live workshop, you get to learn the secret strategies that smart email marketers follow to grow their subscribers and revenue.

So, don’t miss out!

To register for the live workshop, click the button below.

This is just the first of our new series of WPBeginner workshops.

Every month, we’ll be inviting an industry expert to help you learn new skills to grow your business and improve your WordPress site.

P.S. If you have any ideas for future workshops you’d like to see, please send us your suggestions.

As always, I want to thank you for your continued support of WPBeginner, and we look forward to continue serving you for years to come.

Yours Truly,

Syed Balkhi
Founder of WPBeginner

The post [Free WPBeginner Workshop] Unlock the Secret to Growing Your Email List Fast! first appeared on WPBeginner.

For example, we have been excited to discover that this upcoming release will ship with a brand-new default theme and massive improvements to both the block editor and site editing experience.

In this article, we will walk you through the key features coming in WordPress 6.7. Each feature will help you get more out of your website-building experience.

Here’s a quick overview of changes coming in WordPress 6.7:

New Default Theme – Twenty Twenty-Five

We’ve seen WordPress release a new default theme each year, and the tradition continues with Twenty Twenty-Five in WordPress 6.7.

In our experience, each default theme offers something unique, and Twenty Twenty-Five is no different. This theme is built around the philosophy that “simple things should be easy and intuitive, and complex things possible.”

From what we’ve tested, it includes a variety of pre-designed block patterns and beautiful style variations. These ready-to-use templates make it easier for users to adapt the theme to their needs without spending hours customizing everything from scratch.

One of the standout features we’ve noticed is its focus on the blog layout as the default view.

This sets Twenty Twenty-Five apart from recent default themes, which were more geared towards general business or multipurpose use.

If you’re a blogger, you’ll love how it puts your content front and center.

The theme performs exceptionally well on all devices thanks to its lightweight design and focus on accessibility. While testing, we loved how easy it was to customize the new theme. You can adjust colors, fonts, and layouts with just a few clicks, making the entire process hassle-free.

Zoom Out View for Site Editing

Like many users, we often felt that editing longer pages with multiple patterns, sections, and blocks requires too much scrolling up and down.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could zoom out to see more of your content layout?

The new zoom-out view feature in WordPress 6.7 will do just that. It allows users to edit patterns on a broader scale. Simply click the Zoom-out button in the top right toolbar.

Media File Improvements

If you’ve ever tried uploading photos directly from your iPhone, iPad, or other Apple devices, you know HEIC files can be a challenge.

One of the major updates coming with WordPress 6.7 is the support for HEIC image uploads.

Your WordPress website will automatically convert HEIC images to JPEG for better compatibility across devices and browsers.

However, this feature requires your server to install Imagick with support for HEIC files (most WordPress hosting companies already have it installed).

You can see if your website supports HEIC conversion by going to the Tools » Site Health page and switching to the ‘Info’ tab.

Scroll down to the Media Handling » ImageMagick supported file formats section and look for HEIC.

While testing, we noticed that the quality of images didn’t degrade, which is a big win for users who want to share high-quality photos.

WordPress will display the JPEG version of your image. However, if you link the image to the attachment file, your users will be able to download the original HEIC image.

Another improvement we liked is the enhanced handling of background images. You now have more control over background images at the individual block level and globally.

Finally, WordPress 6.7 continues to refine lazy loading. From our experience, this feature boosts performance by ensuring images only load when needed.

These improvements enhance media compatibility and performance. They can help you manage your content more effectively without worrying about technical constraints.

Preview Options API

The new Preview Options API allows developers to add custom preview settings in the editor. This makes it easier to see how content will look before publishing.

During our testing, we found that this API allows for smoother workflows. For example, developers can create custom preview formats tailored to specific user needs.

This is especially useful for websites with multiple layouts or environments where different views are essential for the final look.

Refined Query Loop Block

In previous versions, setting up a Query Loop required manual configuration, which could be tricky for some users.

WordPress 6.7 will allow the Query Loop block to automatically inherit queries from the template by default.

We noticed that it dramatically simplifies the process. Your posts will automatically display in both the editor and on the front end without additional setup.

Font Library, Font Size Presets, and Fluid Typography

WordPress 6.7 introduces significant improvements to the Styles interface, particularly font customization.

Users now have more control over font size presets, which makes creating and applying custom sizes throughout their sites easier.

One of the most exciting updates is the introduction of fluid typography. This feature allows text to scale dynamically, adjusting to different screen sizes.

This ensures that your text remains responsive and readable across devices, whether it’s a smartphone or a desktop.

With the new Font Library, managing fonts has also become more efficient. This saves time, especially for users managing a variety of custom fonts on their websites.

You can now group fonts by their source. The interface even allows you to activate or deactivate multiple fonts simultaneously.

Interactivity API Enhancements

WordPress 6.7 will include updates to the Interactivity API, which was first introduced in WordPress 6.5. Developers will appreciate this feature’s focus on handling asynchronous tasks.

This release makes the API more stable and efficient, helping with features like lazy loading and directive code splitting.

Users can see it in action by adding a Gallery block with a few images and linking them to ‘Expand on click’.

After that, just preview your gallery in a browser tab and click on an image.

The images that are supposed to expand will show the enlarge icon. Clicking on them will open them in a lightbox popup.

The updates improve the performance of the interactivity API. We believe that in the future, we will see more plugins and themes using the API for dynamic features.

Block Library & Patterns

WordPress 6.7 will bring several improvements to the Block Library. Here are some of the most useful changes.

1. Background Image Support for Quote and Group Block

You will now be able to add background images to both the Quote and Group blocks. This can be handy for adding more visual interest to your blog posts.

2. The Social Icons

The Add New Icon button is now more usable, and you can add borders around your social icons block.

3. The Buttons Block

You can now set a background color for the Buttons block.

4. The Image Block

Users will be able to drag and drop multiple images onto an Image block, and it will automatically convert into a Gallery block.

There are many other improvements to several blocks. Overall, WordPress 6.7 will bring consistency to block settings panels and significantly improve user experience.

Refined Data Views

WordPress 6.7 continues to refine the Data Views feature introduced in earlier releases. Data Views provides users with a powerful way to filter and manage content in the editor.

One key improvement is reordering fields directly within the Data View configuration user interface. This makes it easier for users to customize how data is displayed and managed.

We’ve also noticed improvements to bulk actions and the user interface.

For instance, the bulk actions menu has been moved to the footer, merging it with the floating toolbar and improving its overall usability.

The refined Data Views feature simplifies organizing, filtering, and acting on data, making the editor more powerful.

Manage Block Bindings Directly

The Block Binding API, introduced in WordPress 6.5, will receive a significant update in WordPress 6.7. This update will improve developers’ ability to manage custom fields and attributes within blocks.

One of the biggest changes is the new user interface (UI) that allows users to create and manage bindings directly within the block editor.

This means you no longer need to use the Code Editor to link block attributes to custom fields. Instead, users can select metadata from the new UI in block settings.

Under the Hood Changes in WordPress 6.7

WordPress 6.7 introduces a range of behind-the-scenes improvements focused on performance, stability, and new API features for developers. These changes boost the overall experience for both developers and site administrators:

• PHP 8.x Compatibility: This release includes more refinements for PHP 8.x support, removing deprecated code specific to older PHP versions and ensuring compatibility with modern PHP environments. (Core Trac: #59654)
• Template Registration API: A new API makes it easier to register templates and template parts programmatically. This removes the need for filters and simplifies how plugins handle custom templates. Learn more about the API.
• Script Loader Enhancements: Obsolete polyfills, including wp-polyfill and regenerator-runtime, have been removed, reducing unnecessary script dependencies for modern browsers. (Core Trac: #60962).

Overall, WordPress 6.7 includes more than 500 enhancements and over 200 bug fixes for the editor and Core. Huge thanks to everyone who contributed—you all rock! 🎉

We hope this article gave you an overview of what’s coming in WordPress 6.7 and the features you’ll want to explore. We’re particularly excited about the data views and the improvements to the Block API, which will make customizing your site even easier.

While testing WordPress 6.7 beta, be sure to check out our WordPress troubleshooting guide or read our article on how to properly update WordPress.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post What’s Coming in WordPress 6.7 (Features and Screenshots) first appeared on WPBeginner.