WordPress 4.2 “Powell” Is Here

EDITOR’S NOTE (May 06, 2015): WordPress has released version 4.2.2. WP Engine will use this latest version of WordPress when we begin updating our customers’ sites. You can read more about it here.

EDITOR’S NOTE (April 27, 2015): WordPress has released version 4.2.1. WP Engine will use this latest version of WordPress when we begin updating our customers’ sites.

WordPress 4.2 has been released! As a customer of WP Engine, here is what you need to know about the latest version of WordPress:

WordPress 4.2 is an enhancement and bug-fix release that brings a wealth of new features and improvements to WordPress core. You can view each of the changes in the WordPress Codex.

One notable improvement is a significant change to how taxonomies are handled. We strongly advise testing your site against this update to ensure compatibility. In this blog post our team provides simple steps you can take to test if your site is compatible.

In accordance to our WordPress Update policy for non-security releases, we will begin updating customer sites in two weeks, starting on Thursday, May 7. Our top priority is the stability, security, and functionality of your sites, and we want to give you time to test the new version against your current configuration.

If you’re not already familiar with how WP Engine performs WordPress updates, here’s a brief rundown: our system will send out two notices before the process starts; one notice will be sent seven days prior to your scheduled update, and the second will be sent four hours before the update begins.

Should you find, as the date gets closer, that you need more time to prepare your site(s) for WordPress 4.2, you can request a deferral for up to 60 days from Thursday, May 7. We’ve made some great improvements to the deferral process, be on the lookout for updated instructions in your seven day notice. Hint: It will be much easier than before!

However, if you do prefer to update immediately, you are more than welcome to do so. Simply start a live chat requesting that we update your site(s). Someone from our Support Team will happily hand-upgrade your install(s) using our Automated Upgrade Protection as soon as possible.

Our Automated Upgrade Protection process creates a backup of the current state of your site. Once complete, our script then performs the update to version 4.2. Then, as soon as the update is complete, we’ll test the site to make sure that it is loading.

If the site comes up without any detected problems, you will be notified that your install has been successfully updated to WordPress 4.2. In the case that something appears off, our script will automatically roll your site back to the previous version, and let you know something has gone wrong. And all of this will happen without any intervention required from you!

Thank you, as always, for trusting WP Engine to host and manage your WordPress site!