Jump for joy, dear reader 一 WordPress 5.3 is seeing the light of the day in less than a month!
This WordPress version, which is expected to be released on November 12, 2019, is rumored to be the biggest release of the year, as the community suggests that WP 5.3 comes with some major improvements.
As always, we made sure to keep an eye on the new version development, and we are here to bring you the latest scoop on it.
So, without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about WordPress 5.3:
Note: Before you start reading the rest of the text, keep in mind that this WordPress version is still being developed, and all of the mentioned features can change (and probably will be changed) until the final release.
There’s a Hide/Show password toggle on your login screen
When you start using WordPress 5.3 and want to login to your site’s Dashboard, you’ll surely notice a show/hide password toggle, available both on desktop and mobile screens. All we can say is: it was about time!
There’s going to be a new default WordPress theme
And it will symbolically be named Twenty Twenty.
The theme is based on Chaplin and is designed by the same designer and developer that created Chaplin, a Stockholm-based, well-respected WordPress author Anders Norén. He is working alongside Ian Belanger, a developer and a core contributor, and Carolina Nymark. Nymark joined the theme to make sure that contributors follow the theme guidelines when building the theme and that there aren’t any requirement breaches. If you want to keep up with the Twenty Twenty development, we would suggest you check out Nymark’s blog.
So, what can you expect from this theme? Well, from what we have seen and heard, it has beautiful and elegant typography. It goes without saying that the theme is responsive 一 it has two navigation menus, a social links menu at the bottom, and two separate menus for mobile screens. The bonus is that Twenty Twenty will work well with most of the WordPress page builders.
WordPress user interface is going to change
For the better, of course! The changes won’t be too noticeable, but the cleanliness of the admin area and Dashboard will definitely warm your heart and seem more easy on the eyes. We love that there are going to be improvements in the color contrast of the buttons.
Note: When it comes to WordPress 5.3, the goal is not only to make new WP version an eye-candy but to also improve its performance. That’s why WP developers are also working on improving WordPress and PHP 7.4 compatibility. PHP 7.4 is expected for release on November 28, 2019.
Changes when it comes to admin email address
In WordPress 5.3, if you decide to navigate to Settings → General, you’ll be able to see that you can change the default WordPress admin email address. This feature can come in handy, as an admin email address is of extreme importance for the Administrator because WordPress sends all notifications regarding your site to this address.
Gutenberg Editor is getting an upgrade
You have to admit that the current Gutenberg user interface could be a bit more polished. WordPress contributors noticed that too, which is why they are working on adding new animation and improving the overall experience. (Bare in mind that it takes a lot of effort to enhance Gutenberg, as it is written in both JavaScript and PHP.)
Here’s what you can expect from Gutenberg in WordPress 5.3 version:
- You’ll be able to group blocks together, simply by typing “/gr” inside the block. By doing so, you’ll create a group block that you can use over and over again (if you set it to “Reusable Block”). You’ll also be able to ungroup the block whenever you want.
- You will be able to change the image style, or better said, shape 一 Default (the square one) or Circle Mask (the image is displayed in the form of a circle).
- You’ll be able to adjust each column width in the column settings.
- The design of tables is also improved, and you will be able to add stripes to the table rows, as well as add header and footer to the table.
- The Button block is enriched with the Border Radius feature.
- When it comes to links, you’ll be able to turn them into “nofollow” quickly.
- There is going to be a new, Social Links block in the editor that allows you to add social media icons to your posts and pages.
Large image upload is going to be quicker than ever
We all want high-resolution images to appear on our sites. Sometimes, we even want the unedited images, taken directly from the camera, to be put on the site. And WordPress developers know these facts a bit too well. For this reason, they are working on developing a feature that saves upload for those large size file images and does not break in the middle of the upload process. The feature should detect big images and generate a “web-optimized maximum size” of them. Here’s how the feature is going to work.
Note: Using too large images can lower your site speed. If you have an issue with your site’s performance, check out the article we wrote on how to speed up a WordPress site. Our devs gave their best tips on what you can to boost your site’s performance.
The new Site Health scoring system
If you are familiar with the Site Health, you know that this feature shows you the percentage of how “healthy” (secure and high-performance) your site is. In WordPress 5.3, you can say goodbye to the percentage and hello to a more descriptive health score, such as “Needs improvement”.
Now that you are familiar with all the major features WordPress 5.3 is going to offer; we can move onto answering some of your questions that surely popped to your mind:
Is there a WordPress 5.3 beta version?
Of course, there is! Beta 3 is available since October 8. If you want to try it out, use the WordPress Beta Tester plugin. Just be sure to do a backup of your site before you start testing.
Should you switch to WordPress 5.3 as soon as it comes out?
Hmmm… no. You can wait for a couple of weeks. During these weeks, the WordPress developers will fix and the bugs and glitches that come with any new version. So, if you are not in a rush and don’t want to bother with dealing with bugs, be patient and wait no more than a month.
Why is WordPress 5.3 going to be released in the middle of November?
Why not?
Well, as it is mentioned on the WordPress.org site, WordCamp US, the annual, three-day event is scheduled from November 1 to November 3, while the US Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated on November 28-29. Due to traveling and undeniable drop in productivity during the holidays, it seemed only natural to schedule the new release a couple of weeks after the conference, but before the holiday.
What about Themes Kingdom themes?
Glad you asked! We are working on preparing themes for WordPress 5.3, so stay tuned for one of our next blog posts 一 we promise we are going to explain everything we are working on.
So, are you hyped about WordPress 5.3?
You should be! We truly believe that this release is going to be as major as when Gutenberg first came out.
Is there anything you feel that’s left unsaid? If there is, be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below.
