On November 24, 2021, the WordPress team announced they would delay the WordPress 5.9 release.
The team decided to shift the release date from Dec. 14, 2021, to Jan. 25, 2022. They attributed this delay to an issue with the blocker bug that delayed the release of Beta 1.
As of writing, the WordPress team has since released four beta versions. The team encourages the community to try the beta versions to address the issues before version 5.9 drops.
In this article, you’ll learn:
WordPress 5.9 User’s Guide Shared in Beta 1
WordPress 5.9 Beta 2 Addressed 24 Issues
WordPress 5.9 Beta 4 Is Final Beta Version
Final Thoughts – WordPress 5.9 Updates: 4 Beta Versions Released
WordPress 5.9 User’s Guide Shared in Beta 1
WordPress 5.9 Beta 1 came out on Nov. 30, 2021, eight weeks before WordPress 5.9’s scheduled release.
The team came up with a detailed guide to help users prepare for the new interconnected features in WordPress 5.9. The guide includes testing instructions for all major features, including:
- Template Editor (highlighting the Focused Template Part)
- Theme Blocks (specifically the Navigation Block)
- Editor Workflow
- List View
- Block Pattern Directory
- Theme.JSON, which you need for Global Styles
Users starting on Full Site Editing can also find multiple videos demonstrating features, such as the one below explaining how the Navigation Block works.
WordPress is also introducing its first block-based default theme, Twenty Twenty-Two, with version 5.9. You can test the theme after installing Beta 1.
WordPress 5.9 Beta 2 Addressed 24 Issues
The WordPress team released Beta 2 on Dec. 7, 2021.
This version fixed 24 issues from Beta 1, such as:
- Removing Navigation areas in the Block Editor
- Adding Global Styles REST API endpoints from Gutenberg into Core
- Fixing existing links to Customizer when the Site Editor is enabled
Beta 3 Features 14 Bug Fixes
Beta 3 dropped on Dec. 14, 2021. It features 14 bug fixes and changes, including:
- Issues with Live Preview
- Language switcher in the login screen
- Addition of navigation areas REST API endpoint from Gutenberg plugin
WordPress 5.9 Beta 4 Is Final Beta Version
Beta 4 came out on Dec. 21, 2021.
In the initial announcement, the WordPress team shared that Beta 4 might be an optional release if any issues remained unresolved by the Beta 3 release.
Beta 4 addressed 20 issues, including:
- Switching to a block theme within the Customizer. Users now see a banner that notifies them whether the block theme is incompatible.
- Displaying Featured Patterns under Patterns in the Block Inserter.
- Fixing the Duplicate CSS rules in the Twenty Twenty-One theme.
How To Test the Beta Versions
Users still have time to test the Beta versions before the first Release Candidate (RC 1) drops on January 4, 2022.
There are three ways to test the beta versions:
- Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin. Use the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream.
- Download your desired Beta version directly.
- Use the following command system sequence on WP-CLI: In this example, we’re doing Beta 4 because it’s the latest.
Command One:
Tip: To update to Beta 3.
<pre><code>
$ wp core update –version=5.9-beta3
</code></pre>
Command Two:
Tip: To update to the latest version.
<pre><code>
$ wp core update –version=5.9-beta4 –force
</code></pre>
Remember to run and install the software on a test website.
Final Thoughts – WordPress 5.9 Updates: 4 Beta Versions Released
WordPress has released all four beta versions of WordPress 5.9 to address bugs and issues. With all versions released as per schedule, there are few chances of delay. And we can expect WordPress 5.9 release on Jan. 25, 2022.
Watch out for the WordPress 5.9 Release Candidates starting Jan. 4, 2022.
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