{"id":100288,"date":"2024-03-11T04:06:34","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T04:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bluehost.com\/blog\/wordpress-update-february-2024\/"},"modified":"2024-03-11T04:06:34","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T04:06:34","slug":"wordpress-update-february-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bluehost.com\/blog\/en-in\/wordpress-update-february-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"WordPress 6.5 Released + More WordPress Updates for February 2024\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The amazing developers and volunteers at WordPress have gotten off to a great start in 2024. February has been an eventful month, with several updates, including the beta testing of WordPress 6.5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the new version is only available in beta formats for now, it\u2019s slated for release in March. We\u2019ve also got Gutenberg 17.6 to discuss, so let\u2019s dive right into all of the updates WordPress released in February 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress 6.5 beta released<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

WordPress 6.5 Beta 1 was released on February 13<\/a>, and beta testers have been exploring its features ever since. Version 2 quickly followed on February 20, and version 3 came out on February 27. These beta versions set the stage for the official version to be released on March 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several new features in WordPress 6.5<\/a> that we\u2019re thrilled to explore. Many of these updates are due to the new application programming interfaces (APIs) WordPress will be using, so keep an eye out for those in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s explore these new features in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Font Library<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Font Library (originally planned to be released in WordPress 6.4<\/a>) lets you play around with the fonts installed on your WordPress theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can also browse and install Google Fonts directly from WordPress, making it a lot easier to customize your typography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Custom fields come to blocks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

WordPress has long been known for its high level of customization, both on-page and behind the scenes. But while the platform\u2019s content is customizable, this hasn\u2019t always been the case for blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Users have had to work with a few blocks that offer a limited number of attributes to play around with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with WordPress 6.5, things are starting to change. WordPress has finally brought custom fields to core block attributes. This means you can add your own attribute fields to blocks. For instance, adding a \u201cmood\u201d field allows you to assign a unique mood to individual blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The details of this update aren\u2019t yet finalized, but custom fields are a useful feature we look forward to working with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plugin dependency notifications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever uninstalled a plugin you thought you didn\u2019t need, only for your website to come crashing down the next moment? If yes, you aren\u2019t alone. But with WordPress 6.5, this could be a thing of the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress will now notify you if you\u2019re attempting to uninstall a plugin that other plugins depend on. This way, you can\u2019t accidentally uninstall a plugin that is crucial to the proper functioning of other plugins on your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faster loading times<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

WordPress 6.5 Beta is already clocking in some impressive loading times. There are over 110 different updates, each of which positively impacts website performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, in WordPress 6.4, it took an average of seven seconds<\/a> for the first block to load in the Site Editor. But in WordPress 6.5, the average block load time is down to 4.6 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to faster block loading, WordPress 6.5 also features faster text and pattern loading. You\u2019ll spend less time waiting for these elements to load, which means you\u2019ll be able to build your website<\/a> quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gutenberg 17.6 unifies editors and prepares for WordPress 6.5<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gutenberg 17.6 was released<\/a> on January 31, so we had little time to discuss its features when we reviewed WordPress updates in January<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the changes to the latest version of Gutenberg are forward-thinking and aim at getting it ready for WordPress 6.5. Several of these updates, like fonts and Interactivity APIs, will help out with those features we mentioned previously. For example, the new APIs allow users to make more interactive blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to prep work for the next release of WordPress, Gutenberg 17.6 also unifies the Post Editor and the Site Editor. Previously, there were actions you could take in the Post Editor but not in the Site Editor. Now, you can access all page edit features using either of the two editors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress developer updates in February 2024<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since we have a major release coming up, there\u2019s been a lot going on for WordPress developers in February<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a roundup of some of the major changes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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