WordPress 5.0 Release Date Uncertain

SEO September 30, 2024

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Updated:
Read about the unexpected WordPress 5.0 release announcement here.

WordPress 5.0 was tentatively scheduled for release on November 27th. However, that date has been pushed back with no new release date scheduled yet. WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg has opened channels for direct feedback and concerns. Will WordPress be released in 2019?

Where is WordPress 5.0?

Release Candidate 2 is set to be available on Friday, November 30th. A release candidate is a software version ready for testing purposes, typically released to identify any overlooked issues.

On Tuesday, November 27th, WordPress announced a new version of JetPack compatible with the new Gutenberg WordPress editor. This is JetPack 6.8. The new version of JetPack has features only available to those who have activated the Gutenberg editor:

“The new WordPress editor, Gutenberg, will be available to you as soon as WordPress 5.0 becomes available. If you’d like to try the editor today, you can install the Gutenberg plugin on your site. Once you’ve done so, you’ll have access to all the blocks mentioned below.”

Why is WordPress Delayed?

Several reasons contribute to the delay of WordPress 5.0. Chief among them is quality control and the imminent release of a new version of PHP, version 7.3.

WordPress 5.0 Development

At this moment, there are still many bugs and issues that need to be resolved. According to the latest November 29th update on WP 5.0, these are the current issues:

Open issues in 5.0.0: 15 (=)
Open issues in 5.0.1: 52 (-1)
Open issues in 5.0.x (fast follow): 105 (-1)
Current beta: RC 1, released November 23.
Current plugin: 4.5.1, released November 21.
Next release: RC 2, November 30.

PHP 7.3 and WordPress

Further complicating the progress of WordPress 5.0 is its coincidence with the imminent release of PHP version 7.3. WordPress is built on PHP, so it will naturally need to conform to the newest version. PHP 7.3.0 is currently planned to be released on December 6th.

On November 23, 2019, a WordPress Translation Contributor (Krzysztof Radzikowski) speculated on a possible WordPress 4.9 release in December 2019 that would update the current version of WordPress for PHP 7.3, with WordPress 5.0 being released in January 2019.

“Probably 4.9.9 release with php 7.3 release before 10 december and then 5.0 next year. Gutenberg is nowhere close to being stable for production…”

WordPress Founder Matt Mullenweg

On Wednesday, November 28th, WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg opened a calendar for accepting feedback and concerns about the upcoming 5.0 release of WordPress.

“A number of folks have requested an opportunity to connect more directly on where we’re at in the 5.0 process or share their point of view on where we’re going. In the spirit of getting as many inputs as possible, I’ve opened up 24 office hours slots Thursday through Sunday. You can sign up using this link:

https://calendly.com/mmullenweg/officehourswithmatt

The sessions will be 15 minutes (even though it says 20 on the calendar) so I get a chance to connect with as many people as possible. I’m looking forward to it!”

Will WordPress 5.0 be Released in 2018?

It’s possible that WordPress 5.0 could be released this year. However, it might make more sense to wait until after the holidays to avoid inconveniencing users and to allow additional time for quality control testing. Thus, a 2019 release date is not inconceivable.

Image of a child symbolizing WordPress 5, doing a limbo under a pole

In addition to being a game, Limbo is also defined as a moment of uncertainty as to the time something will be resolved or decided.

WordPress 5.0 Release Date?

The definition of limbo is: “…an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution.”

There’s still another month left in 2018, and almost anything can happen between now and then. But at the time of this writing, WordPress 5.0’s release date could most certainly be described as being in limbo.