WordPress 5.3 RC2 Is Now Available

WordPress 5.3 is scheduled to be released on 12 November 2019 if no unforeseen events occur.

It is an exciting release with news such as new blocks, and more intuitive interactions in Gutenberg, the new editor in WordPress.

Read more here.

We can also look forward to the new default theme Twenty Twenty to which Anders Norén is the creator. Plus, some additional new and updated features.

Right now, testing is in progress to complete WordPress 5.3. During the development, both Beta and Release Candidates versions have been released.

Anyone can install Beta and RC in a suitable test environment to experiment with new features. However, you can also help detect bugs.

To test the Beta and Release Candidates, you need to install the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (choose the “bleeding edge nightlies” option). You can also download the release candidate here (zip).

These versions should not be used on your production sites, only in a test environment.

WordPress 5.3 RC2

WordPress 5.3 Release Candidate 2 comes with several improvements and ten fixes for bugs and regressions. Some of them are as follows:

• Three bugs found within the block editor in version RC1 have been fixed. (see #48381)
• Another bug is that links within comments did not get the correct rel attribute is also fixed. (see # 48022)
• The scaled- string has been added to file names when images are downsized if determined “BIG” (see #48304).
• The buttons group for the alignment setting is so shrunk that the buttons are barely usable.
  The buttons group layout has been fixed in IE11 (see #48087).
• A bug with boolean false meta values in the REST API has been fixed (see #48363).
• HTTP error code support has been expanded to include all 5xx errors when uploading files. (see #48379).

Recommendations to Plugin and Theme Developers

It is also notified in the WordPress 5.3 RC2 article to plugin and theme developers to thoroughly test your plugins and themes for WordPress 5.3 and update the Tested up to version in the readme to 5.3.

If you encounter compatibility problems, report and post the issues in the support forums, so there is a chance to look over these problems before the final release of WordPress 5.3 is released.

How to Help

There are several opportunities for anyone who wants to help with the development of WordPress. All help is appreciated and can bring WordPress further to better functionality and even a more stable platform.

Translation: Do you speak other languages than English? Then you can help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages!

WordPress Beta Tester: Install the WordPress Beta Tester plugin and try out all the new features and options.

If you find any bug, report to the Alpha / Beta area in the support forums.

What are your thoughts on WordPress 5.3? Have you tested any of the Beta or RC in your testing environment yet?

We would love to hear your opinion. Awesome if you can leave a comment in the comment section below.