The risks and pitfalls of WordPress auto-updates

WordPress introduced built-in plugin and theme auto-updates in WordPress 5.5, giving site owners the option to let selected plugins and themes update automatically. Since then, the feature has evolved considerably. WordPress 6.6 introduced automatic rollbacks for failed plugin auto-updates, making the process safer than it was when this feature first launched.

That does not mean auto-updates are risk-free. An update can still introduce compatibility problems, alter site behaviour or create issues that a simple rollback cannot resolve. The right approach is therefore not to avoid updates altogether, but to combine automation with backups, testing and a way to detect problems quickly.

• WordPress auto-updates save time but still cause compatibility issues.
• WordPress 6.6 introduced automatic rollback for failed plugin auto-updates.
• Auto-updates do not replace regular backups or staging tests.
• Selective auto-updates can provide a balance between convenience and control.
• Monitoring your site after updates helps catch issues that automatic rollback may miss.

Auto-updates are updates to plugins and themes that take place automatically without the site owner having to do anything manually via WordPress. Unlike manual updates, there’s no need to initiate the process or download new versions of your existing plugins and themes. In WordPress, site owners can choose whether or not to use the auto-update feature. For example, if your WordPress site is integrated with a cloud management platform, it will be automatically updated without you having to lift a finger. Each plugin and theme has its own ON/OFF option specifically for auto-updates.

Whatever kind of business you’re running – be it a small eCommerce store or a digital marketing agency, before enabling auto-updates on your WordPress site, it’s important to be aware of all the ‘side-effects’ – both good and bad. Auto-updates are convenient, but there can be some big drawbacks.

Updates can occasionally introduce compatibility problems between WordPress core, plugins, themes, PHP versions or custom code. An update may change how a feature works, introduce a bug or expose an existing compatibility issue.

However, the risk is lower than it was when WordPress first introduced plugin and theme auto-updates. Since WordPress 6.6, failed plugin auto-updates can automatically roll back to the previous version when a fatal error is detected. This gives site owners an additional layer of protection against one of the most serious update failures.

Rollback does not eliminate every possible problem. An update can still cause functional, visual or compatibility issues that do not produce a fatal PHP error. This is why backups, testing and monitoring remain important even when auto-updates are enabled.

If an update does mess up your site, you will need to know what caused it. Determining exactly what happened and when can be tricky. Especially if multiple updates all took place simultaneously. With selected automatic and manual updates, it can be easier to isolate the root issue and fix it.

WordPress does provide email notifications when plugin or theme auto-update attempts succeed or fail, giving site owners a useful record of what happened. However, notifications alone do not tell you whether an update has affected a site’s front-end functionality, checkout process, forms or other important features.

Sometimes auto-updates might include a major release. If a particular plugin releases an update with a larger than normal installation base, it could cause problems. If you have auto-update enabled, you won’t have any control over whether or not you wish to deploy those changes.

WordPress does not use a ‘Canary update’ testing process. Canary updates roll out code to test sites before official release. Without this, there’s no telling what a new update will do. Likewise with smaller plugins, top-notch quality assurance is not guaranteed. By enabling auto-updates you’re essentially handing over control to unknown quality assurance teams.

There are safer ways to enjoy the benefits that automatic updates bring. Just proceed with caution. Now that you’re aware of some of those common issues, you can enjoy auto-updates without worrying too much about the consequences.

With all the potential issues your site can be faced when updating your plugins and theme, it is important to have a secure and recent backup of your site. Using a WordPress backup plugin can protect you against unexpected disasters or errors. Even if you take all the necessary precautions, it is still possible to fall victim to a bad update and have your site die on you. Backing up your site with UpdraftPlus can be done in just a few minutes. Simply download UpdraftPlus, follow these simple instructions to backup your WordPress site and you won’t have to worry about an update permanently taking down your site again.

There are still risks however – even if you take all the precautions necessary, a bad update can sometimes stop you from even logging into your site. In this scenario, restoring it to it’s former working version will be a complicated and difficult process. UpdraftPlus allows you to test your updates on a clone of your site using a WordPress staging plugin like UpdraftClone. It allows you to clone your site instantly and directly from UpdraftPlus, which can further reduce any danger to your main site by allowing you to test updates in a secure and risk-free environment.

UpdraftPlus Premium also has an auto-backup feature that creates a backup for you, before any updates to plugins and themes are performed.

While the latest update of WordPress can update your plugins automatically, we recommend that you turn off auto-updates for all/selected plugins and use a WordPress plugin manager instead. Easy Updates Manager currently helps more than 300,000 WordPress users automatically keep their sites up to date and bug-free. It’s also highly customizable to give you real control over what updates to run.

Choose from manually update, disable update, enable auto updates, disable auto updates and choose per plugin/theme, so you always have full control over your site and what aspects are updated. This offers a greater degree of control and limits unnecessary risk or disruption – disruption that could potentially derail a business in its infancy.

The potential business impact of an auto-update-related disruption could be catastrophic. If an automatic update interferes with your customer payment portal for example, the losses could be substantial for a well-established brand with high volume sales.