#246- Monitoring Community Concerns, 2026 Global Partner Program, WP 6.9 RC1

Issue #246 | November 18, 2025 | Reading time: 23 mins

Hello!

This week on The WP Week Newsletter, we cover the release of WordPress 6.9 RC1, Community Team monitoring the community concerns in Bangladesh, the future goals of the Core Program Team, the 2026 Global Partner Program, new projects, and more.

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Team WP-CONTENT.CO

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🗣️TALK OF THE TOWN

WordPress 6.9 Release Candidate 1

The first Release Candidate (“RC1”) for WordPress 6.9 is ready for download and testing, and WordPress 6.9 is also ready to be translated.

The upcoming version will feature a new notes feature, fix a CSS specificity issue with the heading block’s background color, make improvements to the Interactivity API and Block Binding API, support defining border radius presets in theme.json, and will also introduce consistent cache keys for query groups. The frontend performance field guide and developer-focused changes list have also been published.

📰 WORDPRESS & AROUND

All the updates around WordPress and its closely related technologies

WordPress Community Team addresses community concerns in Bangladesh

The team is monitoring reports about community dynamics in Bangladesh and coordinating with local organizers to support a healthy, welcoming environment. Contributors are encouraged to follow the community code of conduct, and any concerns should be submitted through official channels.

Tammie Lister outlines the Core Program team’s proposed focus for Q4: The Core Program team plans to focus primarily on improving WordPress roadmaps in Q4. This includes gathering existing roadmaps, analyzing how teams create and maintain them, suggesting a lightweight process for teams without one, and exploring a central place to display a combined roadmap. Additional collaboration areas include supporting WP Credits, Five-for-the-Future, WordCamp tooling, and improving recognition for non-development contributions.
Preparing the WordPress post editor for full iframe integration: WordPress 6.9 is set to introduce updates to prepare the post editor for full iframe integration in WordPress 7.0. Developers are warned when using legacy blocks (apiVersion 2 or lower) and encouraged to migrate to apiVersion 3, which is now required in block.json.
2026 Training Team Representatives announced: The Training Team opened nominations for 2026, but most votes went to Rico F. Lüthi, who ultimately declined, and no other experienced contributors were able to commit, leading the current reps to continue their roles. Rade Jekić will serve as lead, with Sumit Singh and Muhibul Haque sharing responsibilities.
WordPress Community Team announces 2026 Global Partner Program: The program offers three pricing tiers, Global Leader ($180,000), Regional Powerhouse ($110,000), and Community Builder ($60,000) allowing organizations to support local WordPress events, Meetup licenses, and community initiatives while gaining global visibility, simplified administration, and flexible branding options. For last year, the program had a flat $160,000 annual fee.
WooCommerce 10.3.5: Dot Release now available: The release delivers critical bug fixes, including WordPress 6.9 compatibility improvements, hierarchical brand CSV import support, and refined asset loading control for block themes.
Remote code execution via malicious obfuscated malware in Imunify360 AV (AI-bolit): The flaw allows attackers to execute arbitrary PHP functions via the scanner’s deobfuscation logic, including through simple actions like posting a WordPress comment. Exploitation can lead to full website or server compromise, especially on shared hosting. The vulnerability has a 9.9 CVSS score, and Oliver Sild, CEO of Ptachstack, described it as “the biggest and most severe security vulnerability we’ve seen hitting the web hosting industry in the past decade.” The issue has now been patched.
Google Search Console adds custom annotations to reports: Google Search Console now lets you add custom annotations to performance charts, making it easier to track when changes or external events occurred.

👥 COMMUNITY NEWS

Updates and News from the WordPress Community

AI Readiness Report by Human Made and WordPress VIP

This strategic AI-readiness report helps enterprise leaders assess their organisation’s AI maturity, understand high-value use cases, and build a roadmap for adopting AI across people, processes, platforms, and data supported by real-world examples and practical guidance for marketing, digital, IT, and executive teams.

The PHP Foundation is seeking a new executive director: With the current executive director Roman Pronskiy, leaving after four years of service, the PHP Foundation has begun its search for a new executive director. Roman Pronskiy will step down in early 2026 but will remain on the Board to support the transition. A search committee is now seeking a leader with strong open-source experience and deep PHP ecosystem knowledge, with applications open until December 15, 2025.
The State of Ecommerce in 2025: The report by Store Leads shows that e-commerce continues to grow rapidly in 2025, with 13.6M+ active online stores tracked across 100 platforms. WooCommerce and Shopify lead by merchant count, though Shopify is growing slightly faster. Square Online shows the highest percentage growth, while Salesforce Commerce Cloud powers some of the largest enterprise stores.
The latest from ACF webinar by WP Engine: On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, WP Engine is hosting a virtual product showcase highlighting the latest Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) features for WordPress. The event will demonstrate how ACF streamlines workflows, enhances collaboration between developers and marketers, and simplifies the creation of dynamic, scalable custom blocks.
Cloudways Awards 2025 winners announced: WP Umbrella has won the People’s Choice Award, and other categories involve best use of AI in e-commerce, best e-commerce website design, and so on.
GoDaddy has launched Airo.ai: Airo.ai, is a new agentic AI tool that helps small businesses complete tasks through simple conversation. Using GoDaddy’s data and a system of specialized AI agents, Airo.ai can propose business ideas, register domains, build websites, generate logos, draft policies, and create basic web apps in minutes.
Redis object caching now available on Unity Pro: Unity Pro plans now include Redis Object Caching at no extra cost, enabling faster database query handling for high-traffic or complex WordPress sites.
WPBeginner Growth Fund exits investment in Seahawk Media and Pro Services to be discontinued: Syed Balkhi explained that while the partnership helped Seahawk triple its growth, the long-term visions no longer aligned. WPBeginner will now focus entirely on building premium WordPress plugins and software. Existing Pro Services customers will still receive any services already paid for, and those on maintenance plans can either migrate to Seahawk or cancel for a penalty-free (and pro-rated, if annual) refund.
Conversion Bridge 1.11 brings Google Analytics into WordPress, along with new integrations: The latest release adds aGoogle Analytics dashboard directly inside WordPress, along with setup, smarter tracking, and expanded privacy support. It also introduces new plugin and analytics integrations for Breakdance, FluentCart, Paymattic, Koko Analytics, and Active Analytics.
ElasticPress updates bring AI to WordPress search: ElasticPress has rolled out major updates with version 5.3 and ElasticPress Labs 2.5, bringing AI-powered search to WordPress. The Labs update introduces semantic search and AI-generated summaries using OpenAI, enabling more accurate, intent-based results and faster answers. ElasticPress 5.3 adds improved Elementor compatibility, a redesigned features page, and a new status indicator, along with general usability improvements.
Elementor 3.33 launched with variables manager and custom CSS: This version introduces major upgrades built on Editor V4, including a new Variables Manager for centralized design tokens, element-level Custom CSS, and creative options like Blend Modes and Background Clipping. The update also improves media handling for template import/export, and so on.
Introducing BuddyBoss Plus: BuddyBoss has introduced BuddyBoss Plus, a new plan that adds native Gamification and Offload Media to help online communities scale without plugin conflicts or rising hosting costs. Gamification rewards meaningful member activity, while Offload Media automatically moves large files to Cloudflare to keep sites fast.
WPCode Conversion Pixels 1.2.0 adds Facebook pixel tracking: The latest version lets users track multiple Facebook Pixels and Google Ads IDs on WordPress, making it easy to manage campaigns across multiple ad accounts without complex setups.
PHPCSExtra 1.5.0 released with seven new sniffs: This release adds four sniffs with regard to PHP attributes, two sniffs for exit/die, and one sniff for first-class callables, and several other improvements.
WordPress AI Client SDK 0.1.0 now available: An AI client and API for WordPress to communicate with any generative AI models of various capabilities using a uniform API.
Free E-commerce Website Checklist by Iconic: The checklist guides new and existing store owners through every step of launching an online shop from choosing a domain and hosting to designing key pages, setting up secure payments and fulfillment, optimizing conversions and SEO, integrating marketing tools, and completing a full pre-launch testing review.
WordCamp Asia 2026 second batch tickets dropped: Out of 600 tickets, only 29 remain now. The next batch of tickets will be available on November 21.
CookieAdmin crosses 200,000 active installs: Originally launched to make cookie consent compliance effortless, it has evolved into a robust privacy management tool supporting GDPR, CCPA, Google Consent Mode v2, customizable UI, multi-language support, and accessibility standards.
The Charitable plugin has reached a new milestone on the plugin repo: The plugin has officially crossed 1,000,000 downloads on the WordPress.org repo.
WPConsent now powers over 100,000+ websites: Launched eight months ago, WPConsent has reached this huge milestone in a short time.
LogPress WordPress Companion mobile app now available for Android: Tunde Sanusi highlighted that the LogPress app is now available on the Play Store.
Independent Analytics integration for Fluent Cart is now available: With the integration, site owners can now track orders, conversion rates, total sales, refunds, and more for each page, referrer, geolocation, device, and campaign.
Matt Cromwell bids farewell to StellarWP: Matt Cromwell reflects on his last day at StellarWP, marking the start of a new chapter to pursue his next right thing. He’s now focusing on exploration, listening, and projects like WP Product Talk.
Kishan J shared an open-source fork of 10up’s Action Plugin Deploy, adapted for WordPress.org theme deployments: This GitHub Action streamlines releases, reduces manual errors, and fits neatly into modern CI/CD workflows.
Sridhar Katakam on improving WordPress.org’s plugin screenshot navigation: He highlighted a usability issue on WordPress.org where clicking plugin screenshots opens the full image in the same tab, requiring users to use the back button to view others. He shared that he used AI to generate a userscript that opens screenshots in a lightbox, enabling easy navigation with arrow keys and closing with Esc.
María Valeria Di Donato receives the Yoast Care fund for her contribution to the WordPress community: María Valeria Di Donato, a member of the WordPress Community Team is the latest recipient of the Yoast Care fund.

🚀 NEW PROJECTS

WP Stats: a simple and lightweight visit statistics system that records and displays the number of site visits without the need for plugins or heavy databases.
ArchiveWP: The plugin allows users to keep legacy content online for reference or record-keeping in a clearly designated, searchable archive.
DesignSetGo plugin: Developed by Justin Nealey, the plugin extends the native block editor with 43 blocks and 11 universal extensions, allowing users to build layouts, forms, interactive elements, and visual components.
Page Importer for WordPress: This tool by Breon Williams allows you to easily generate an XML file to import structured page hierarchies into your WordPress website.
FunnelWheel Country Based Pricing: Created by Kishore, the plugin allows users to apply country-specific pricing adjustments in WooCommerce using geolocation, billing address, or store base.
Introducing OneCaptcha: A modern WordPress CAPTCHA plugin that integrates Google reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, and Cloudflare Turnstile with automatic detection and plug-and-play setup. It offers Smart Captcha rotation, broad compatibility with WordPress, WooCommerce, and major form plugins.
All new Sigmize: A new A/B testing platform for WordPress sites and other platforms such as Shopify, Wix, Webflow, and so on.
Create User Account from WooCommerce Guest Order: This is a micro plugin created by Marco Almeida that lets WooCommerce store owners easily convert guest buyers into registered customers.
WPFilters plugin: A new WordPress plugin designed to make it easier for visitors to find content. It lets site owners create customizable filters for categories, tags, custom fields, and WooCommerce attributes using checkboxes, dropdowns, keyword search, and more.
Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce: The plugin allows users to create a comprehensive loyalty program that lets customers earn points through purchases and referrals, then redeem them later.

🔖 INTERESTING READS & PODCASTS

More posts and podcasts from the WordPress Community you don’t want to miss

In conversation with Jonathan Bossenger: Jonathan Bossenger discusses his journey from teaching Brazilian jiu-jitsu to software development, his experiences growing up in post-apartheid South Africa, and his path into teaching and developer advocacy, along with his current work-life balance and future goals. From Seriously, Bud?
Gutenberg 22.0 and WordPress 6.9: Birgit Pauli-Haack and Ellen Bauer cover key updates in WordPress 6.9 and Gutenberg 22.0, and they also touch on upcoming WordCamp Asia and early plans for WordPress 7.0. From Gutenberg Changelog.
Roger Williams on how we might reimagine sponsoring WordPress contributions: Roger Williams of Kinsta discusses reimagining WordPress sponsorship, exploring how companies can fund contributors, balance business goals with open source values, and create sustainable, impactful sponsored contributions programs. From WP Tavern Jukebox.
More fun in WordPress: How Nick Hamze uses AI to build unusual WordPress blocks: Nick Hamze joins Nathan Wrigley to talk about his playful, unconventional journey in WordPress, from Automattic’s Happiness Engineer and chief swag officer to creator of quirky experiments and creative tools. From WP Builds.
Building secure & scalable membership sites: Robert Abela sits down with Andrew Lima, Developer and Technical Lead at Paid Memberships Pro, to explore the hidden challenges of building and maintaining large-scale membership platforms. From Melapress.
What is TTFB and why it matters for website speed and SEO: The WPBakery team tested how different WordPress page builders impact TTFB by measuring server response latency across identical minimal pages built with Gutenberg, Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi, Bricks, and WPBakery. From WPBakery.
How to approach responsive web development in the modern era (2025+): Kevin Geary explains a modern, escalation-based approach to responsive web development, emphasizing intrinsic CSS techniques first, container queries second, and media queries only when the viewport is the true container.
Jeffrey Paul on what he wanted to ask Matt Mullenweg after missing his WordCamp Canada Town Hall talk: He responds to Matt Mullenweg’s WordCamp Canada talk and puts forth two key questions: how WordPress can help users “publish once, syndicate everywhere,” and how the platform can support trust and authenticity online as AI blurs the line between real and synthetic content.
Can e-commerce ever be simple?: Kurt von Ahnen and Toby Cryns discuss the evolving landscape of e-commerce, with a focus on the competition between WooCommerce and Shopify. They explore the importance of reducing complexity in e-commerce solutions, the impact of AI on SEO, and the future of agency development in a tech-driven world. From The WP Minute.
New block authoring architecture in Etch: Etch is shifting its Auto Block Authoring from core WordPress blocks to custom blocks, offering a more stable, flexible, and seamless editing experience. Custom blocks allow exact design representation, easier editing, improved stability, and the ability for developers to create and share blocks visually. From EtchWP.
Alfredo Navas recaps his year in the WordPress community: He reflects on a milestone year in the WordPress community, filled with travel, workshops, and speaking engagements across multiple countries.
A curated list of 12 AI-powered WordPress blocks made with Telex: Joe Fylan explores how Telex, Automattic’s free, browser-based AI tool that lets anyone create custom WordPress blocks using simple natural-language prompts. He highlights 12 creative examples, from games like Minesweeper to interactive effects, quizzes, recipes, weather widgets, and more. From WordPress.com
WordPress needs to catch up to the web: Joost de Valk argues that WordPress is falling behind the modern web, still relying on outdated, centralized systems like the WordPress.org plugin repository. He introduces FAIR, a decentralized and verifiable distribution model designed to improve security, resilience, and compliance with modern standards. While noting positive progress like WordPress Playground and the upcoming Abilities API, he concludes that WordPress must fully embrace modern, open-web standards. From Progress Planner.
The future of collaborative editing in WordPress VIP: Andrew Butler highlights WordPress VIP’s new real-time collaborative editing, which lets teams edit content simultaneously, leave in-line comments, and soon propose suggested edits all within WordPress. From WordPress VIP.
WP Engine moves to dismiss Automattic’s counterclaims, arguing they were filed too late: WP Engine’s latest motion argues Automattic and Matt Mullenweg waited too long to bring infringement and dilution claims, and asks the court to dismiss all seven counterclaims. From The Repository.
Inside FAIR’s approach to security: A new model for WordPress package safety: FAIR’s architecture is inspired by Bluesky’s distributed moderation, uses cryptographic DIDs for provenance, and is federating cautiously to balance security with decentralization. From The Repository.
Why people really choose WooCommerce: Katie Keith asked the WordPress community why people really choose WooCommerce and found the top reasons are flexibility, full control of data, low cost, a huge ecosystem of plugins, and the freedom that comes from open source. From Barn2 Plugins.

🛠 GUIDE ZONE – HOWTO’S and MORE

Handpicked fresh guides from WordPress circle

Introducing the WordPress Abilities API: From WordPress Developer Blog
How to protect your WordPress site from unwanted bot traffic with Cloudflare: From Kinsta
How to use Dependency Extraction in webpack to make your scripts smaller: From Learn WP Theme Dev
The Ultimate WordPress Debugging Guide: From Remkus de Vries

📆 SAVE THE DATES

Do not miss a WordPress event ever again

WordCamp Netherlands 2025 on November 27-28: The tickets are now available.
WordCamp Brasil 2025 on November 28-29: The tickets are now available.
WordCamp Nepal 2026 on January 23-24: The early bird tickets are now available, and the call for sponsors is now open.
WordCamp Asia 2026 on April 9-11: The venue has been announced. The call for speakers is now open. The call for sponsors and media partners is also now open.
SomeConf 2026 on April 22-23: The tickets are now available.
Checkout Summit 2026 on April 23-24, 2026: The call for sponsors is now open. The early bird tickets are now available.
WordCamp Europe 2026 on June 4-6: The event is in the early planning stages, and the venue will be the ICE Kraków Congress Centre Kraków, Poland.

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