WordPress’s 7.0 release cycle was extended in early 2026 after testing raised concerns about the real-time collaboration implementation. The project explained that additional work was needed on the underlying data architecture. It paused new pre-release builds through April 17 while the release team reviewed next steps and prepared a revised schedule.
What this means for site owners
A delayed release is not a reason to install a beta or release candidate on a live business site. Pre-release software is for testing. Keep production sites on stable releases and follow the update notice in your dashboard.
What agencies and developers can do
- Test release candidates on a staging site or local environment, never on the only copy of a production site.
- Back up the database and files before testing.
- Check the project’s revised schedule and developer notes before estimating upgrade work.
- Test plugins, themes, custom editor workflows, and collaboration behavior with realistic users.
The delay was later followed by the stable WordPress 7.0 release in May. This article records the April announcement and does not imply that a release candidate was production-ready.
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