Two weeks ago, we’ve seen the first beta version of 5.2 and now there is a version number 2. WordPress 5.2 Beta 2 is now available, so here we are publishing the official release:
There are two ways to test the WordPress 5.2 beta: try the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (you’ll want to select the “bleeding edge nightlies” option), or you can download the beta here (zip).
WordPress 5.2 is slated for release on April 30, and we need your help to get there! Thanks to the testing and feedback from everyone who tried beta 1, nearly 100 tickets have been closed since then. Here are the major changes and bug fixes:
- We’ve added support for Emoji 12!
- A brand-new
wp_body_open()template tag (and correspondingwp_body_openaction) will let themes (and plugins!) add content right after the<body>is opened (#12563). - Superfluous paragraph tags will no longer incorrectly appear in dynamic block content (#45495).
- The Site Health screens have received several bug fixes, tweaks, and performance improvements.
- Crash Protection no longer interrupts plugin editing (#46045).
- Custom error handlers now load correctly (#46069).
This software is still in development, so we don’t recommend you run it on a production site. Consider setting up a test site to play with the new version.
Minimum PHP Version Update
As of WordPress 5.2 beta 2, the minimum PHP version that WordPress will require is 5.6.20. If you’re running an older version of PHP, we highly recommend updating it now, before WordPress 5.2 is officially released.