The release of WordPress 7.0 "Armstrong" has taken place, the next major version of the free content management system distributed under the GPLv2 license or later. The release was scheduled for May 20, 2026, after being postponed from an April date: the developers released additional RC builds to test the architectural changes before the final assembly.
In WordPress 7.0 includes more than 419 fixes and changes in Core Trac, including over 300 bug fixes, as well as hundreds of changes in the editor, dashboard, and AI integration.
Key changes
WP AI Client and new AI infrastructure.
WP AI Client has been added to the core — a single PHP interface through which plugins can access generative AI models without being tied to a specific provider. WordPress handles request routing, while keys and connections are managed through the new Settings > Connectors screen. By default, connections to Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI are provided, but the architecture is designed for extension by third-party developers.Abilities API for future "agent" scenarios.
The new Abilities API layer is integrated with WP AI Client and allows for the description of site and plugin capabilities so they can be used in sequential automated workflows. For now, this is more of a foundation for developers than just a 'make it pretty' button, but the direction is clear: WordPress is being prepared for the era of AI plugins.Updated admin panel.
A new Modern color scheme has been added to wp-admin, with updated styles, contrast, and typography. Smooth transitions between screens have been added control panel, while these are disabled if the user's system has reduced animations enabled.Command Palette in the admin.
Quick access to the Command Palette has been added to the top panel via Ctrl+K or ⌘K. Now, from anywhere in the dashboard, users can more quickly go to the necessary actions and tools without searching for them in the menu.Separate font management page.
Font Library has received a dedicated page for font management. Fonts can be centrally uploaded, installed, and administered from one place, which should simplify life for site owners using block themes.Visual comparison of revisions.
Visual Revisions have been added to the editor: now two versions of a post or page can be compared visually, with a slider to switch between revisions. The document inspector shows a summary of changes, and you can jump directly to specific changed areas on the page.A more stable iframe editor.
The post editor now more actively employs an isolated iframe mode if all embedded blocks use Block API version 3 or higher. This should reduce the impact of the theme or plugin styles and scripts on the editor itself.Customizable mobile menus.
Navigation overlay menus for mobile devices can now be assembled from blocks and patterns in the Site Editor. There is a separate Navigation Overlay Close block, giving themes and users more control over the appearance of mobile navigation.Block visibility by device and responsive settings.
In WordPress 7.0, blocks can be hidden or shown based on device type. The responsive mode settings have also been expanded: styles can be changed for different breakpoints, and the sizes of these breakpoints can be customized.Improvements in patterns and Pattern Overrides.
Pattern Overrides now work not only with core blocks but also with custom blocks. New capabilities for managing attributes through Block Bindings have been added for developers, and the contentOnly mode is applied more broadly, prompting block authors to describe editable attributes in block.json more carefully.New and improved blocks.
The Heading Block, Breadcrumbs Block, and Icons Block have been added. The gallery now supports lightbox with a slideshow, videos can now be used as backgrounds in the Cover Block, and the Paragraph Block has received support for columns and text indentations.CSS at the block level.
The editor now allows the application of custom CSS to specific blocks on the page. This enables finer control without the need to create separate classes and manually edit the theme.PHP-only block registration.
Developers can now create and register blocks and patterns directly on the PHP side via the Block API. Editable attributes and automatic inspector controls creation through DataForm are provided for PHP-registered blocks.Changes in the Interactivity API.
The package @wordpress/interactivity has introduced the watch() function, which allows subscribing to changes in signals within the callback. The data-wp-watch directive can be used in the lifecycle of a DOM element and respond to state changes.DataViews, DataForms, and the Site Editor extension.
New layouts for Activity and Details have been added, the appearance of modal windows improved, and the Field API now supports registration of additional types. The Site Editor lays the foundation for extensible routing, and the new package @wordpress/boot allows plugins to build their own site editor pages.More secure user registration.
The Administrator and Editor roles have been removed from the default role selection for new users in the general settings. If one of these roles was selected before the update, Site Health will show a warning. A filter named default_role_dropdown_excluded_roles has been added for developers.Library and requirement updates.
The minimum PHP version for WordPress Core has now been raised to PHP 7.4. PHPMailer has been updated to 7.0.2, backbone.js to 1.6.1, Requests to 2.0.17, CodeMirror to the current branch v5; handling of PHP 8.1 deprecation notices has also been added for themes.
WordPress 7.0 looks like an attempt to lay the groundwork for several tools simultaneously: integration with AI, admin interface, editor, blocks, patterns, and server-side block registration. Website owners are always advised to test the update on a copy of the site first, especially if using heavy themes, visual builders, and plugins that actively interfere with the editor.
Source: linux.org.ru
