WordPress 5.6 Release Candidate 3, the third release candidate for the next big release is now available for testing. Let’s test!
To test WordPress 5.6, you can use the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (choose the “bleeding edge nightlies” option) or you can also download WordPress 5.6 release candidate 3 here (zip).
A release candidate (RC) means that the core development team is almost ready with WordPress 5.6. But, with millions of users and thousands of plugins and themes, they’re fully conscious of the possibility that something might have been missed.
The third release candidate includes updates to Block editor, fixes for Application Passwords, Core Auto-updates, and PHP 8 compatibility in multisite.
WordPress 5.6 has been scheduled to be released on 8th December 2020. Since the major release is nearing, the core development team is requesting everyone to test the platform.
You can check out RC1, RC2, or WordPress 5.6 Field Guide to know what to expect in the next big release.
If you find any bug or issue, you can report them to the Alpha/Beta support forum. This will help the development team to ship WordPress 5.6. If any known issues come up, you’ll be able to find them here.
Developers can test their plugins and themes against 5.6. They can update the “Tested up to” in the readme to 5.6. If you find compatibility issues, please be sure to post to the support forums. This will help the team to figure those out before the final release of WordPress 5.6.