WordPress unveiled its 5.5.3 maintenance release. This latest release fixes an issue introduced in WordPress 5.5.2 which makes it impossible to install WordPress on a brand new website. that does not have a database connection configured. It is important to note that this release does not affect sites where a database connection is already configured.
WordPress 5.5.3-alpha auto-updates
With this release, the auto-update system for WordPress updated some sites from version 5.5.2 to version 5.5.3-alpha. According to the announcement, this auto-update was due to an error in the Updates API caused by the 5.5.3 release preparations. The 5.5.3-alpha version at this point was functionally similar to 5.5.2 as no development. However, the following changes may have been made to your site:
- The default “Twenty” themes installed as part of the pre-release package.
- The “Akismet” plugin installed as part of the pre-release package.
It is also a safer option to delete these features if you are not to use them. WordPress recommends manually update to the 5.5.3 version by downloading WordPress 5.5.3 or visiting Dashboard → Updates and click “Update Now” for who are not on 5.5.2 or have auto-updates for minor releases disabled.