From across Automattic.
Updates from all of Automattic’s business units.
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Deflection is Not a Support Strategy
"As long as a company’s AI deflection rate remains a primary metric for success, that company will end up with frustrated customers."
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WordPress.com Changelog: A New Hosting Dashboard, a ChatGPT Plugin, and WordPress 7.1
WordPress.com’s latest updates include a redesigned Hosting Dashboard, a new ChatGPT plugin, WordPress 7.1, and practical improvements for users.
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An Agent Built a Black Friday Feature in Hours. Plus Four More Takeaways From Our Ecommerce Panel.
Every ecommerce agency gets the same question on the first sales call: why WooCommerce, when Shopify or Wix will have a store selling by Friday? Our panel with WooCommerce, Kestrel, and two developer advocates worked through the honest answer, starting with a live demo of an agent building a Black Friday feature start to finish.
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How better data helps you reduce ecommerce returns
Learn how ecommerce data can help you spot problems, uncover buyer friction, fix fulfillment issues, and reduce preventable returns.
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Introducing Journal Collections
For many Day One users, journals are more than a place to write. They are a system. A travel journal kept separate from a work log. A gratitude practice that lives apart from a dream record. A parenting diary that deserves its own space. Over time, that system can grow, and a long sidebar list…
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How to write a return policy your team can actually follow
Learn how to audit your ecommerce return policy, fix policy drift, streamline WooCommerce returns, and create a process your team can actually follow.
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WordPress Signs the Open Weights and American AI Leadership Letter
We’re proud to announce that WordPress has signed Open Weights and American AI Leadership, an open letter asking US policymakers to not place early restrictions on open weight AI models. These are artificial intelligence models that anyone can download, inspect, modify, and run on their own infrastructure. The letter was published on July 24, 2026,…
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Introducing Order Withdrawal in WooCommerce 11.1
WooCommerce 11.1 introduces Order Withdrawal, allowing EU customers to request order withdrawals within 14 days. Store owners can enable this feature for improved customer service. The post Introducing Order Withdrawal in WooCommerce 11.1 appeared first on The WooCommerce Developer Blog.
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Am I still designing? Yes, but on a bigger canvas
I built an AI image plugin for WooCommerce, then a lab to check whether the product survived the picture. What that taught me about trust, and about where design decisions live now.
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WooCommerce vs. Shopify: What’s the difference for a growing store
Compare WooCommerce and Shopify to see which platform is best for a growing business. We look at pricing & fees, flexibility & scalability, and more.
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Meet Shohan: A day in the life of a Happiness Engineer
Shohan is a Happiness Engineer at Automattic, and in this video he explains what the job really looks like day to day. He spends most of his time with WooCommerce merchants, fixing issues, explaining features, and helping keep their stores online. For a lot of these merchants, the store is their livelihood, so a quick…
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WordCamp US 2026 Recap: The Artist and the Algorithm
Two months after my first WordCamp, I landed in Phoenix, AZ, for WordCamp US to experience it again, this time in another part of the world but with a similar group of people equally passionate about open source. At first glance, the Arizona desert seems simple, barren. But look closer, and there is an elegance…
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Changes to product lifecycle hooks in WooCommerce 11.2: save and reorder
In WooCommerce 11.1 and 11.2, we are focusing on performance optimizations for larger product catalogs, including updates to our product lifecycle hooks. The post Changes to product lifecycle hooks in WooCommerce 11.2: save and reorder appeared first on The WooCommerce Developer Blog.
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Build with Your Expert WordPress Agent: WordPress Studio's New Desktop Experience is in Beta
We rebuilt the WordPress Studio desktop app around Studio Code, our expert WordPress agent. Your sites, the chat, and a live preview now sit side by side in one window, so you describe what you want, watch it build on real local WordPress, and point at anything that's off. It's in beta today on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
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Your WordPress.com Site Now Works from Inside ChatGPT
The new WordPress.com ChatGPT plugin enables you to manage your site efficiently and safely, streamlining tasks like publishing, checking stats, and more.
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Now in Labs: Full-screen messaging on web
Messages on web live in small popovers: both the list of messages, and the message window itself. That’s fine for a quick reply, but it gets cramped when you’re keeping up with a lot of conversations, so we built a full-screen version.Full-screen messaging gives your DMs more space: your conversation list on the left, the…
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WordPress Maintenance for Enterprise Website
WordPress maintenance keeps an enterprise WordPress site available, current, and secure long after launch day, with recurring work repeated on a fixed schedule for as long as the site is live.
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Performance Plugins Need to Keep Pace With WordPress
The WP Rocket fatal error around WordPress 7.1 shows why performance plugins must keep pace with core. See how Jetpack handles serious reports and how Jetpack Boost can simplify your performance setup.
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WordPress Localization
What WordPress localization is, how it differs from internationalization, and how POT, PO, and MO files and plugins power the localization workflow.
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Hi there, it’s @elt, your friendly neighborhood engineer. Whether you use Tumblr Premium or not, I’d…
Hi there, it’s @elt, your friendly neighborhood engineer. Whether you use Tumblr Premium or not, I’d love your opinion:Which of these would you be most excited to see in Tumblr Premium?Animated avatarsChoose your Tumblr app iconDisplay your first badge in comments and DMsAvatar framesSomething else (tell me in the comments)See Results
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Ecommerce fulfillment: How to know when you’ve outgrown your process
Has your business outgrown its fulfillment process? Learn the warning signs, when to consider a 3PL, and how to build a better fulfillment stack.
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The Two-track Internet Trap: Why the Best AI Strategy Stays Human-focused
There are now more bots than people on the web, but optimizing for AI agents shouldn't mean duplicated content, inconsistency, and overtaxed teams.
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How Automattic Approaches a New TLD Round
We recently wrote about the new TLD application round and why it represents such a rare moment in the evolution of the web. But there’s another question worth asking: Why would a company like Automattic want to operate a top-level domain in the first place? The obvious answer might be business. Our answer is a…
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How AI Will Change the Way Enterprises Approach Multisite Management
You’ve already set up your content operations to support localization and multilingual needs. Here’s what needs to happen as AI enters the picture.
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AI Creates Opportunity While Artists Ship at WordCamp US 2026
WordCamp US (WCUS) 2026 just wrapped up after 4 days at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Over 1,100 people from around the world registered to attend, and thousands more watched online through livestreams. Contributor Day and Showcase Day opened the week before two main conference days, featuring over 50 speaker-led sessions across 4 tracks,…
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WordPress 7.1 “Mary Lou”
WordPress 7.1, “Mary Lou,” is here—celebrating the pioneering jazz pianist, composer, and arranger Mary Lou Williams and her spirit of reinvention and collaboration. This release brings a more flexible, responsive, and collaborative WordPress experience, with new responsive styling controls, a redesigned media editor, richer Notes with mentions and inline feedback, improved image processing, and new…
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Every Site, One Click Away in the Hosting Dashboard
Manage all your WordPress.com sites from one consistent interface, with persistent navigation for domains, hosting, updates, and performance.
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Ecommerce logistics issues are about visibility and connection
Most ecommerce logistics problems come down to systems that don't talk to each other. Here's how to connect inventory, shipping, and returns using WooCommerce.
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The AI ‘Grammar’ Agents Need to Source and Cite Your Marketing Content
You may know where to place a comma, but AI visibility depends on a host of other editorial and technical details.
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When WordPress.com Support Knows It’s Time for a Human
WordPress.com’s Support Assistant helps thousands of customers every day, from resetting forgotten passwords to connecting a domain name and explaining settings. It resolves most questions on its own, but we built it to get you the right help, fast. And sometimes the right help is a person. Talking to our Support Assistant should never feel…
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Hands-on with the WordPress 7.1 Icon Registration API
WordPress 7.1 introduces a public API for custom icons. Discover how to register collections and render SVGs easily with this complete, practical tutorial.
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WooCommerce 11.1: What’s coming for developers
Pre-release notes for WooCommerce 11.1 have dropped! The REST API has a new refund endpoint, right of withdrawal is available for EU users, and variable products get some performance improvements! The post WooCommerce 11.1: What’s coming for developers appeared first on The WooCommerce Developer Blog.
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Give Your WordPress.com Site a Memory with Guidelines
Set your brand voice, visual style, and goals once with WordPress.com Guidelines, so WordPress Agent can work from the same context wherever you are.
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Do That Which Makes Your Life Easy
Elijah Potter, a software engineer who founded and maintains Harper, explores quality of life as a critical decision-making factor.
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Reza Satchu
Reza Satchu is a business leader, serial founder, and educator whose work sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship, leadership, and decision-making under uncertainty. As a Senior Lecturer in the Entrepreneurship Management Unit at Harvard Business School, he teaches The Founder Mindset and Founder Launch—courses he created to help founders navigate ambiguity, make high-stakes commitments, and…
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The WordPress.com Student Plan Is Here: Give Your Students a Website They Can Keep
Today at WordCamp US 2026, we’re officially launching WordPress.com Education. A free dedicated Student Plan, built to give students the tools of a professional WordPress.com environment while they learn.
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WordPress.com Changelog: Brand Memory and Better Renewal Warnings
A new AI tool for brand voice guidelines, plan expiration notices, and various fixes.
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What to See at WordCamp US 2026: Speakers, Demos, and More
WordCamp US 2026 is coming to Phoenix for the first time on August 16–19, and there’s a lot competing for your time and attention. If you’re planning your schedule, start here: our selection of eight speakers worth catching, hands-on demos of WordPress Studio and WordPress Agent, and something new for students and educators. This year,…
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Hey there 👀 @jubs here…
Hey there 👀 @jubs here… our team was chatting about how “Inbox” and “Messages” can be too similar terms, and can be easily confused with each other.should we rename “Inbox” to something else?askssubmissionscontributionsplease keep it “Inbox”something else (say in the comments / tags)See Resultscurious to hear your thoughts…
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Introducing the WordPress Browser Extension
The official WordPress Browser Extension is now available for Google Chrome and Chromium-based browsers in the Chrome Web Store and for Safari on macOS in the Mac App Store. This new open source extension lets logged-in site users easily hide the admin bar while keeping its most helpful shortcuts in the browser toolbar, provides quick…
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Now in Labs: Message Requests
Want more control over which new messages get your attention? If you enable Message Requests in Labs, you’ll get a new section in your Messages menu to catch messages from blogs you don’t follow or haven’t messaged before. This only applies if your blog’s “Who can message me” setting is Everyone.Message Requests won’t send you…
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Your Next Post Can Be a Podcast
Jetpack 16.1 makes starting a podcast easy: simply upload audio to a post and publish. Your episode is distributed across your site, email subscribers, and major podcast platforms automatically. With options for upgrades, users can access detailed analytics and claim ownership of their content. Start your podcast today with Jetpack!
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WordPress 7.0.4 Release
WordPress 7.0.4 is now available WordPress 7.0.4 is now available which features a security fix. Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately. You can update to WordPress 7.0.4 by downloading it from WordPress.org, or visiting your site’s Dashboard → Updates and clicking Update Now. Sites that support…
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WRONG AGAIN
WP Engine’s motion is a desperate attempt to get sanctions and other extreme remedies because Matt used ephemeral messaging in personal communications with romantic partners having nothing to do with this case. Here’s what really happened, as the brief we filed tonight shows:
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Why So Many People Still Don't Own a Domain
Owning a domain is essential for establishing personal online identity, yet many overlook it, confused by misconceptions that domains equate to websites. A domain provides flexibility and permanence, accommodating future changes without the pressure of immediate commitment. It’s a valuable digital asset, offering choice and ownership over one’s online presence.
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What’s new for developers? (August 2026)
WordPress 7.1 ships August 19, and the Field Guide is out. Responsive block styles, pseudo states, the SVG Icon API, and an always-iframed post editor coming soon.
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New: Merge Chats, Labels, Polls…
Merge Chats Beeper solved bringing all your people from different apps in one app. Now, Beeper goes a step further and lets you merge chats with the same person across multiple apps into one chat. One person, multiple networks, one view. You can simply chat with your people instead of thinking about the underlying chat…
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We Wrote a Guide for Every Kind of WordPress Team. Here’s the Prompt for Yours.
Model Context Protocol, or MCP, is what lets an AI client like Claude or ChatGPT connect directly to an account and take real action in it, instead of just answering questions about it. For hosting, […] The post We Wrote a Guide for Every Kind of WordPress Team. Here’s the Prompt for Yours. appeared first…
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WordPress 7.0.3 release
WordPress 7.0.3 is now available WordPress 7.0.3 is now available which features several security fixes. Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately. You can update to WordPress 7.0.3 by downloading it from WordPress.org, or visiting your site’s Dashboard → Updates and clicking Update Now. Sites that support…
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Create an AI assistant for your store today
Learn how to put AI to work inside your store using this free prompt pack.
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Ed Thomas on fixing bugs, learning AI, and never getting bored
Meet Ed Thomas, who leads one of the Escalated Support teams for WordPress.com. Ed’s team handles site migrations, cleans up hacked sites, and fixes bugs across the platform, work that changes every day and never lets him get bored. He talks about how AI has become a genuine learning partner in his job, helping him…
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This is now rolling out on Android! Let us know if you notice any weirdness.
engineering:Coming soon to the mobile apps: Inbox tab in Activity Ever wondered where to find your blog’s received asks and submissions on the mobile app? They’re in settings, which takes a lot of taps to get to, especially if you have multiple blogs. We heard some feedback on our recent update to settings on Android that…
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Why 65% of digital leaders say their platform is a top barrier to scaling AI
A new IDC study commissioned by WooCommerce found that 65% of digital leaders see legacy platform rigidity as a top barrier to scaling AI. Here's how agencies can turn that finding into a sharper client conversation and new business.
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What’s new in WooCommerce 11.0: Faster product pages, analytics updates, and more
Check out the latest updates in the WooCommerce 11.0 release.
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WordPress 7.1 Release Candidate 1
The first Release Candidate (“RC1”) for WordPress 7.1 is ready for download and testing! This version of the WordPress software is still under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it’s recommended to evaluate RC1 on a test server and site. WordPress 7.1 RC1…
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For your security, “Account activity” email notifications (sign-ins, password changes, and similar…
changes:July, 2026Please be aware of common scams! If someone contacts you with a scam, please report and block them. Outside of our support email and official [tumblr] accounts ONLY on [tumblr] (when in doubt, look for the same Staff Member badge that you see on this blog), Staff will never message you or reply to…
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How to Safely Roll Out WordPress and PHP Updates at Scale
Keeping WordPress core and PHP versions current is one of the clearest ways to protect site performance, compatibility, and security. It is also one of the most tedious parts of managing more than a site […] The post How to Safely Roll Out WordPress and PHP Updates at Scale appeared first on Pressable.
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Newspack Helps Hong Kong Free Press Protect Its Stories
The site has developed a greater variety of member benefits, from feature previews and exclusive columns to ad-free browsing, and increased donations by 33 percent.
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Why Writers Are Trying So Hard to Sound Human
The rise of AI writing tools has led some authors to intentionally add imperfections to their work to avoid seeming automated. However, the essence of authentic writing lies in individuality and unique perspectives, not superficial flaws. Genuine connection with readers stems from distinct voices, which far outweigh mere competence or perfection.
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Brickomattic: A Celebration of What We Have Built
How (and why) Automattician Zach Spears designed a collection of Automattic-specific LEGO® kits.
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Rethinking do_action(): Events as objects, hooks as class names
How to use typed event objects to improve the payload you send to plugin and theme extenders.
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You can now sign into the WooCommerce app with one scan
Our engineers built new way to login to your mobile app in seconds. Here's how.
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From found to bought: Getting your store ready to sell through AI
Agentic commerce turns AI shoppers into buyers. Here's how to prepare your store and get discovered.
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