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Hi there,

I held my first walk-through of WordPress 7.0 with friends at the Santa Clarita WordPress Meetup. The group was really excited about all the big new features and the small quality-of-life (QoL) improvements.

Jessica Lyschik and I also discussed many features coming to WordPress 7.0 on our latest podcast episode. Listen in if you are curious.

Below you also find the links to the first set of Dev Notes for WordPress 7.0. Beta 4 will come out next week (3/12). Release candidate 1 is scheduled for March 19. It is now time to help test WordPress 7.0

Enjoy your weekend and these notes.

Yours,
Birgit

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WordCamp Asia heads to Mumbai on April 10–11, and I shared my personally curated session picks — leaning heavily into block editor, themes, and AI. Highlights include Ryan Welcher on the Interactivity API, a Playground + AI testing pipelines talk by Fellyph Cintra, and a closing keynote from Matt Mullenweg. I will also be leading a Contributor Day workshop on building a block theme from scratch. The schedule still has several TBD slots, so it’s worth checking back.

Get your WordCamp Asia 2026 event pass and join the WordPress community in Mumbai on April 9–11!

Developing Gutenberg and WordPress

WordPress 7.0 Beta 3 is now available for testing. The final release is coming closer. It’s the time of the release cycle when Developer Notes are published ahead of Release Candidate 1.

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For the new Breadcrumbs block, Nik Tsekouras documents the two PHP filters developers will want to know. block_core_breadcrumbs_items lets you modify, add, or remove items just before rendering — handy for prepending a custom “Shop” crumb in WooCommerce. block_core_breadcrumbs_post_type_settings gives you control over which taxonomy and term appear in the trail, with sensible fallback behavior when your preferred term isn’t assigned. Props to Karol Manijak for the implementation.

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Dave Smith details one of the more exciting 7.0 additions for theme developers: Customisable Navigation Overlays. Mobile hamburger menus were previously locked to a fixed default design — now you can build your overlay from any blocks and patterns directly in the Site Editor. Themes can bundle overlays as template parts registered with a new navigation-overlay area in theme.json. The feature is opt-in currently full-screen only, and props go to Mike McAlister, whose Ollie Menu Designer plugin helped validate the community demand.

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Luis Herranz outlines key updates in the Interactivity API changes in WordPress 7.0. The main highlight is the new watch() function, which helps developers to track state changes outside the DOM for tasks like logging and analytics. Additionally, state.url in core/router will now be filled by the server, improving navigation tracking. Note that the state.navigation properties are outdated and will be removed in a future version.

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André Maneiro rounds up 166 contributions from 35 authors landing in the DataViews space for WordPress 7.0. Highlights include a new activity timeline layout, expanded field validation rules, a combobox control for large datasets, and a groupBy object replacing the old groupByField string — a breaking change worth noting. DataForm gains a new details layout and collapsible card controls. A lot here for plugin developers building data-rich admin interfaces.

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Miguel Fonseca documents one of the most warmly received 7.0 additions: PHP-only block registration. Pass 'autoRegister' => true in the supports array alongside a render_callback, and your block appears in the editor without a single line of JavaScript. WordPress automatically generates Inspector Controls for supported attribute types — string, integer, boolean, and enum. Implemented by Ricky Pena, the comments section alone tells you how long PHP-first developers have been waiting for this one.

Ryan Welcher and Ciprian Popescu went deeper on this topic and provided you with examples and explanations on their personal blogs. (See links below.)

In the video, 7.0 Beta, Gutenberg 22.5, Studio & AI: WordPress for Developers in February Ryan Welcher walks you through the February edition of the round-up series What’s new for Developers. You’ll get the highlights from Gutenberg 22.4 and 22.5: per-instance custom CSS, viewport-based block visibility, anchor support for dynamic blocks, and the long-awaited removal of extra editor wrapper divs. The iFrame enforcement planned for 7.0 has been delayed — more breathing room, but time to prepare is now.

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WordPress lead developer Dion Hulse has shipped something quietly useful: WordPress.org now serves clean Markdown output for every page, built on Dennis Snell’s html-to-md plugin. You can access it by appending ?output_format=md to any URL or sending an Accept: text/markdown header. The efficiency gains are real — one developer reported a WordPress docs page shrinking from 68k tokens to 11k. It’s a direct response to Mullenweg’s push to make WordPress.org a canonical knowledge source for AI agents. Ray Morey reporting for The Repository

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In this brief video, Jonathan Bossenger demonstrates WordPress 7.0 Beta 2’s new WP AI Client and Connectors settings page, explaining how connectors can install plugins and how developers can create AI features without tying users to a specific provider. A live CLI demo showcases this approach. Bossenger also discusses connector discovery UX and areas where core improvements are needed before 7.0 is released.

Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders and owners

WordPress contributor Nick Hamze has quietly improved the Featured Plugins tab in wp-admin, replacing a list that hadn’t changed in eight years with a rotating selection of eight lesser-known plugins, refreshed every two weeks. The goal, as Matt Cromwell reports for The Repository, is to surface genuinely promising newcomers — “not the giants, not the household names” — that you’d never stumble across through search or popularity rankings. Early results are striking; Ollie Menu Designer tripled its biggest download day within hours of appearing in the tab.

Theme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks

Marko Ivanovic and Noam Almosnino shared their Telex experiments on the Automattic Design blog, showcasing what happens when designers get to build WordPress blocks by simply describing an idea. Telex, Automattic’s AI-powered tool, handles the technical wiring so you can focus on creative exploration. The pair built a text-scrambling interaction inspired by Flash-era pioneer Yugop and an image carousel—all without writing block code themselves. It’s a compelling glimpse at how your design-to-block workflow could change.

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Derek Hanson shares how he shipped Tufte Blocks, a WordPress block theme he couldn’t build a year ago, drawing on Edward Tufte’s typography-first aesthetic. After two failed attempts, the right combination — WordPress Agent Skills and Shaun Andrews‘ design-system-first approach — finally unlocked it. You don’t need to be a designer or developer; Hanson’s project management and rhetoric background turned out to be exactly the right skills for directing AI through a complete, polished theme. Does it sound attractive to you? Download it from GitHub

Building Blocks and Tools for the Block editor.

Ciprian Popescu walks you through PHP-only block registration in WordPress, the new approach landing in 7.0 that lets you build Gutenberg blocks without JavaScript build tools. By setting autoRegister to true in the supports array, WordPress auto-generates inspector controls from your attributes and uses ServerSideRender for previews. You’ll find practical guidance on block supports, asset enqueueing caveats, and where this approach fits best—think author boxes, CTA banners, and theme-specific components rather than richly interactive blocks.

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Ryan Welcher also explains how PHP-only block registration in WordPress 7.0 lets you skip block.json entirely and define block metadata directly in your register_block_type() call. You’ll see how to enable it with the autoRegister support flag, define attributes that auto-generate inspector controls, and wire up render callbacks with get_block_wrapper_attributes(). The tutorial covers asset registration via handle arrays and helps you streamline your workflow for server-rendered blocks ahead of the April 9 release.

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Paulo Carvajal‘s guide on mastering event handling and DOM interactions with the Interactivity API takes you through the data-wp-on directive for declarative event management. You’ll learn how to handle mouse, keyboard, form, and touch events while connecting them to store actions that update state reactively. The piece covers withSyncEvent() for synchronous access, automatic event delegation, and performance patterns like debouncing and throttling, wrapping up with a complete to-do app that ties it all together.

AI and WordPress

If you use Cursor for WordPress block development, JuanMa Garrido explains how to enable JSON schema validation in Cursor, which is disabled by default due to a security vulnerability where the AI agent could trigger outbound requests via $schema fields. You’ll need to add json.schemaDownload.enable to your settings—ideally at the project level in .vscode/settings.json to limit exposure. A quick fix that restores autocompletion and validation for your block.json and theme.json files.

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Questions? Suggestions? Ideas?
Don’t hesitate to send them via email or
send me a message on WordPress Slack or Twitter @bph.

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For questions to be answered on the Gutenberg Changelog,
send them to changelog@gutenbergtimes.com

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The Pixel 10a has arrived to give Google fans a newer affordable option at $499. But apart from a few minor design tweaks, the addition of Satellite SOS, and a slight extension to the software support window, the Pixel 10a doesn’t shake things up. While it would prove a good option if every other phone stuck to its retail price, there’s no ignoring the fact that the Pixel 10a is launching months after the Pixel 10 has already seen discounts as low as $550.

Pixel 10a – Design and Features

Google’s Pixel 10a isn’t revolutionary or even exciting. It borrows the tame looks of the Pixel 9a, which had eschewed the eye-catching camera bar of mainline Pixel models. But where the Pixel 9a’s cameras rose up slightly from the back of the phone, the Pixel 10a’s cameras actually sit slightly below the back surface. This was a point Google emphasized in its launch, but it’s not a unique technical achievement considering RedMagic’s bold gaming phones have done so for a few years running.

The display is respectable, but pretty much no phone at or over $500 can get away with much less. The 6.3-inch screen offers a fair 1080×2424 resolution that’s plenty sharp for most uses. It can run smooth at 120Hz but doesn’t have the ability to drop down to 1Hz for extra efficiency. Still, it’s hard to get mad at a colorful OLED that can reach as high as 3000 nits.

The display is flanked by stereo speakers. One ports out the bottom of the phone while the other is tucked into the earpiece. They put out decent volume, though I found them a touch harsh while gaming and had trouble hearing podcasts in the kitchen over cooking noises.

The phone’s footprint is modest. It’s larger than the Pixel 9 but mostly smaller than the Pixel 9a save for a slight bump to thickness. It’s comfortable in the hand but doesn’t feel totally compact. Part of that is because its 6.3-inch display still has somewhat thick bezels all the way around. Google claims they’re thinner than the Pixel 9a’s bezels, but neither are competing for record thinness.

The choices Google made for what to pack into the compact frame are interesting. It made some nice inclusions, like a physical SIM slot to complement the eSIM support. The phone gets a USB 3.2 port for faster wired data transmission. Google even opted to include the necessary hardware for Satellite SOS, something the Pixel 9a missed out on.

Google left some surprising things out, though. There are no magnets to allow for Qi2 and Pixelsnap accessories. The Pixel 10a can still wirelessly charge, but only at up to 10 watts. And though 30W charging is supported, you’ll need to have your own capable charging brick.

Purchasing Guide

The Pixel 10a is available for $499 with 128GB of storage or $599 with 256GB. It comes in Lavender (tested here), Berry, Fog, and Obsidian colors. It’s available from Google, Best Buy, Amazon, and many mobile carriers.

The Pixel 10a can unlock with facial recognition or an under-display fingerprint scanner. Both worked quickly in my testing.

Durability should be OK but not amazing. Gaskets are built in to give the phone a commendable IP68 water resistance to keep dust and water out even under almost five feet of water. The plastic back material feels nice and glassy, but shouldn’t shatter like glass if dropped. Gorilla Glass 7i on the front has avoided blemishing in my time testing, but it doesn’t promise as extreme drop- or scratch-resistance as the Gorilla Glass Victus showing up on more flagship phones. The phone gets an aluminum frame, and Google matches it to the rear color, but this can scratch up

Pixel 10a – Software

The Pixel 10a comes running on Android 16 and Google promises 7 years of support with OS and security updates alongside its Pixel Drops, which brings new features now and then. This long-term support may be one of the Pixel 10a’s most compelling features, as this kind of support is already rare for any phone, let alone one without a flagship price tag.

Some highlight features of the Pixel 10a’s software are support for Auto Best Take and Camera Coach in the camera app, helping users frame photos and capture group shots without anyone blinking. The phone also supports a new Quick-share feature that’s compatible with iPhone’s Air Drop. In testing, this let me share a file directly with an iPhone with just a couple taps.

Pixel 10a – Gaming and Performance

The Pixel 10a didn’t get any notable under-the-hood upgrades. It has the same Tensor G4 chip that the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9a came running on. That chip was already trailing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips when it launched, and the gulf is only widening. Its 8GB of RAM is less than the Pixel 9 included, but hasn’t been an impediment in regular use.

It’s not as though the Pixel 10a is slow. In everyday use, it’s been able to keep up just fine. It fluidly ramps up to 120Hz for smooth animations while swiping around, and it browses the web without fuss. It can handle light games well. I played an hour of Carrion and the phone only got slightly warm, and I couldn’t tell whether that was because of the game or just the phone’s curious tendency to get a little warm. It even handled Rainbow Six Mobile at Ultra settings smoothly. Bigger, more demanding games like Where Winds Meet can’t go all-out, though. The Pixel 10a was able to run the game at its Ultra graphics preset, but it was capped to 30fps. It largely maintained that framerate at least. The phone seems to throttle enough to avoid getting hot in use, but warmth is almost constant.

While serviceably fast, the performance limits that exist today are only going to become bigger impediments in the future as more demanding games and apps arrive. So even if Google continues to support the phone with software updates, its hardware may simply not be viable for much at the end of that support window.

Compared to other recent devices, the Pixel 10a’s performance leaves a lot to be desired. It falls shy of the budget Poco X7 Pro in multi-core and graphical performance by a considerable amount. That only widens when facing off against a more potent device like the OnePlus 15R, which the Pixel 10a tended to fall anywhere from 30 to 50% behind. The Pixel 10 also comes out ahead of the Pixel 10a, albeit not with much of a graphical bump to speak of. And though it may seem like an obvious outcome for the Pixel 10 to exceed the Pixel 10a, it matters for potential buyers because the Pixel 10 has already seen discounts that bring its price far closer to the 10a’s price than MSRP would have you believe.

The battery life of the Pixel 10a is good, but not impressive. It fits in a 5,100mAh pack just like the 9a, and it’s been good for all-day battery life with a little juice to spare. But the phone seems to have a bit more passive drain overnight than I’d like, so I don’t expect to easily get through two days of heavy use.

Pixel 10a – Cameras

The cameras have generally been a highlight of Pixel phones, and though the budget series makes some sacrifices, they can still perform well. That said, the Pixel 10a does nothing new. It has the exact same camera system as the Pixel 9a. Considering that it has the same SoC as the Pixel 9a, there’s really nothing new this phone can do in the camera department.

* 48MP wide, f/1.7, 1/2”, OIS, EIS
* 13MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 1/3.1”, 120-degree FoV
* 13MP Selfie, f/2.2, 96.1-degree FOV

It’s not entirely bad news. The main sensor was great last year and is still great this year. It captures plenty of light, helping make the most of even dim environments. It provides sharp and colorful images with a ton of detail. The wide aperture also lends to a soft background blur when taking close-ups.

Google would say the sensor is good enough to zoom in digitally, but most shots I took with digital zoom don’t hold up well when viewed at full size. Zooming into 2x on the phone does have some advantages over simply zooming in on a 1x photo, as the phone does extra noise reduction and sharpening, though even that doesn’t make it a great photo.

The ultra-wide sensor is useful to have for getting extra perspective on large and close subjects. It gets a good amount of detail, even if it can get soft around the edges. It’s not a perfect complement to the main sensor, though, as I caught it shifting the color temperature from the main sensor, which can make for an inconsistent series of photos. The tighter aperture also doesn’t let it perform as well in dim environments, so where the main sensor may be capturing crisp and clear shots, switching to the ultra-wide sensor could lead to noisy photos.

The selfie camera is also acceptable. It gets decent light and natural colors alongside a wide enough FOV to capture a couple of friends in the same shot.

While not mind-blowing, the quality of the cameras on the Pixel 10a is still enough to keep it somewhat protected against the OnePlus 15R or Poco X7 Pro for anyone who prioritizes photos over gaming performance. That said, it still leaves the Pixel 10a facing off against the reality that the Pixel 10 has been (and almost surely will be again) on sale for $550-$600, and offers a big advantage with its additional telephoto sensor.

Mark Knapp is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything electronics and gaming hardware. He has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry with bylines at PCMag, Reviewed, CNET, and more. Find Mark on Twitter @Techn0Mark or BlueSky at @Techn0Mark.
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