WooCommerce 4.4 has been in development since July, but it is now officially here and brings with it several updates that boost both stability and performance.
This is a minor update, so everything is backwards compatible with the previous version.
Prior to updating your WooCommerce, we always recommend that you backup your database and backup your website files. This way if for any reason something goes wrong during the update process, you can then easily restore your site back to how it was when it was still functioning normally.
WooCommerce Blocks Updates
One of the biggest perks of WooCommerce 4.4 is the range of bug fixes and improvements across different blocks.
Several styles have been updated to be more consistent and usage of dashicon classes has been eliminated.
Blocks will also now follow product image cropping settings. Meaning blocks will now use the WooCommerce thumbnail size instead of loading the full-sized image.
Additionally, front-end only display scripts will no longer be loaded in the editor. This should make the blocks editor even faster.
New Home for Coupon Management
If you want to manage your coupons now you will have to look under the marketing hub in the WordPress sidebar.
The coupon menu item will still appear in the old location, but clicking on the old link will result in an admin notice that ushers users to the new location.
The alert also gives users a button to remove the legacy admin menu item.
New Filters and Actions
WooCommerce 4.4 introduces several new filters and a new action that gives users extended range over their WordPress sites.
The new filters allow users to do things like change the heading for a cross selling product section or allow for not setting no-cache headers to improve performance.
The new action enables runs after a new note is added to an order.
Minimum WordPress Version Requirement
WooCommerce 4.2 introduced a minimum WordPress version requirement of WordPress 5.2 or later.
While it’s not exactly new, WooCommerce 4.4 will maintain the minimum WordPress requirement.
User Testing
If you would like to help with user testing Woocommerce 4.4 you can. Users can help with the testing of the release by following the instructions for 4.4.
If you discover any bugs, you can report them in GitHub.