Aaron D. Campbell

sara cannon

Pete Mall

Range

Takes the awesome new background updates introduced in WordPress 3.7 and enables them for major updates (like 3.7 → 3.8).

Background Updates for Major Releases

Enables background updates for major releases.  No settings, just activate and enjoy.

kanenas

kanenas — Minor/Patch Auto-Updates gives you granular control over automatic updates. While WordPress allows you to enable or disable auto-updates entirely, this adds a third option: auto-update only minor and patch versions while keeping major versions at bay.
<h4>Why Use This?</h4>
Major version updates often introduce significant changes that may:
<ul>
<li>Break compatibility with other extensions</li>
<li>Introduce new features that require testing</li>
<li>Change the behavior of existing functionality</li>
<li>Require database migrations or manual intervention</li>
</ul>
With this, you can:
<ul>
<li>Receive security patches automatically – Minor and patch versions typically contain security fixes</li>
<li>Get bug fixes without intervention – Patch versions are generally safe to apply automatically</li>
<li>Control major updates manually – Review major version changes before applying them</li>
<li>Maintain site stability – Reduce the risk of unexpected breaking changes</li>
</ul>
<h4>How It Works</h4>
It uses semantic versioning (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH) to determine update types:
<ul>
<li>Major update (e.g., 1.0.0 → 2.0.0): Blocked from auto-update</li>
<li>Minor update (e.g., 1.0.0 → 1.1.0): Allowed to auto-update</li>
<li>Patch update (e.g., 1.0.0 → 1.0.1): Allowed to auto-update</li>
</ul>
Internally, this plugin runs only on WordPress auto-update decision filters:
<ul>
<li><code>auto_update_plugin</code></li>
<li><code>auto_update_theme</code></li>
</ul>
When you enable minor/patch mode for a plugin or theme, it also adds that item to WordPress core’s <code>auto_update_plugins</code> / <code>auto_update_themes</code> site options so the automatic updater treats it as opted-in the same way as the Plugins/Themes screen toggle.
It does not rewrite update API responses (<code>plugins_api</code>) and does not modify updater transients (<code>pre_set_site_transient_update_plugins</code>). Premium update discovery and license validation remain managed by each vendor updater.
<h4>Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Per-item control – Enable minor/patch auto-updates for specific items</li>
<li>Easy toggle – Simple links in the admin pages</li>
<li>Non-intrusive – Works alongside WordPress’s native auto-update system</li>
<li>Clean uninstall – Removes all data when uninstalled</li>
<li>Translation ready – Fully prepared for localization</li>
</ul>
<h4>Usage</h4>
<ol>
<li>Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins</li>
<li>Look for the “Enable auto-updates minor/patch” link below each plugin’s auto-update setting</li>
<li>Click to enable/disable minor/patch auto-updates for that plugin</li>
</ol>
For themes: 
1. Go to Appearance → Themes 
2. Click on a theme to view its details 
3. Look for the “Enable auto-updates minor/patch” option in the theme details overlay
<h3>Privacy Policy</h3>
This plugin does not collect, store, or transmit any personal data. It only stores plugin/theme preferences in your WordPress database.

kanenas — Minor/Patch Auto-Updates

Adds an "Enable auto-updates minor/patch" option, allowing automatic updates only for minor and patch versions while preventing major updates.

Background Updates for Major Releases vs kanenas — Minor/Patch Auto-Updates