How to Disable WordPress Updates on an A2 Hosting Account

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) around, and with good reason. It’s flexible, easy to set up, and has a lot of powerful features. One of the things that makes WordPress so popular is its frequent updates. New versions are released often, and if you want to use the latest and greatest WordPress features you’ll have to keep up with these updates. Otherwise, you’ll be left in the dust.

If you run a WordPress website, you’ll most likely have encountered this problem. Updating a WordPress site can be a lot of fun, but also a pain in the neck. You’ll have to manually update the website with a downloadable WordPress file, or use a tool that accomplishes this task for you. While there are plenty of ways to automate the process of updating your website, you have to pay for this convenience.

The Simplicity Of Automating An A2 Hosting Account

Since the inception of Automattic, the company behind the WordPress platform, automated updating was a staple feature. The creators of WordPress saw the value in automating the updating process, and it was initially included as part of the WordPress core. This changed in August of 2016, when Automattic decided to remove this feature from WordPress completely. They cited security concerns as their main reason for doing this, but it seems like they were also trying to promote more frequent WordPress updates.

If you’re running a WordPress site on a regular basis, you’ll most likely have noticed this change. WordPress 4.7 removed the ability to fully automate updates, and instead it’s now up to the individual users to manually update their sites after each new release. This has caused a fair bit of confusion for existing users who assumed that the feature would continue to work as before. Fortunately, there are still ways to fully automate the process of updating WordPress on an A2 hosting account. Let’s take a quick look at how to do this.

Find The Right Tool For The Job

The first step in automating an A2 hosting account is to find a tool that can do the task for you. There are several tools available that can help you with WordPress updates. Some of these tools are built into WordPress, so you don’t have to run additional software to accomplish this task. If this is the case, you’ll most likely want to look into the built-in UpdraftPlus tool, or a similar tool that may exist for your specific blogging platform.

If you do decide to use a third-party tool to automate WordPress updates, make sure that you select one that’s been around for a while and has a good reputation. This will help ensure that your data is safe, and that you’re not inadvertently exposing yourself to hackers. If you’re looking for a simple to use tool, check out WP Cron, or WPEUX which are both free and open-source.

Install The Right Software

Once you’ve found the right tool to use for the job, you need to install it on your server. The installation process for most tools is fairly straightforward, and usually only takes a few minutes. You’ll have to make sure that the tool you’re installing is compatible with the operating system (OS) you’re running. Most tools are built with Unix-based operating systems in mind, but you may need to check with the tool’s developer to see if it has support for other platforms. If so, install it and enjoy the benefits of automated WordPress updates!

Set Up The Right Backup Plan

It’s highly recommended that you create a regular backup of your WordPress site before starting any kind of updates. This is generally accomplished with a simple backup tool like BackupBuddy or One-click WordPress Backup. Most of these tools require you to register for an account, and then all you need to do is confirm your email. From there, you can select the frequency of your backups, and they’ll start automatically uploading a copy of your entire WordPress site to a remote location each time they’re executed.

While these tools are incredibly convenient, if you lose access to your account for any reason, you could lose critical data. It’s highly recommended that you create a secondary account specifically for this purpose, and make sure that the backups are stored in a secure location. This is also a good idea in case you need to recover from a hard drive crash or other types of data loss event.

Configure Auto Updates

Once you’ve got your tool of choice installed and backed up, it’s time to move on to the next step. The first step here is to go into your blog’s admin area, and click on the Settings menu item. From there, you can change several settings, including the frequency of WordPress updates, from once a week to every three months.

The WordPress team recommends doing this over the course of several weeks or months, depending on your own experience. It’s also a good idea to switch back to once a week updates for a while, and then switch to every three months, or even every six months, to ensure that you’re not creating any undue strain on your server’s resources.

The next step is to visit your site’s dashboard, and navigate to the Updates section. Here, you can check for updates, and if there are any available, you’ll be prompted to download them and install them on your site. Depending on the version of WordPress you’re using, this may be a simple process, or it may require some additional steps.

WordPress 4.7 removed the ability for third-party tools to fully automate updates. As a result, existing users who were relying on these tools are now in the dark about how to update their blogs. Luckily, there are still workarounds. If you’ve decided that you want to continue using a third-party tool to automate WordPress updates, the good news is that it’s still possible to do this. All you need is a little bit of technical know-how, and some trial and error.

Try And Update Your Blog

If you’re eager to try out this new feature, and want to see how it works, you can click the Update Now button to begin the process. WordPress will then check for updates, and if any are available, you’ll be prompted to download and install them. Once installation is complete, all you need to do is visit your site, and you’ll be presented with a confirmation screen that your updates were successful.

If this is your first time trying out this type of feature, it’s probably a good idea to start with a test blog first, and then move over to your live blog once you’ve confirmed that everything is working as expected. If you’re worried about breaking something on your live blog, you can always go into Maintenance Mode, which will prevent any changes from being made to your site, until you turn off this mode. This is generally a safe option to try out new features or make changes to your site, without risking breaking something.

WordPress Sucks Without Updates

Odds are, you’re already aware of this problem. It’s pretty much impossible to keep up with all of the changes that take place in the WordPress ecosystem, and a large percentage of bloggers rely on the platform to stay relevant and productive. If you can’t update your blog frequently enough, you’re essentially limiting your audience, and your content may become outdated.

The solution to this problem is quite simple — update your blog often! Even if it’s just once a week, this will make a noticeable difference. Remember, relevance is almost always better than freshness. If you want to stay ahead of the game, you have no choice but to keep up with the latest trends, news items, and other relevant content as soon as it comes out.

At the end of the day, automating WordPress updates is a good idea, especially if you’re short on time. It can also be a good exercise for learning how to use a tool, or testing out a new one. The more you use these tools, the more you’ll realize how much time they save you, and how much effort they make less strenuous. If you’ve decided that you want to continue using a third-party tool to automate WordPress updates, be sure to check their documentation and support forums for help.