WordPress 6.8 will include a speculative loading feature that makes site navigation smoother for users by attempting to preload pages they are likely to visit.
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Program transcript
Hello, I’m Alicia Ireland, and you’re listening to WPpodcast, bringing the weekly news from the WordPress Community.
In this episode, you’ll find the information from March 3rd to 9th, 2025.
As expected, last Tuesday the first beta version of WordPress 6.8 was released, kicking off the release cycle that will conclude on April 15, 2025, with the final launch.
WordPress 6.8 beta 1 includes 370 improvements and 520 bug fixes for the editor, which cover design enhancements, Query Loop optimization, as well as 230 core tickets.
Among the most notable enhancements in this version is the introduction of the Style Book in classic themes, which will allow users to easily view colors, typography, and styles in blocks.
Another major new feature, which has been extensively documented, is support for the Speculation Browser API, better known as speculative loading. By default, a link will be preloaded when hovered over, so that if the user clicks it, the page loads much faster.
Last but not least, security is a key focus. This version is centered on bug fixes and on changing the internal user password system to use BCrypt.
As always, users are encouraged to test and verify its functionality, report any security issues, and participate in the upcoming releases, including both beta and release candidates, and, of course, the final version.
Another release is Gutenberg 20.3, which brings some noteworthy experiments, such as the ability to ignore sticky posts or a variation of the Discord icon.
Additionally, Gutenberg 20.4 has been released, which will be the final version included in WordPress 6.8.
The Support team has published an explanation about the “Spectator” role in the forums, which is assigned to brand or shared accounts—such as those used by companies or plugin owners. These accounts are not allowed to post in the forums to avoid security and liability issues, since shared usage makes it difficult to identify the person responsible for each contribution.
To participate in the forums, each plugin representative is required to use an individual account, which may be under a pseudonym, ensuring greater transparency and accountability.
And finally, this podcast is distributed under a Creative Commons license as a derivative version of the podcast in Spanish; you can find all the links for more information, and the podcast in other languages, at WPpodcast .org.
Thanks for listening, and until the next episode!
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