One of the greatest things about WordPress is that it’s an open source project and its core code is regularly updated with improvements and security patches.
Major releases, along with minor security releases, of WordPress are usually shipped two or three times a year. If you have automatic updates turned on, your WordPress install will be updated each time there’s a minor release. However, you will need to manually update your software for major releases.
Whenever there’s a major release available, a notification will display at the top of your admin area, letting you know your version is out-of-date and you need to update the core code.
For many website owners, this notification can be annoying. Below, we will show you how to easily hide the update notifications from non-admin users.
It’s Important to Update WordPress
Whenever there’s a new release, it’s highly recommended that you update your version of WordPress as soon as possible, so you are always running the latest security updates.
The only problem is, if you’re updating a live site you don’t know what effect the updated core code may have on your site. With each release of WordPress, the core team work on improving the code, which means old functions can be removed.
If you have themes or plugins that use deprecated functions, upgrading WordPress can break your site. This is why it’s a good idea to have a development site that mirrors your live site where you can test new WordPress releases.
The WordPress update notification is shown to all users who log into the backend, but the message is different depending on your role. Only admins are able to update the core code. Other users will get a message which says a new version of WordPress is available and to contact the site admin.
Hiding the Update Notification
Simply add the following code to your functions.php, or use it to create a new plugin:
https://gist.github.com/bestwebsite/30f0ab5edc903da75193
The next time any subscribers, contributors, authors or editors access the WordPress back-end area, they will not be prompted to update WordPress core. The notification will continue to display for admin users, though, so you’ll always know when there’s a new version of WordPress available to download.
