WordPress version 3.7 is due out on October 14, which would be the fastest release schedule for any version of WordPress (assuming they can make it happen by then). Here’s what you can expect to find when the upgrade arrives:
Automatic Minor Updates
While there will be a few exceptions (depending on your hosting company and things of that nature), starting with version 3.7 WordPress will automatically upgrade to the next minor release. This means that if version 3.7.1 comes out a few weeks later with some bug fixes, you’ll get it automatically. However, when version 3.8 is released (or any other major release) you’ll still need to upgrade manually to make sure things go smoothly on your site.
Improved language support
If you’re running a non-English site, WordPress will automatically update WordPress importers and themes with the latest translations.
Improved password strength detection
You’ve seen the password strength detectors on sites when you create your password, where it tells how strong your chosen password is. With WordPress 3.7, they’ll be using the Dropbox zxcvbn library to make that strength detection more accurate to help people select more suitable passwords.
Better internal search results
The built-in WordPress search feature has never been great, but with 3.7 it will be somewhat improved. When performing a site search, the results will be sorted be relevance rather than simply by date. For example, it will factor in whether your keywords are in the title of the post instead of just in the body, and rank them accordingly.
New toys for developers
Among other things, developers will have improved date arguments to call when using wp_query. For you, this means you’ll notice some nifty new tricks in themes and plugins in subsequent months.
All in all, it looks to be a very nice upgrade and comes rather quickly on the heels of version 3.6. We’ll let you know when it’s been officially released.
