WordPress announced the immediate availability of version 4.9.8 with ‘Try Gutenberg’ callout and privacy fixes.

The highlight of this new maintenance release is the “Test the new editor today” notice in the WordPress dashboard. The testing callout is not yet available to all users but it is an opportunity to take the Gutenberg block editor for a spin before it is officially released in WordPress 5.0. Site owners can now check if their existing content and plugins are compatible with the block editor.

There is also an option to reinstall the Classic Editor plugin, should users feel the need to prepare before switching over to Gutenberg editor.

The Gutenberg notification will be shown to the following users:

• If Gutenberg is not installed or activated, the callout will be shown to Admin users on single sites, and Super Admin users on multisites.
• If Gutenberg is installed and activated, the callout will be shown to Contributor users and above.
• If the Classic Editor plugin is installed and activated, the callout will be hidden for all users.

Apart from fixing 46 bugs, WordPress 4.9.8 is a maintenance release that comes with enhancements and blessed tasks, including updating the Twenty Seventeen bundled theme.

Privacy fixes

Speaking of enhancements, the updated version addresses the privacy issues concerning the personal data tools that were added in WordPress 4.9.6. The fixes are for consistency and flexibility of the privacy features, which include:

• The type of request being confirmed is now included in the subject line for all privacy confirmation emails.
• Improved consistency with site name being used for privacy emails in multisite.
• Pagination for Privacy request admin screens can now be adjusted.
• Increased the test coverage for several core privacy functions.

To install WordPress 4.9.8, just hit the Update Now button in your dashboard.