Will updating the plugin fix it? Check before you install the update
Short answer
The usual advice, “update the plugin”, is a guess: the new version may fix the problem, keep it, or add a new one, and you only find out after installing it on the live site. CompatNav Pro, launching on 31 October 2026, has “Does updating fix it?”: for plugins and themes with findings and an update on wordpress.org, it downloads the update, checks it against wordpress.org’s published checksums, scans it without installing it, and tells you what updating removes, keeps or adds. It never installs anything.
The problem with “just update it”
When a check finds a PHP problem in a plugin from wordpress.org and an update is available, the natural step is to install it. But the update is a different piece of code: it may fix the problem, leave it, or bring a new one. Changelogs rarely list PHP compatibility in detail. You find out after installing, on the site the client uses.
The manual way
- Make a staging copy.
- Install the update there.
- Run the free CompatNav check on the staging copy, for your target PHP version.
- Compare with the live site’s result.
It works, and it takes a staging site and time, for every plugin, on every site.
How CompatNav Pro does it
CompatNav Pro, launching on 31 October 2026, has “Does updating fix it?” (opt-in, off by default). For plugins and themes that have findings and an update on wordpress.org, it:
- downloads the update from wordpress.org only,
- checks plugin files against wordpress.org’s published checksums,
- scans the update without installing it,
- tells you what updating removes, keeps or adds.
It never installs anything. You get the answer before the decision: update now, wait, or plan a replacement. Then update safely, and “Was the fix applied?” checks the places again after the update, without a full scan.
Privacy
When you turn it on, wordpress.org sees your server’s IP address, as with any download; nothing about your site is sent. The scans themselves stay on your server, as everything in CompatNav does. The full list: what leaves your site.
Key takeaways
- An update can fix a PHP problem, keep it, or add a new one; the changelog doesn’t always say.
- “Does updating fix it?” scans the update without installing it, and says what it removes, keeps or adds.
- It downloads only from wordpress.org and checks the files against wordpress.org’s published checksums.
- It’s off by default; when on, wordpress.org sees your server’s IP address, as with any download, and nothing about your site is sent.
- It never installs anything: you decide what to update, and when.
Frequently asked questions
Does it work for premium plugins?
No. It checks updates available on wordpress.org only, where the files and their checksums are public.
Does it send my plugin list anywhere?
No. It downloads update packages from wordpress.org; the request says nothing about your site. Like any download, wordpress.org sees your server’s IP address.
How do I do this without Pro?
Install the update on a staging copy and run the free check there. It takes longer, and you need a staging site.
Check your own site before you upgrade
CompatNav is a free WordPress plugin. It reads the code of your plugins and themes on your own server and tells you, in plain words, what will break and what will only show notices on the PHP version you choose. It never changes your code. It can’t see problems that only appear while code runs with real data, so a quick check of your site after the upgrade still matters.
Sources
About the code examples: each output is the real output of the code shown, run with the official PHP builds, without a php.ini, with all errors reported and displayed. Only the file path was replaced by a neutral server path.