In August 2024, we announced the arrival of OceanWP 4, which marks the beginning of a new customization era of our popular WordPress theme. Today, we’re thrilled to announce that we are releasing OceanWP 4!

Before we share the release date, we kindly ask you to go through the entire article and read about the less glamorous details to ensure a smooth transition to the latest version.

Here are the 3 best reason to do so:

  • Understanding changes: Knowing about the changes helps you anticipate potential issues and prepare properly.
  • Avoiding pitfalls: Understanding the technical aspects of the update can help you avoid common pitfalls and ensure a seamless migration to the new version.
  • Maximizing benefits: Being informed about the new features and functionalities enables you to fully leverage the benefits of the update.

What is the OceanWP 4 Update About

OceanWP 4 update brings a new customization enhancement that’ll level up your user experience and help you customize any WordPress website in a breeze.

These are the OceanWP 4 changes in a nutshell:

  • Updated Customizer Library: the new OceanWP 4 Customizer is built entirely with React JS, a library already included in WordPress, making the theme more lightweight for improved performance and enhanced experience.
  • Grouped Panels: we dismantled the old Customizer panels entirely and regrouped panels in multiple ways to help you navigate the Customizer with ease and find all options faster than before:
    • based on their general functionality (Typography, Colors, Site Settings, Pages & Special Pages, etc),
    • based on the website elements from top to bottom (from Top Bar to Footer Copyright),
    • based on the plugins type (pro and free).
  • Customizer Settings Reorganization: we reorganized the old settings and ensured all settings are now at your fingertips, easy to see, locate and apply.
  • New Customizer Options: we added new options based on what our users usually needed to change and required custom CSS in order to do so.
  • Customizer Documentation: we covered all Customizer options with detailed documentation and explanations. In fact, we went a few steps ahead and also included basic to advanced WordPress tuts, tips and tricks that’ll help you not only understand OceanWP, but WordPress and WordPress websites in general.

How to Prepare for the OceanWP 4 Update

OceanWP 4 version is a core update.

You’ll have to go through the entire process most users usually consider boring:

  • Test update on staging / test / localhost: before updating your live site, test the update on a staging, test or localhost environment to ensure there are no changes, technical or visual. Perform tests by accessing the Customizer:
    • ensure all Customizer controls work and function well, ie. controls don’t look like they’re missing a stylesheet or look broken.
    • ensure there are no visual changes on your website (typography, colors, etc), especially changes you cannot quickly resolve using the new Customizer options.
    • ensure options work on your website by trying to change a thing a few and see if these are applied properly on the website front end once changes are published.
  • Backup: once you’re sure everything is running smoothly, remember to backup the live website before the update process, both locally and hosting-wise. Do not rely on one backup solution only, because backups can sometimes be incomplete or broken.

Check out our support document for detailed information on how to safely update a WordPress website like a true pro.

In case of any problems found during the testing phase, open a support or a prepruchase ticket with us and share as much information and details as possible.

Older OceanWP product versions will also be available for you to download and rollback, if necessary.

Premium users with active licenses can open a support ticket with us and we’ll send them the premium plugin rollback versions according to their plans and purchases.

How to Update a Live Website with OceanWP 4

We recommend to update your live website only after a thorough test and backup. If you’re not in the position to perform tests, wait about 2 or 3 weeks before updating until proper feedback on the upgrade process and potential issues has been collected.

Update OceanWP products in the following order:

  1. OceanWP theme,
  2. Ocean Extra plugin,
  3. followed by other free and premium OceanWP plugins.

To ensure the process is complete and transition goes well, you must update all OceanWP products.

In case you experience problems with typography, ie. you see the font has changed, it might be due to our new settings which disables Google Fonts by default. In that case, Enable Google Fonts via Customize > Typography > Google Font Settings and apply desired font families where and if needed.

Once you update everything and run a few tests, regenerate CSS if necessary (especially if you’re using Elementor, via Elementor > Tools > Regenerate CSS) and clear cache on levels: website, CDN, browser.

You can also clean and optimize your website’s database using plugins like WP Optimize.

What Products are Related to the OceanWP 4 Update

Here’s a list of all OceanWP products included in the Customizer upgrade:

  • OceanWP 4.0.0
  • Ocean Extra 2.4.0
  • Ocean Modal Window 2.3.0
  • Ocean Social Sharing 2.2.0
  • Ocean Product Sharing 2.2.0
  • Ocean Sticky Header 2.2.0
  • Ocean Popup Login 2.2.0
  • Ocean Side Panel 2.2.0
  • Ocean Portfolio 2.3.0
  • Ocean Footer Callout 2.2.0
  • Ocean Sticky Footer 2.1.0
  • Ocean Cookie Notice 2.2.0
  • Ocean Woo Popup 2.1.0
  • Ocean eCommerce Pro (Ocean eComm Treasure Box) 1.5.0

A special attention is required by everybody hosting their websites with WP Engine. Due to issues WP Engine is currently experiencing and which include no access to the official WordPress repository, you will need to download the OceanWP theme and all plugins manually, then upload the downloaded zip files for updates to take place.

Likewise, if you’re using a child theme, but have made a mistake and copied all OceanWP parent theme files into the child theme, including soon-to-be old Customizer files, you will have to resolve to a bit of investigation in which you’ll identify files you edited and changed and keep those files only, while replacing everything else.

However, we do encourage you to use the correct approach for child themes in order to avoid such problems in the future. Learn more about the child themes and their purpose in the article OceanWP team members wrote for Indystack.

Test OceanWP 4 Before the Official Launch

You can perform tests with the OceanWP theme and free plugins before the official launch, by downloading the dev versions from our GitHub repository:

Download each file by hitting the green ‘Code’ button and choose the option: Download ZIP.

OceanWP 4 dev GitHub repository

Extract the downloaded zip files on your PC, then replace all files for the theme and plugins using the sFTP method (like FileZilla) or the File Manager from within your hosting account panel (depending on your hosting plan and available options).

Premium Plugins Compatibility with OceanWP 4

All OceanWP premium clients with active licenses will receive premium plugin updates as usual, therefore have nothing to worry about except prepare their websites properly for the upcoming update.

Users with expired licenses for OceanWP premium products must ensure compatibility with the latest OceanWP 4 version, by renewing, upgrading or getting a brand new plan, based on their needs:

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How to get your hands on the complementary assets bundle? Simply reply to your purchase confirmation email to receive the download links.

This offer is time-limited.

OceanWP 4 Release Date

And last, but not least, save the date!

OceanWP 4 estimated release date is set for Wednesday, October 16th 2024.

Update your websites like a pro and enjoy the first-class ride with the new OceanWP Customizer.

In the meantime, we’ll work on a brand new OceanWP premium plugin suit, new designs and features. Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to learn all the juicy new information we’re about to share.

For support and occasional chit-chat, we invite you to join the Official OceanWP Community on Facebook. Let’s hang out and help you get to know OceanWP.

Enjoy building your WordPress website with OceanWP!

This Post Has 8 Comments

  1. Stas

    Hi. I’ve been using the theme for a couple of months. I had automatic theme updates enabled and wasn’t aware an update was coming. Now, after the update, my site is incredibly slow. PageSpeed and Lighthouse tests show great results, but switching between pages takes several seconds. There are no analytics or ad systems on my site that could slow it down. This issue started right after the update.

    If I compare my site with your theme (without ads or analytics) to another site that handles 100,000 unique visitors daily, is heavily promoted, and has analytics but no caching plugin, your theme site is five times slower. My site has caching that was working perfectly before the update. Now, everything is very slow. How can I fix this? I reverted to version 3.6.1 of the theme, and everything is working as it should again.

    1. MarkoS

      Hi Stas, thanks for getting in touch!
      The problem you experienced with your website has indeed been reported by some users. We rolled out OceanWP 4.0.1 and Ocean Extra 2.4.1 first thing Monday, and those versions address all the problems reported.
      Kindly note that you should test all updates on a staging site first, as explained in this article. If you’re not in the position to test, you can reach out in about a week for additional feedback. But, whatever you decide, backups are always a must (and this goes for all websites, not just OceanWP) 🙂

  2. Arturo Arellano

    Hello, first, thanks for the template, it’s great!
    But, with the update, without touching anything, the Google fonts stop working, you have to go into the customizer to configure them again.

    And second, everything related to general settings (page, buttons, etc.) disappeared. I activated it in the oceanwp control panel, but nothing.

    I use child theme:
    Please help, it happens to me with all the websites I have with Oceanwp
    🙂

    1. MarkoS

      Hello Arturo, thanks for getting in touch and for using OceanWP! 🙂
      There was indeed a problem on some instances. Upgrading from OceanWP 3.6.1 to 4.0.1 will inherit Google Fonts option correctly. But, 3.6.1 to 4.0.0 will disable fonts, and 4.0.1 will then inherit the previously disabled option. Sadly, if you’re websites were already running 4.0.0 and then you need to update to 4.0.1, and you don’t see Google Fonts rendered on the front, you will need to enable them manually. It will take you around 15 minutes to enable this option on all sites if that’s indeed the case, but it’ll also give you an opportunity to check if everything is in its place.

      As for the General Options panel, this is not an issue at all. If you’re running OceanWP 4 or any later version, and Ocean Extra 2.4.0 or any later version, you won’t be seeing the General Options panel any longer. Instead, you’ll see other panels: Site Style & Settings, Pages & Special Pages, SEO Settings, Performance, and Site Preloader. The General Options panel has been removed in favor of other panels for a more intuitive and user-friendly approach. I do recommend checking this article because it’s an overview of all changes: https://oceanwp.org/blog/customize-wordpress-new-core-update/

      The new Customizer is covered with documentation in full, which is something we didn’t have before: https://docs.oceanwp.org/category/894-oceanwp-customizer
      Also, until you get used to the new layout and the options whereabouts, the Customizer Search option might be your best friend: https://docs.oceanwp.org/article/812-customizer-oceanwp-panel

      On Monday, October 28th, we’ll release OceanWP 4.0.2 and Ocean Extra 2.4.2 covering some styling issues and add more options to the live preview, so customizing your website will become even easier than before.

      For buttons, forms, icons, layout, check the section Site Style & Settings. For all things related to Pages, including the Page Title, 404 and SERP, check the Pages & Special Pages panel.

      We sincerely hope you’re love the new changes once you get used to the new layout and settings reorganization. We did our best to organize all options in a smart way that’ll lead to even faster customization and setup. 🙂

      But, if you continue to experience any problems after the update release on Monday, I’m hereby inviting you to fill out the prepurchase ticket: https://oceanwp.org/pre-purchase-question/ and share as much details as possible and we’ll make sure to go through all things with you 🙂

  3. diego571

    Hi, i see in your screenshots that “General Options” is still a part of the theme but it’s not showing in any of my 4.0.4. running websites. What might be the cause?

    1. MarkoS

      Hi Diego, thanks for reaching out. The screenshots are depicting the old vs new 🙂 The General Options panel does no longer exist, but all options from it are still available via dedicated panels.

      If you’re searching for a specific option, I do recommend using the Customizer Search option to find everything you need fast: https://docs.oceanwp.org/article/806-customizer-search

      Likewise, the complete new Customizer documentation will also be of use to you: https://docs.oceanwp.org/category/894-oceanwp-customizer

      If you have a premium license with us, I do recommend submitting a ticket to get your answers fast 🙂
      If you don’t have a premium license, you can use the following support channels:
      WordPress forum: https://wordpress.org/support/theme/oceanwp/
      Our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/oceanwptheme

      Hope you had nice Holidays and Happy New Year

  4. andi_aston_martin

    Hello,
    yesterday when I logged into wordpress I got a message ‘ Oceanwp has been put into safe mode because we have detected that -wordpress. our website.de- is an exact copy of -our website.de- ’.
    There were 3 options to choose from:
    1) is wordpress.ourwebsite.com a duplicate of ourwebsite.com ?
    2) Was our website.de moved to wordpress.our website.de ?
    3) Is wordpress.ourwebsite.com a new website ?

    Info:
    wordpress.ourwebsite.com is under construction and not yet online.
    ourwebsite.com is still the active ‘old website’ which is online and
    we want to take it off the server next week to replace it with the
    new wordpress.ourwebsite.com.

    We did not know what to do with the message and did nothing.
    One day later, I logged back into WordPress and the
    message had suddenly disappeared, what does that mean? and
    and above all what to do if the message appears again ?

    Greetings
    Andi

    1. MarkoS

      Hi Andi, thanks for reaching out. This is happening because you copied your entire website, including the database, and you’re now using it on a different domain. To avoid plugin functionality conflict, you’re prompted with this option for a quick resolution. With your description in mind, you should choose the first option, that the website is duplicate of the original website (because it is, no matter what you’re doing with that website).

      If you have a premium license with us, I do recommend submitting a ticket to get your answers fast 🙂
      If you don’t have a premium license, you can use the following support channels:
      WordPress forum: https://wordpress.org/support/theme/oceanwp/
      Our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/oceanwptheme

      Hope you had nice Holidays and a Happy New Year 🙂

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