Safe mode

Safe mode is the enforcement engine of Update Shield. Turn it on, and when an update fails a compatibility check it prevents the automatic update, turns the item’s auto-update setting off, records the event in the Update logs, and emails you. Manual updates are never blocked.

What happens when an update is blocked

For each incompatible item with auto-update enabled, Safe mode acts in this order during the automatic update run:

1. Prevents the automatic install. The item does not update, and the log records it. The message templates are below.
2. Disables auto-update for the item in the native WordPress options. The write is deferred to the end of the request, so the automatic updater is never modified mid-run, and it applies immediately afterwards.
3. Sends a plain-text email, when Send email notifications when an update is blocked is on and email is not suppressed. See Who receives the emails.

Safe mode also runs the incompatibility check when a plugin or theme is installed, updated, or activated, and when a theme is switched to. If the newly active item is incompatible and auto-update was on, the toggle is disabled right away.

What you see

• Update logs entries in Safe mode’s own wording. The templates are:
  • Safe Mode detected incompatible %1$s "%2$s": %3$s
  • Safe Mode disabled auto-updates for incompatible %1$s "%2$s": %3$s
  • Safe Mode prevented auto-update of %1$s "%2$s" and disabled auto-updates: %3$s

Here %1$s is the item type (plugin, theme, or WordPress core), %2$s the item name, and %3$s the reason.

• The Auto-updates tab shows the item as Locked by Safe Mode due to incompatibility.
• The native Plugins and Themes screens show an inline warning under the item and lock its auto-update toggle. The lock reads Auto-update locked by Safe mode: reason, and the warning says the item is potentially incompatible and that a manual update is recommended.
• The native Dashboard → Updates screen shows a warning listing the blocked plugins, themes, and core items.
• After a recheck or a blocking run, an admin notice may add: Auto-updates have been disabled for incompatible plugins and themes. You can re-enable them manually in the admin.

Who receives the emails

Block notifications are plain-text emails listing the affected items with their reasons. The subject is [%s] Safe mode blocked automatic updates, with the site name substituted for %s, and the body closes with This notification was sent by Updatronix Pro Safe mode.

The recipient follows the Updatronix plugin’s notification configuration.

• If Settings → Update notifications has Disable all update notification emails on, no Safe mode email goes out.
• Otherwise, when Manage update notifications is on and Send notification emails to holds addresses, the email goes to those addresses.
• In every other case it goes to the site’s admin email.

Why an item was blocked

The reason text on rows, in emails, and in log entries comes from the checks described in Update Shield. Examples of the exact reason wording:

• has not been tested with your WordPress version (%1$s), the last tested version is %2$s
• requires WordPress %1$s — your version is %2$s
• requires PHP %1$s — your version is %2$s
• incompatible requirements not met for core

Update the blocked item anyway

Safe mode blocks automatic installs only. To update an incompatible item on purpose:

1. Update it manually from the native Dashboard → Updates screen. Safe mode never prevents manual updates.
2. Safe mode then checks the freshly installed version, and for plugins and themes it runs the check when the item is active. If the new version is compatible, you are done.
3. To let the item update automatically again, re-enable its auto-update. Safe mode turned the toggle off, so do this after the update, either on the Auto-updates tab or on the native plugins and themes screens.

Turn Safe mode off

1. Open the Updatronix 3000 tab.
2. Turn off Safe mode. The panel then notes: Safe mode is disabled. Automatic updates are not blocked by compatibility checks.
3. Select Save Changes.

Turning Safe mode off does not undo the past. Items whose auto-update was disabled stay that way until you re-enable them, and old log entries stay in the log. The native toggles are released, and later automatic updates run under the Updatronix plugin’s normal rules, including the delay when one is set.

Notes and limits

• The shield decides from the update data WordPress downloaded. Between update checks, a brand-new incompatible release is only caught once its data reaches your site. On the Update Shield panel, Recheck compatibility forces a fresh scan.
• When Delay updates is active too, the Safe mode email adds: Note: Delayed updates are also active — they apply to all compatible updates.
• Safe mode never rolls back an update that already ran. It acts on pending updates only.

See also: Update Shield · Getting started · License and updates