Update Shield is the Updatronix 3000 feature set that stops incompatible automatic updates before they run. It compares every pending update against your site’s WordPress and PHP versions, using the data WordPress itself downloaded from the WordPress.org API.
This page covers the checks and their settings. What happens when an update is blocked is in Safe mode.
How the checks work
WordPress ships its own update data, and the shield reads it item by item.
- WordPress compatibility checks plugins against the version the plugin says it has been tested with (“tested up to”), when the update data provides one. Themes and core updates are checked against the WordPress version the update itself requires. An item is incompatible when its tested or required version is lower than the WordPress version you run. No stated requirement means compatible.
- PHP compatibility flags an update when it requires PHP
X— your version isY: the required version is higher than yours. Again, a missing requirement counts as compatible.
The reason wording comes from Safe mode’s own messages. For example: Safe mode: %1$s is potentially incompatible with your site (manual update recommended). In the blocked-item details you see has not been tested with your WordPress version (%1$s), the last tested version is %2$s and requires WordPress %1$s — your version is %2$s.
Only automatic updates are affected. Manual updates always stay available, and the shield never changes the files on your site.
The controls
The Update Shield section on the Updatronix 3000 tab offers four controls.
| Control | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Safe mode | Off | Enables the blocking behavior. The section text reads: Prevent automatic updates of plugins, themes, and WordPress core that have not been tested with your site’s current version of WordPress or PHP. |
| Check WordPress version compatibility | On | Uses the WordPress compatibility check when deciding whether an update is blocked. |
| Check PHP version compatibility | On | Uses the PHP compatibility check when deciding the same. |
| Send email notifications when an update is blocked | On | Emails you a plain-text notification whenever Safe mode blocks or disables an update. |
While Safe mode is off, the panel notes: Safe mode is disabled. Automatic updates are not blocked by compatibility checks. Until you turn Safe mode on, the other three do nothing.
Select Save Changes after changing any control.
The blocked-items summary
The Update Shield section shows what the last scan found:
- Blocked items:
Nplugins,Nthemes, plus , 1 core when a core update is blocked - the blocked plugins and themes, each with its incompatibility reason
- the core block details, when there are any
That list is built from WordPress’s own update data, so it is only as fresh as the last update check. To force a new scan:
- Select Recheck compatibility. The button shows Rechecking compatibility… while it runs.
- The recheck clears the update data, calls the WordPress.org API again for plugins, themes, and core, and updates the list. It also disables auto-update immediately for any item that just became blocked.
- If the WordPress.org API is unreachable, you see WordPress.org API unreachable. Please try again later., and the previous list stays.
A good recheck reports Compatibility recheck complete. A failed one reports Compatibility recheck failed. Please try again.
Where blocked items show up
Safe mode also marks incompatible items in the native WordPress admin.
- Inline warning rows under the item on the Plugins and Themes screens, with the reason and a note that a manual update is recommended
- A warning on Dashboard → Updates listing the incompatible plugins, themes, and core
- Locked native auto-update toggles for incompatible plugins and themes, reading Auto-update locked by Safe mode:
reason - Update logs entries for every blocked or disabled update, as described in Safe mode
How Update Shield and the delay feature interact
Update Shield hooks the same automatic-update decision points as the Updatronix plugin’s delay feature. With both active, the Schedule tab’s delay applies to all compatible updates, and the shield deals with incompatible ones first. The Safe mode email says so: Note: Delayed updates are also active — they apply to all compatible updates.
Blocked items that already had auto-update enabled are disabled in the native options, so the Auto-updates tab shows them as locked, reading Locked by Safe Mode due to incompatibility.
Every block, disable, and prevention goes into the Updatronix plugin’s log table under the standard statuses and action labels (Prevented, Incompatible, Disabled, Auto-updates disabled by Safe Mode). Update logs stays the single history of everything that happened.
Requirements data freshness
The compatibility checks read the update data WordPress downloads. If the WordPress.org API or your update checks have not run recently, the shield’s list may miss brand-new releases. After a release you care about, select Recheck compatibility, or rely on the scheduled checks configured on the Schedule tab.
See also: Safe mode · Getting started · License and updates
