WPBeginner Spotlight 16: WordPress Privacy Tools, New AI Block Builder, and Smarter Plugin Updates

We’re back with the September 2025 edition of WPBeginner Spotlight: our monthly roundup of WordPress news, plugin updates, and community highlights.

This issue is packed with major product releases, new AI tools, and insights from WordCamp US 2025 in Portland.

Among the most significant updates are stronger privacy controls in WPConsent and new automation options in Uncanny Automator.

Let’s take a closer look at the biggest announcements and what they mean for WordPress site owners.

WPConsent Adds Clarity Consent Mode, Global Privacy Controls, and Subdomain Cookie Sharing

The popular cookie consent management plugin, WPConsent, has shipped major updates that make privacy compliance simpler and less intrusive for visitors.

The plugin now supports Global Privacy Controls (GPC). This is a feature in some web browsers that allows visitors to automatically opt out of websites sharing or selling their data.

When someone with GPC enabled visits your site, WPConsent will automatically apply their privacy choices. This means they won’t have to click on a cookie banner, creating a smoother experience and helping you comply with regulations like the CCPA.

Plus, a new Shared Consent feature means a user’s choice applies across all of your subdomains. This way, visitors won’t see repeated cookie banners when they move between different parts of your site, like blog.yourwebsite.com and store.yourwebsite.com.

Another new feature is the ‘Clarity Consent Mode‘, which keeps Microsoft Clarity functional in a limited, cookieless state until users give consent. This is important because Clarity will start enforcing consent on October 31, 2025, for the EEA, UK, and Switzerland.

Site owners can also now customize banners and messages based on visitor location or region. For example, you can show GDPR-focused wording in Europe and simpler notices elsewhere.

You can enable these features in WPConsent’s Advanced settings and in location templates. The goal is a smoother user experience with fewer compliance risks.

WordCamp US 2025 Brings 1,200 Attendees to Portland, With Growth, AI, and Community in Focus 🎤

Photo credit: WordCamp US

WordCamp US 2025 wrapped up four days of contributions, sessions, and keynotes at Portland’s Oregon Convention Center. Organizers sold 1,200 tickets, down from 1,928 in 2024.

The event was powered by 27 organizers and 47 volunteers, creating a positive atmosphere for attendees.

Sessions covered a wide range of topics, from Danny Sullivan’s keynote on search to technical deep dives into AI tools, block development, and even topics like experiential medicine, which explored how technology can improve patient outcomes.

Plus, Presentations by John Maeda, Ryan Welcher, and others highlighted both the opportunities and challenges ahead for WordPress and the open web.

In his closing keynote, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg shared growth statistics. These included a 19% traffic increase on WordPress.org, surging YouTube subscribers, and a 32% rise in WordPress events.

He praised the Plugins Team for clearing their review backlog, which means faster approval times for new plugins and updates. And he showcased AI prototypes built during Contributor Day, which is a day dedicated to volunteers collaborating on improving the WordPress software. These new tools could make development and site management easier in the near future.

He also gave a preview of Telex, an AI tool that generates Gutenberg blocks (the content elements used to build pages) from simple user prompts. For non-developers, this could make custom site design far easier and reduce the need to hire developers for custom features.

The conference concluded with the announcement that WordCamp US 2026 will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, from August 16 to 19. Despite concerns about the heat and unusual schedule, local organizers expressed excitement about welcoming the WordPress community to their city.

EDD Software Licensing Adds Smart Reports, Auto-Drafts, and Performance Upgrades for Digital Sellers 📊

Easy Digital Downloads has released a new version of its Software Licensing extension. The update offers smarter reporting, more automation, and performance improvements for software businesses, including WordPress plugin and theme companies.

For example, store owners can now receive low stock email alerts when keys are running out. This comes in handy if you’re selling limited-quantity licenses or using a specific list of keys. They can also switch published products automatically to the ‘Draft’ status once the last key is sold, which can prevent overselling.

The update also introduces new reports, which give sellers a clear view of how licenses are being activated and which product versions are most in use.

This helps with planning updates, prioritizing support, and deciding where to focus development resources.

The update also improves how refunds are handled. When giving a partial refund, site owners now have a simple option to disable the license key for that purchase. This makes it easy to prevent customers from continuing to use the software after they have gotten their money back.

Other updates include compatibility improvements and the ability to show license expiration dates at checkout.

Together, these changes give digital sellers more control, better insights, and a stronger foundation for growth.

Uncanny Automator Adds Asana, GitHub, and Remote Work Automations for Developers and Teams

The WordPress automation plugin, Uncanny Automator, has introduced powerful new integrations for Asana and GitHub, making it easier to connect WordPress with remote work and development workflows.

The Asana integration lets users create and update tasks, add comments, and trigger actions in real time from the WordPress dashboard. This helps teams stay aligned without extra manual steps.

On the other hand, the new GitHub integration is built for developers, with triggers for pull requests, issues, and releases, plus actions like adding labels or comments.

This allows developers to connect their WordPress site directly to their code repository on GitHub. For example, they can automatically update tasks or notify teams when new code is released, saving time on project management.

Automator 6.9 also improves existing tools. The Google Calendar and Woo Bookings integrations now feature new ‘tokens’, which serve as placeholders for dynamic information, such as a customer’s name or appointment time. This makes automated scheduling easier.

For Easy Digital Downloads, new triggers are available to help with customer segmentation, allowing you to group customers based on their purchase history and send them targeted discount codes.

Together, these updates make Automator a stronger hub for connecting WordPress to third-party apps, saving time for developers, marketers, and remote teams.

AffiliateWP Adds Stripe Payouts for Easier Affiliate Payments Inside WordPress

AffiliateWP, the powerful affiliate management plugin for WordPress, has introduced Stripe payouts. This gives site owners a faster way to pay their affiliates directly from the WordPress dashboard.

Until now, many programs have relied on PayPal or manual transfers, which have added delays and complexity. With the Stripe integration, business owners can send payouts quickly and securely without leaving WordPress.

They can also send payouts to individual affiliates manually or pay all eligible affiliates at once. For example, you can easily pay everyone who is due for a monthly payout with just a few clicks.

For affiliates, payments are sent to their own Stripe Express account. They can log in to their Stripe dashboard to track their earnings, making payment management transparent and reducing support questions for site owners.

Overall, the new feature makes affiliate management more efficient for site owners while offering affiliates more reliable and flexible payment options.

MonsterInsights Adds Google Ads Campaign Creation Inside WordPress Dashboard for Faster Marketing 🚀

MonsterInsights, a Google Analytics plugin for WordPress, has recently launched a new feature that lets users create Google Ads campaigns directly from the WordPress dashboard.

The new tool automatically uses your website’s analytics data to help you set up your ads. For example, it can recommend a target audience based on your existing visitors. This saves you time and helps you create more effective ads without having to leave your WordPress dashboard.

It also allows site owners to set up Google Ads that appear across Search, Gmail, YouTube, and more from a single campaign. This makes paid marketing faster and simpler, even for small businesses without prior ad experience.

Because the tool is connected to your site’s analytics, it helps you create more effective ads based on real visitor data. Plus, you can track the performance of your ads right from your WordPress dashboard, including how many clicks, conversions, and sales your campaigns are generating.

By combining ad creation with tracking and reporting, MonsterInsights makes paid marketing more accessible to small businesses and site owners who want to grow traffic.

In Other News

• Envira Gallery has introduced new features in their recent update: a new Highlight Grid layout for showcasing featured images and a Dribbble Addon that lets designers display their latest Dribbble shots in WordPress galleries. The update also includes UI improvements for easier gallery creation.
• Web hosting provider Rocket.net has announced a partnership with Hosting.com (formerly A2 Hosting). The two companies plan to combine their strengths to build a new, easy-to-use hosting platform. They will use Rocket.net’s technology, which makes websites load faster for visitors around the world, and Hosting.com’s powerful servers and resources.
• Smash Balloon has added support for embedding live Twitter/X broadcasts directly on WordPress sites. This update makes it easier to stream events, announcements, or live shows in real-time without the need for a third-party tool.

• Web.com is now officially part of Network Solutions as Newfold Digital restructures into two divisions. This means all domain name services will be managed under the Network Solutions brand, while website hosting will be handled by a separate group.

• Charitable has released a new version with new features. These include Test Mode alerts, which warn you if your donation forms are not set up to accept real payments so that you avoid missed donations. The update also adds more styling options for Elementor and a built-in feedback form.
• FunnelKit has rolled out a series of summer updates, including improved analytics dashboards, a new archive page builder, and improvements to WooCommerce one-click upsells. These features aim to provide store owners with deeper insights, more flexible design tools, and better post-purchase monetization options.

• RSL Standard is a new project that creates a standard format for digital media licenses that computers and software can easily understand. The goal is to make it simple for creators to show how their work can be used, and for others to see that licensing information automatically. A free plugin, RSL-WP, is already available on GitHub for WordPress users who want to add it to their sites.
• WooCommerce 10.2 was released with major performance improvements to the cart and checkout blocks. This release also added new layout options for product grids, a featured product block, and better support for multilingual stores using the new Product Collection block.

New Plugins & Tools

• WPForms PDF Addon (🔥Trending) – Generate PDFs from form submissions in WordPress. This helps you instantly create PDF documents on the fly and send invoices, signed documents, certificates, and more.
• DB Reset PRO – The easiest way to reset your WordPress database to its default state. Unlike reinstalling WordPress, this database reset plugin preserves your files, uploads, and admin credentials, providing a fresh start in seconds.
• Chatics – Easily add a chat widget to your WordPress website that connects to your n8n workflows via public webhooks. This helps you create automations that can be triggered from a simple chatbox on your website.

That wraps up the September edition of WPBeginner Spotlight. From privacy tools in WPConsent to new automation workflows, Stripe payouts, and highlights from WordCamp US 2025, it’s been a busy month for the WordPress community.

We’ll be back next month with more news, product updates, and insights from around the WordPress ecosystem. Until then, keep building, keep learning, and stay connected with the community.

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