If I don't update my theme - how long will it last?

Envato Authors Theme Authors
1

Hi!

I understand this is a difficult (if not impossible) question to answer. Please feel free to make an educated guess! :smile:

If a theme is no longer recieving updates, but you continue updating WordPress, how long would you say until something theme-related would probably stop working? Three updates? Every whole number WP version (i.e. version 5.0, 6.0)?

After how many WP updates should you begin to worry?

Same question but in a different way: if you stop updating your theme and WP, how fast will it become vulnerable to hackers etc?

2

Sorry but you’re right it is unanswerable.

It completely depends on the theme itself and what updates WP makes.

We still use a theme for a long long time ago and have never had any issue with updating WordPress but in some cases a file released last week could have issues with an update from WP the next.

3 Likes
3

Thanks for answering Charlie! As I suspected - good answer anyway.

4

Bear in mind there are several other factors which impact this e.g. having security plugins, how reliable/secure is your hosting and so on.

Even if the file is removed - if the author is still active then there’s no harm emailing them and asking the question of what owuld happen if you update.

1 Like
5

currently wordpress is making some bold move and not supporting old versions of PHP and some functions won’t work

so if theme not udpated for 1-2years then if you update WP, it may break your site.

6

Thanks for the info! Didn’t know that.