--- title: "August 2026 Update: Widget Recipes, AI Upgrades, and GDPR Exports" url: https://theplusaddons.com/blog/august-2026-the-plus-addons-update/ date: 2026-09-16 modified: 2026-09-16 lang: en author: "Aditya Sharma" description: "July's update was about cleaning up how our widgets talk to AI tools. Since then, two releases landed: 6.5.0 retired three legacy widgets and made the front end noticeably lighter,..." image: https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/august-2026-the-plus-addons-update-featured-1024x538.jpg word_count: 955 --- # August 2026 Update: Widget Recipes, AI Upgrades, and GDPR Exports ## - Widget Recipe Library goes live with 1,100 ready-made AI prompts across every Free and Pro widget, with ten recipes per widget across 100+ Free and Pro widgets. - The Plus Addons for Elementor 6.5.1 adds a GDPR export tool for Plus Form, so form submissions can be exported or erased to meet a GDPR request. - WordPress’s built-in AI tools, including Angie, now see and control The Plus Addons for Elementor widgets directly on Free, not just through the plugin’s own AI connector. - Three legacy widgets, Post Search, Caldera Forms, and Design Tool, are retired in 6.5.0, while a hidden placeholder keeps existing pages editable so saved settings survive an update. July's update was about cleaning up how our widgets talk to AI tools. Since then, two releases landed: 6.5.0 retired three legacy widgets and made the front end noticeably lighter, and a 6.5.1 follow-up added a GDPR export tool for Plus Form and made our widgets visible to WordPress’s own built-in AI assistant, Angie. The bigger release this month is not a version number. The Widget Recipe Library went live: 1,100 ready-made AI prompts across every Free and Pro widget, the payoff of AI groundwork we started back in April. WordPress 7.1 also shipped in August, and the plugin was already tested against the release candidate before it went final, so nothing broke on update day. Table Of Contents ## 🎉 What’s New [![The Widget Recipe Library: 1,100 ready-made AI prompts across 110 widgets for The Plus Addons for Elementor](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/tpae-sept-widget-recipes.png)](https://theplusaddons.com/widget-recipes/)The Widget Recipe Library, live for every Free and Pro widget. Copy a recipe, paste it into an AI tool like Claude or Cursor, and it builds a real, editable Elementor widget, not a block of raw code you have to clean up afterward. Ten recipes per widget, across 100+ Free and Pro widgets. [Browse the Widget Recipe Library](https://theplusaddons.com/widget-recipes/). Six more things shipped alongside it: [![What's new in The Plus Addons for Elementor 6.5.0 and 6.5.1: MCP Abilities, keyboard-operable Accordion, lighter front end, GDPR export, Search Filter and Social Feed updates](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/tpae-sept-whats-new.png)](https://roadmap.theplusaddons.com/updates)Everything shipped in 6.5.0 and 6.5.1, in one graphic. - **[Our Widgets Now Work with WordPress’s Built-In AI Tools](https://theplusaddons.com/mcp-abilities/):** on Free, AI assistants inside WordPress, including Angie, can now see and control our widgets directly, not just through our own AI connector. - **[Three Widgets Retired, Safely](https://theplusaddons.com/blog/the-plus-addons-for-elementor-6-5-0-update/):** Post Search, Caldera Forms, and Design Tool are gone from the widget list, but a hidden placeholder keeps every existing page editable so saved settings survive an update. - **[A Lighter Front End](https://theplusaddons.com/blog/the-plus-addons-for-elementor-6-5-0-update/):** editor-only files no longer load on your live site, Pro now remembers repeated lookups instead of re-checking them on every page view, and icon fonts only load on pages actually built with Elementor. - **[Keyboard-Friendly Accordion](https://theplusaddons.com/elementor-widget/accordion/):** Accordion headers can now be opened and closed with just a keyboard, and screen readers correctly announce whether each one is open or closed. - **[Plus Form GDPR Export and Erase](https://theplusaddons.com/elementor-builder/form-builder/) (Pro):** form submissions can now be exported or erased to meet a GDPR request, instead of being handled manually. - **[Search Filter](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/wp-search-filters-widget-settings-overview/) and Social Feed Updates (Pro):** Search Filter’s multi-select checkboxes can now match any selected option instead of requiring all of them, and Social Feed’s Instagram integration is updated to Instagram’s latest version. *For every change across both versions, **[check the complete changelog here](https://roadmap.theplusaddons.com/updates)**.* ## 📹 Video Tutorials [![Build Horizontal Scroll in Elementor 2026 YouTube tutorial thumbnail](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pe_XYkHz6n8/hqdefault.jpg)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe_XYkHz6n8)Build Horizontal Scroll in Elementor (2026) [![Elementor mobile menu tutorial: off-canvas menu with no code and no extra plugin, YouTube thumbnail](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0J0noGPRb7c/hqdefault.jpg)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J0noGPRb7c)Off-Canvas Mobile Menu in Elementor, No Extra Plugin [![Add an ACF Repeater field to the Elementor Accordion widget for a dynamic FAQ, YouTube thumbnail](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hByRIff5V0s/hqdefault.jpg)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hByRIff5V0s)ACF Repeater Field in the Accordion Widget (Dynamic FAQ) [![Build a digital agency website in Elementor with AI content and one-click import, YouTube thumbnail](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lfXP-ZKlE2Q/hqdefault.jpg)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfXP-ZKlE2Q)Build a Digital Agency Website With AI Content and One-Click Import *[**Watch the full Master The Plus Addons playlist →**](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFRO-irWzXaLK9H5opSt88xueTnRhqvO5)* ## 🗞️ WordPress & Tech Bytes - **A serious file-upload security hole in Elementor Pro is being actively attacked.** [Wordfence](https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/09/attackers-actively-exploiting-critical-vulnerability-in-elementor-pro-plugin/) has already blocked more than 190,000 attempts since it went public on August 19. It only affects a published page with an Elementor Pro Form that has an optional File Upload field, but if that describes any client site, update to version 4.2.2 or later immediately. Our take: this is exactly the kind of one-field, easy-to-miss exposure that a quick site audit catches and a "we'll get to it" list does not. - **Elementor 4.2.3 (Pro) and 4.2.4 (Free) shipped August 31**, formally updating WordPress compatibility to version 7.1 and tightening security in query and template handling. The Atomic Editor also picked up Grid layouts (Free) and Loop for dynamic content (Pro), plus improved AI layout and design help from prompts and images. Our take: pair this update with the Elementor Pro patch above and you are current on both fronts in one pass. - **[WordPress 7.1 “Mary Lou” shipped August 19](https://wordpress.org/news/2026/08/mary-lou/)**, timed to WordCamp US in Phoenix. It brings responsive styling controls in the Site Editor, a redesigned media editor, Notes with mentions and rich text, and image processing that now happens in the browser, plus two new blocks, Playlist and Tabs. Our take: the plugin was tested against the release candidate ahead of time, so this is a safe update to push now rather than wait out. - **WordPress shipped two security releases this month.** [7.0.3 landed on August 6](https://wordpress.org/news/2026/08/wordpress-7-0-3-release/) with several security fixes, and [7.0.4 followed on August 12](https://wordpress.org/news/2026/08/wordpress-7-0-4-release/) with another. Both are flagged as immediate-update releases. Our take: if any client sites are still on 7.0.2 or earlier, they are two security releases behind and that gap is worth closing before it compounds. - **[WooCommerce 11.0 shipped August 4](https://developer.woocommerce.com/2026/08/04/woocommerce-11-0/)**, followed by **[11.0.1 on August 10](https://developer.woocommerce.com/2026/08/10/woocommerce-11-0-1/)**, both adding performance and security fixes. Our take: if you build stores with our WooCommerce Store Builder, these belong in your next maintenance pass alongside the Elementor updates above. ## 🔥 Tool of the Month [**Shots.so**](https://shots.so/) turns a plain screenshot into a polished device mockup, iPhone, MacBook, iPad, Android, or browser frame, right in the browser. Pick a frame, pick a background, export. No account needed, no watermark on the free tier. If you build client sites with The Plus Addons for Elementor, this is the fastest way to make a before/after, a portfolio piece, or a changelog screenshot look finished without opening Figma. [![Shots.so, a free browser-based mockup and screenshot tool for developers and designers](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/shots_so_blog.xykaJWHo-scaled-1.png)](https://shots.so/)Shots.so, this month’s pick for polished device mockups without Figma. ## Suggested Reading - [The Plus Addons for Elementor 6.5.0: A Faster Front End and Three Widgets Retired](https://theplusaddons.com/blog/the-plus-addons-for-elementor-6-5-0-update/) - [WordPress 7.1 “Mary Lou” and Elementor: What Actually Changes for Your Site](https://theplusaddons.com/blog/wordpress-7-1-elementor/) - [Essential Addons vs The Plus Addons for Elementor: Which Should You Actually Use in 2026?](https://theplusaddons.com/blog/essential-addons-vs-the-plus-addons-for-elementor/) - [How to Build a WooCommerce Product Page with The Plus Addons’ Store Builder](https://theplusaddons.com/blog/woocommerce-store-builder-the-plus-addons-for-elementor/) **Building client sites with The Plus Addons for Elementor?** Update to the latest version to pick up the Widget Recipe Library, 6.5.1’s GDPR export, and full WordPress 7.1 compatibility. [Get The Plus Addons Pro](https://theplusaddons.com/pricing/) — Sagar Patel, CEO, The Plus Addons for Elementor (Team POSIMYTH) ## Frequently Asked Questions **Q: What’s the point of the Widget Recipe Library for Elementor users?** A: The Widget Recipe Library turns The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH into a faster starting point for AI-assisted builds. It ships with 1,100 ready-made AI prompts across Free and Pro widgets, with ten recipes per widget across 100+ widgets. The useful part is that you paste a recipe into an AI tool like Claude or Cursor and get a real, editable Elementor widget instead of raw code that needs cleanup. **Q: Does The Plus Addons for Elementor work with WordPress’s built-in AI assistant?** A: The Free widgets now work with WordPress’s built-in AI tools, including Angie, so the assistant can see and control those widgets directly. That matters because it moves the workflow inside WordPress instead of forcing everything through a separate connector. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH also says this came after earlier AI groundwork started in April. **Q: What changed in the 6.5.0 update that affects site speed?** A: 6.5.0 made the front end lighter by stopping editor-only files from loading on the live site. Pro also remembers repeated lookups instead of checking them on every page view, and icon fonts only load on pages actually built with Elementor. That combination matters because it cuts unnecessary requests on pages that do not need those assets. **Q: What happened to Post Search, Caldera Forms, and Design Tool in the latest update?** A: Those three legacy widgets were retired safely in 6.5.0. The important detail is that a hidden placeholder keeps existing pages editable, so saved settings survive the update instead of breaking old layouts. For anyone maintaining older sites, that makes the cleanup less risky because content can stay editable while the old widgets disappear from the active list. **Q: Can Plus Form handle GDPR export and erase requests now?** A: Plus Form Pro now includes GDPR export and erase support for form submissions. That means requests can be handled inside the form workflow instead of manually digging through records one by one. For client sites, this is the kind of feature that matters when privacy requests come in unexpectedly, because it reduces admin work and keeps the process tied to submitted form data. **Q: Is it safe to update WordPress 7.1 with The Plus Addons for Elementor right away?** A: WordPress 7.1 was already tested against the release candidate before it went final, so the plugin was prepared ahead of launch day. The August update also notes that nothing broke on update day, which is a good sign if you are planning maintenance across client sites. Pairing that with full WordPress 7.1 compatibility in The Plus Addons for Elementor keeps the update path straightforward.