WordPress - Disable specific plugin update check

wp-disable-plugin-update.php

/**
 * Prevent update notification for plugin
 * http://www.thecreativedev.com/disable-updates-for-specific-plugin-in-wordpress/
 * Place in theme functions.php or at bottom of wp-config.php
 */
function disable_plugin_updates( $value ) {
  if ( isset($value) && is_object($value) ) {
    if ( isset( $value->response['plugin-folder/plugin.php'] ) ) {
      unset( $value->response['plugin-folder/plugin.php'] );
    }
  }
  return $value;
}
add_filter( 'site_transient_update_plugins', 'disable_plugin_updates' );

how do we actually use this after placing it in the function.php

Only hardcoded use ;)

replace plugin-folder/plugin.php to your plugin ;)

If my plugin folder is called "myfirstplugin" and has an index.php inside its folder with another file called myfirstplugin.php, which one do I choose for this to work?

work when the plugin is enabled but show the update notification when the plugin is disabled
how to hide the update notifications if the plugin is disabled?

I found the easiest way to disable updates to a specific plugin is go to Plugin Editor, browse to relevant plugin and find the plugin's update php file (search through plugin files for 'update' or 'updater' in the filename). Open file, comment out all the code (/* ...code... */) and save via update file button.

If you want, I made a small modification to build a version blacklist. This version will block the update if the update is to a blacklisted version.

add_filter('site_transient_update_plugins', function($value){
  $pluginVersionsBlacklist = [];
  // format: "folder/file.php" => ["array", "of", "versions"]
  // "contact-form-7/wp-contact-form-7.php" => ["5.4"] // will prevent the update to CF7 v5.4 from showing up
  // "contact-form-7/wp-contact-form-7.php" => []      // will prevent ALL updates to CF7 from showing up
  $pluginVersionsBlacklist["contact-form-7/wp-contact-form-7.php"] = ["5.4"];
  $pluginVersionsBlacklist["cf7-grid-layout/cf7-grid-layout.php"]  = ["4.8.2"];

  // this shouldn't change all that much, so we can keep it around
  static $blacklistedVersionsList;
  if ( $blacklistedVersionsList == null )
    $blacklistedVersionsList = array_keys($pluginVersionsBlacklist);

  // if the update list doesn't match anything we have in the blacklist, we can abort early
  $intersection = array_intersect(array_keys($value->response), $blacklistedVersionsList);
  if ( !sizeof($intersection) )
    return $value;

  if ( isset($value) && is_object($value) )
    // run through the abridged list to check for versions
    foreach($intersection as $pluginID){
      $blacklistedVersions = $pluginVersionsBlacklist[$pluginID];
      if ( sizeof($blacklistedVersions) == 0 || in_array($value->response[$pluginID]->new_version, $blacklistedVersions) )
        unset($value->response[$pluginID]);
    }

  return $value;
});

I thought this was cool. I made a version you can place in the main plugin file with no edits. https://gist.github.com/deanoakley/e05b9a037c5afce473b26b224a62cff5

/**
 * Prevent update notification for plugin - 
 * http://www.thecreativedev.com/disable-updates-for-specific-plugin-in-wordpress/
 * Add to the core plugin file 
 */
function disable_plugin_updates( $value ) {
  if ( isset($value) && is_object($value) ) {
  $plugin_file_name = basename(__DIR__) . '/' . basename(__FILE__);
    if ( isset( $value->response[$plugin_file_name] ) ) {
      unset( $value->response[$plugin_file_name] );
    }
  }
  return $value;
}
add_filter( 'site_transient_update_plugins', 'disable_plugin_updates' );

+1

Thanks!

Thank you very much!!