I am pleased to inform that Qt 5.6.3 has been released today. As always with a patch release Qt 5.6.3 does not bring any new features, just error corrections. For details of the bug fixes in Qt 5.6.3, please check the change logs for each module and known issues of Qt 5.6.3 wiki page.

Qt 5.6 LTS is currently in the 'Strict' phase, and only receives fixes to security issues, crashes, regressions and similar. Since end of 2016 we have already reduced the number of fixes going into the 5.6 branch and after Qt 5.6 LTS enters the 'Very Strict' phase it will receive security fixes only. The reason for gradually reducing the amount of changes going into an LTS version of Qt is to avoid problems in stability. While each fix as such is beneficial, they are also possible risks for behavior changes and regressions, which we want to avoid in LTS releases.

As part of our LTS commitment, we continue to support the commercial Qt 5.6 LTS users throughout the three-year standard support period, after which it is possible to purchase extended support. For description of our support services, please check the recent blog post describing the Standard, Extended and Premium Support. In May 2017 we released Qt 5.9 LTS, which includes a wide range of new features, functionality and overall performance improvements. We expect to release Qt 5.9.2 patch release still during September, including all the bug fixes of Qt 5.6.3 and many more. To learn more about the improvements that come with Qt 5.9 LTS you can find all relevant blogs and on-demand webinars here.

If you are using the online installer, Qt 5.6.3 can be updated using the maintenance tool. Offline packages are available for commercial users in the Qt Account portal and at the qt.io Download page for open-source users.