How to Disable Auto WordPress Responsive Images?

Do you want to disable auto WordPress responsive images?

WordPress introduced srcset attributes for images in WordPress version 4.4. The srcset attributes allow you to define different images to use at different viewport breakpoints to keep the optimization and performance intact.

Why Disable Auto WordPress Responsive Images?

Responsive images in WordPress have their own advantages, but so have disabling auto-responsive images in WordPress. Here are some benefits of disabling auto-responsive WordPress images:

1. Design Consistency

• Control Over Image Sizes: Some developers prefer to have complete control over the image sizes used on their websites to ensure design consistency across different devices.
• Custom Responsive Strategies: The automatic srcset generation conflicts with the custom responsive strategies.

2. Performance Optimization

• Reduce HTTP Requests: Responsive images increase the number of HTTP requests, as it’s up to the browser which image to load. Disabling responsive images in WordPress reduces the number of requests, which results in better website performance.
• Simplified Caching: Caching strategies become simpler and more effective with fewer image variations, potentially improving load times.

3. Compatibility Issues

• Third-Party Themes and Plugins: Some themes and plugins might not handle responsive images properly, leading to display and rendering issues. Disabling the srcset fixes these problems.
• Older Browsers: Some older browsers do not support the srcset attribute, and serving a single image size might ensure better compatibility.

4. Development and Debugging

• Ease of Debugging: Having a single image source can make debugging and development easier since there is only one version of the image to consider.
• Simpler Code: For some developers, managing a single image size simplifies the development process and reduces potential complexities in the codebase.

5. SEO Considerations

• Control Over Alt Text and Attributes: Having a single image source can ensure that the alt text and other attributes are consistent, potentially impacting SEO positively.
• Consistent Image Indexing: Ensuring that search engines index a single version of each image might be preferable for some SEO strategies.

6. Bandwidth Concerns

• Control Over Data Usage: For sites where bandwidth usage is a concern, such as those serving regions with slower internet connections, disabling responsive images ensures that only the intended image size is loaded, potentially saving data.

Code Snippet to Disable Auto WordPress Responsive Images

/**
 * Disable responsive images by removing 
 * the srcset attribute in WordPress
 *
 * @return bool
 */
function maverick_disable_responsive_images()
{
    return false;
}

add_filter('wp_calculate_image_srcset', 'maverick_disable_responsive_images');