Just a note for some sites that may not completely support SSL/HTTPS. Here are some possible solutions if you get an error such as the following when trying to auto-update (or one-click update) USP Pro, SES Pro, BBQ Pro, or any other plugins from Plugin Planet.

Related Post: How to fix the “download failed” error for 1-click automatic plugin updates.

Example of error

Here is an example of the type of error that we are referring to in this article:

An error occurred while updating BBQ Pro: Download failed. SSL certificate problem, verify that the CA cert is OK. Details : error : 14090086 : SSL routines : SSL3_GET_SERVER_CERTIFICATE : certificate verify failed

..and/or this error:

An error occurred while updating USP Pro: Download failed. SSL certificate problem: self signed certificate

..and/or this error:

http_request_failed : SSL: CA certificate set, but certificate verification is disabled

..and/or this error:

Downloading update from https://plugin-planet.com/... An error occurred while updating USP Pro: Download failed. Unauthorized.

..and/or any error involving the phrase “unauthorised” that happens when trying to upgrade the plugin via the Admin Area.

These types of errors most commonly happen on localhost development environments, and/or on servers that do not fully support SSL. If you get such an error, try the following solution.

Pro Tip: A common reason why download/updates can fail with pro plugins: the license is not active or has expired. The solution is to make sure the license is in good standing and active on the site, then try again with the 1-click update.

Solution

Step 1

Create the following folder if it doesn’t already exist:

/wp-content/mu-plugins/
Step 2

Create a new .php file inside of that folder, and name it ssl_verify.php or whatever you wish. Then inside of the file, include the following code and save the changes:

<?php

	add_filter('https_ssl_verify', '__return_false');
	add_filter('https_local_ssl_verify', '__return_false'); 

?>

Nothing else whatsoever should be in that file. No white space before/after the code, nothing. Nada.

Step 3

Upload the file to your server. Then try again with the 1-click plugin update. It should work. If not, then you can always upgrade manually via SFTP. Either way, after upgrading, make sure to delete the ssl_verify.php plugin file (or comment out the two lines of code).

Important: After upgrading, delete the ssl_verify.php plugin file (or comment out the two lines of code). Do not leave it as an active plugin on the server (unless you have good reason and absolutely know what you are doing).

Alternate Solution

As an alternate solution to try, here is something that worked for a particular user:

I figured out the problem and I am finally activated. I forgot to change one of the sslverifys to true. Apparently theres an issue with mac OS X 10.10, and curl, which is what I’m running.

For similar localhost setups, that is something worth checking out.

If Nothing Else..

If the automatic/one-click update still does not work, then you will need to update the plugin manually via (S)FTP. Here are some guides that should help in that scenario: