Back in mid-June, we announced that the upcoming Debian 13 (Trixie) release, scheduled for August 9, was expected to include KDE Plasma 6.3.5.
However, just a day before the full freeze period begins, when every package destined for the testing suite (which will become Trixie) requires an explicit unblock by the Release Team, that plan has taken a turn.
Somewhat surprisingly—but also kind of expected—Plasma 6.3.6 has been accepted to Debian’s testing branch. And that means one thing: the final stable Debian 13 release will debut with the latest version of the 6.3 series of the desktop environment.
Additionally, users will receive the KDE Gear 25.04.2 app suite, along with Frameworks version 6.13.
This last-minute change actually makes a lot of sense. Originally, the KDE devs planned to have five updates in the Plasma 6.3 series before moving on to 6.4. However, earlier this month, the KDE team unexpectedly released a sixth—and final—update: Plasma 6.3.6.
Now, it would be somewhat unusual for the stable Trixie release to ship with an earlier point release, especially when a newer, bug-free version was already available. That’s likely why this update was added at the very last moment.
And timing really matters here—starting tomorrow, Debian 13 enters its full freeze phase. That means no new software can be added unless the Debian release team gives explicit approval.
And yes, even though 6.3.6 made it in, it’s not the latest from KDE—the current series is Plasma 6.4, with version 6.4.3 just dropped a few days ago. But as you know, this is Debian – stability always takes priority over having the newest and flashiest stuff.
Finally, we’re now exactly two weeks out from the final 13 Trixie release, so be sure to keep an eye on our news. If anything changes, you’ll hear it from us first.
