# QIIME 2 2020.8 is now available!
**URL:** https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2020-8-is-now-available/16229
**Category:** Announcements
**Tags:** release
**Created:** [August 24, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2020-8-is-now-available/16229 "2020-08-24T18:28:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@q2d2](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/q2d2)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2020-8-is-now-available/16229/1 "2020-08-24T18:28:43Z")
The QIIME 2 2020.8 release is now available! Thanks to everyone involved for their hard work!
As a reminder, our next planned QIIME 2 release is scheduled for November 2020 (QIIME 2 2020.11), but please stay tuned for updates.
Check out the [QIIME 2 2020.8 docs](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/) for details on installing the latest QIIME 2 release, as well as tutorials and other resources. Get in touch on the QIIME 2 Forum if you run into any issues!
Virtual machine builds will be available sometime within the next week - watch this topic thread for an update!
### ❗ BREAKING CHANGES
- [q2-diversity](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/plugins/available/diversity/)
- `beta-phylogenetic`
- The parameter `threads` has replaced `n_jobs` to reflect the parallelization behavior of `unifrac`.
- `alpha`
- The metric name `observed_otus` has been renamed to `observed_features`. "Observed features" better describes the different ways in which users work with non-taxonomic features in QIIME 2. (An OTU is a feature, but a feature isn’t necessarily an OTU.)
- This `Method` has been converted to a `Pipeline` to accommodate dispatch to `q2_diversity_lib`. Artifact API users might need to update their import paths. `q2cli` users are not impacted by this change.
- `alpha-phylogenetic`
- This `Method` has been converted to a `Pipeline` to accommodate dispatch to `q2_diversity_lib`. Artifact API users might need to update their import paths. `q2cli` users are not impacted by this change.
- `alpha-rarefaction`
- The metric name `observed_otus` has been renamed to `observed_features`. "Observed features" better describes the different ways in which users work with non-taxonomic features in QIIME 2. (An OTU is a feature, but a feature isn’t necessarily an OTU.)
- `beta`
- This `Method` has been converted to a `Pipeline` to accommodate dispatch to `q2_diversity_lib`. Artifact API users might need to update their import paths. `q2cli` users are not impacted by this change.
- The `wminkowski` and `mahalonobis` metrics were buggy, and have been removed from the list of available metrics. They will be reimplemented in future.
- `beta-phylogenetic`
- This `Method` has been converted to a `Pipeline` to accommodate dispatch to `q2_diversity_lib`. Artifact API users might need to update their import paths. `q2cli` users are not impacted by this change.
- `alpha-phylogenetic-old`
- This deprecated `Method` has been removed. Users who need access to `scikit-bio`'s implementation of `faith_pd` through QIIME 2 should use [`q2_diversity_lib.alpha_phylogenetic_passthrough`](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/plugins/available/diversity-lib/alpha-phylogenetic-passthrough/).
- `alpha-phylogenetic-alt`
- This deprecated `Method` has been removed, because this implementation is used in [`alpha-phylogenetic`](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/plugins/available/diversity/alpha-phylogenetic/).
- [q2-quality-filter](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/plugins/available/quality-filter/)
- `q-score-joined`
- This deprecated method was removed. The `q-score` method can handle joined reads, so no need to for two methods.
Please update scripts, workflows, etc. as appropriate. Stuck? Reach out here on the forum for help. Want to test this prior to the next release of QIIME 2? Check on the "development environment" instructions here:
[https://dev.qiime2.org/latest/quickstart/](https://dev.qiime2.org/latest/quickstart/)
* * *
Here’s the highlights of the release:
- [QIIME 2 Framework](https://github.com/qiime2/qiime2)
- [docs](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8)
- [q2-types](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/plugins/available/types/)
- [q2-phylogeny](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/plugins/available/phylogeny/)
- [q2-longitudinal](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/plugins/available/longitudinal/)
- [q2-sample-classifier](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/plugins/available/sample-classifier/)
- [q2-quality-filter](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/plugins/available/quality-filter/)
- [q2-diversity](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/plugins/available/diversity/)
- [q2-diversity-lib](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/plugins/available/diversity-lib/)
- [q2-demux](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/plugins/available/demux/)
- [q2-dada2](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/plugins/available/dada2/)
---
### Author:  [@ebolyen](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/ebolyen)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2020-8-is-now-available/16229/2 "2020-08-24T18:29:25Z")
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### Author:  [@q2d2](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/q2d2)
#### Post date: [August 28, 2020, 8:44pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2020-8-is-now-available/16229/3 "2020-08-28T20:44:49Z")
Yippee! Freshly baked VMs were just pulled out of the oven:
🍞 🥐 🥧
[https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/install/virtual/](https://docs.qiime2.org/2020.8/install/virtual/)
Enjoy!
:qiime2:
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### Author:  [@robdalen](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/robdalen)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2020, 2:21pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2020-8-is-now-available/16229/4 "2020-09-01T14:21:48Z")
Thanks for the update! Unfortunately, there seems to be something wrong with the version in the .zip folder. The .zip itself states 2020.8 but inside the folder, .ovf file and disk image all state 2020.6.
I installed it anyway to check, its indeed 2020.6.
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### Author:  [@thermokarst](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/thermokarst)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2020, 2:22pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2020-8-is-now-available/16229/5 "2020-09-01T14:22:00Z")
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### Author:  [@thermokarst](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/thermokarst)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2020, 2:42pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2020-8-is-now-available/16229/6 "2020-09-01T14:42:17Z")
Thanks @robdalen - this was caused by human error on my part. I am rebuilding now, hopefully should have that up in the next few hours. Will update here when its been replaced. Thanks!
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### Author:  [@thermokarst](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/thermokarst)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2020, 2:42pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2020-8-is-now-available/16229/7 "2020-09-01T14:42:26Z")
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### Author:  [@thermokarst](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/thermokarst)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2020, 6:26pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2020-8-is-now-available/16229/8 "2020-09-01T18:26:51Z")
@robdalen - I just pushed up what I _think_ is the right vbox build (Build ID 1598972704). Please give that a shot, thanks!
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### Author:  [@robdalen](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/robdalen)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2020, 11:27am UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2020-8-is-now-available/16229/9 "2020-09-03T11:27:18Z")
@thermokarst Works like a charm, thanks!