[The Assurer]

You need to hide the username field on the form using CSS and then copy the email address to the username field, when the user submits the form, with custom PHP.

[The Assurer]

You’re right on both counts:
✅ Yes, the plugin should preserve roles
⚠️ Yes, admins can lock themselves out

❌ SWPM assumes ownership of WP roles, which is unsafe in mixed setups

Since SWPM is open source code you are welcome to make your own changes; or to properly address this, you should consider using our paid support service:
https://simple-membership-plugin.com/paid-support-simple-membership-plugin/

[The Assurer]

This is a known gotcha with Simple WP Membership (SWPM). You’re not imagining it. 👍
What’s happening is exactly what you described: SWPM overwrites the WordPress role when the profile is saved, instead of preserving the existing one.

When a user submits the [swpm_profile_form], SWPM:
1. Updates the WordPress user record
2. Reassigns the WP role based on the SWPM membership level
3. Defaults to subscriber if the membership level doesn’t explicitly define a role

This is by design in SWPM, but it’s pretty destructive if you’re mixing SWPM with WordPress-native roles or bbPress permissions.

Why bbPress access disappears
bbPress uses WordPress roles, not SWPM access levels.
Once the role is reset to subscriber, the user loses:
* bbp_participant
* author
* any custom capability-based access

The cleanest fix: preserve the existing role
You can intercept the profile update and restore the original role after SWPM finishes saving.
Add this to your theme’s functions.php or a small custom plugin:

add_action('swpm_profile_update', function($member_id, $wp_user_id) {

    if (empty($wp_user_id)) {
        return;
    }

    $user = get_userdata($wp_user_id);
    if (!$user) {
        return;
    }

    // Store roles before SWPM changes them
    static $original_roles = [];

    if (!isset($original_roles[$wp_user_id])) {
        $original_roles[$wp_user_id] = $user->roles;
    }

    // Restore roles
    $user->set_role(''); // remove all roles first
    foreach ($original_roles[$wp_user_id] as $role) {
        $user->add_role($role);
    }

}, 20, 2);

Why this works
* SWPM runs earlier and sets subscriber
* This runs after (priority 20)
* Original roles are restored intact

[The Assurer]

You’re basically on the right track 👍

Big picture (you’ve understood this correctly)

Simple Membership (SWPM) handles:
Member login via the SWPM login form
Membership levels and access control

WordPress user account:
SWPM can auto-create and sync a corresponding WordPress user when someone logs in/registers via SWPM.

bbPress:
Uses WordPress login status, not SWPM directly.
Once SWPM logs the user in and syncs them to WP, bbPress sees them as logged in → forum access works.

So far, so good.

Why WP profile & password pages are blocked
This is the key misunderstanding:
WP profile pages are not meant to be accessed by members directly when SWPM is controlling access.
Specifically:
/wp-admin/profile.php
/wp-admin/

Default WordPress “edit profile” screens

SWPM intentionally blocks or restricts WP admin/profile access for non-admin users for security reasons.
That’s why:
Users logged in via the SWPM login form
Cannot access WordPress profile pages
Cannot change password via WP’s default UI

This is expected behavior, not a bug.

The correct way: use SWPM profile & password pages
SWPM provides its own frontend profile system, which members should use instead of WordPress’s.
Create a “Profile” page (frontend)
Create a normal WordPress page (example: My Profile) and add this shortcode:
[swpm_profile_form]

This page allows members to:
View their account details
Update their name/email
Change their password

This is the official and supported method.

[The Assurer]

bbPress integrates with WordPress, not SWPM. You can sync SWPM user names and passwords to WordPress, but not the profile information. bbPress profile information does not sync to SWPM profiles.

[The Assurer]

Activation Required only applies to FREE registrations. The “Activation Required” option affects free registrations only (users registering via the registration form without a payment). If users are registering via any payment method, they will be automatically activated.

[The Assurer]

“I want visitors to be able to edit their bbPress profile and have changes reflected in their Simple Membership profile”

This does not happen automatically, and it is not an advertised feature.

Simple Membership does not natively natively sync or link bbPress profile edits with Simple Membership member profile fields.

[The Assurer]

The developer has been notified.

[The Assurer]

Perform the items in this checklist:
https://simple-membership-plugin.com/forums/topic/common-reasons-for-member-login-related-issues/

Please turn on the debug logs and record replicate the problem. We can’t help you without debug logs.

Simple Membership does not natively integrate with Forminator for user creation. That means:
* Simple Membership itself cannot automatically create a member account from a Forminator form, unless:
* You are using custom code, a bridge, or an automation (hooks, webhook, custom PHP, or third-party connector), or
* The payment is handled by Simple Membership’s own payment button (PayPal/Stripe), not Forminator.

Since this setup has been working for months, it strongly suggests:
👉 A recent update or conflict has broken the custom connection, not the core Simple Membership plugin.

[The Assurer]

Are you using the Member Directory Listing Addon? If so, you must complete a Premium Addon Support ticket and a developer will contact you:
https://simple-membership-plugin.com/premium-addon-support/

[The Assurer]

Please go through this checklist…
https://simple-membership-plugin.com/forums/topic/test-for-plugin-and-theme-conflict-before-posting-an-issue-or-a-bug/

[The Assurer]

You stated that restoring a backup solves the issue. What changes are different between the backup and the problematic setup? In particular, did you recently install any page caching plugins or modules? Also, are there any changes to javascript libraries, or themes?

[The Assurer]

Are you running any page caching plugins or modules, either on your site, server, or even in your browser?

Also, the After Login Redirection Page setting only applies when users log in using SWPM. It does not work if they are logging in via /wp-login.php or a theme login widget or a third-party login plugin.

[The Assurer]

The Member Directory Addon is a premium addon. Please complete a Premium Addon Support ticket, and if necessary, an update will be provided.
https://simple-membership-plugin.com/premium-addon-support/

[The Assurer]

Please update the Member Directory Addon. Make sure you are on the latest version of the Member Directory Listing Addon — addon updates often include fixes for PHP-8 compatibility issues. You can re-download the addon from the official addon page:

[Author]

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