Configure the browser redirect fallback

Fallback language for redirects defines where an eligible unprefixed visitor goes when browser language detection cannot find a configured match.

It does not control missing translated content.

Know which fallback you are configuring

POM Translate has two different fallback situations:

The setting on the Languages setup screen affects only the first row. It does not create a locale chain such as French → English → Spanish, and it does not fill missing translations.

If that destination is the unprefixed main language and the visitor is already on its URL, no redirect is necessary. POM Translate stores the preference and continues with the main-language request.

Choose the redirect destination

Open:

Settings → POM Translate → Languages setup → Base setup

Then:

1. enable Browser language detection if it should be active;
2. open Fallback language for redirects;
3. select one of the configured locales;
4. save Base setup;
5. test an unprefixed route with a browser language the site does not offer.

Only available languages are valid redirect destinations. If the saved value is empty, unsupported, or later removed, runtime validation falls back to the main language.

The setting has no effect while Browser language detection is disabled.

Choose a practical default

Use the locale most appropriate for visitors whose language cannot be inferred. Common decisions include:

• the main language, for the least surprising connection to the source site;
• a broadly understood additional language, when the audience and editorial coverage justify it;
• a locale associated with the site’s primary market.

Base the choice on actual audience needs and content readiness. A locale that exists in settings but has incomplete navigation, legal pages, or checkout content is a poor redirect fallback.

Example request outcomes

Assume the site offers Spanish as the main language plus French and English, with English selected as the redirect fallback.

Browser requests fr-FR  → French
Browser requests en-GB  → English
Browser requests de-DE  → English fallback
Visitor previously chose Spanish → Spanish
Explicit /fr/ route     → French

The saved visitor choice and an explicit configured prefix take precedence over the fallback.

Review the fallback when languages change

Before removing a locale, check whether Fallback language for redirects points to it. Select a replacement and save before retiring the old locale.

Also revisit the setting when:

• the main market changes;
• a target locale is temporarily withdrawn;
• a regional variant is replaced;
• language order changes;
• a formerly incomplete locale becomes ready for general traffic.

Removing the chosen locale without selecting another does not leave requests in that unavailable language; POM Translate resolves the invalid setting to the main locale. Updating it deliberately still makes the intended behavior clear.

Verify the no-match path

Use a private session so an earlier visitor preference does not mask the test.

Confirm:

• browser detection is enabled;
• the requested URL has no language prefix;
• the browser advertises no configured language;
• the redirect target uses the selected locale prefix policy;
• the destination content and navigation are ready;
• the response does not enter a redirect loop;
• a manual selector choice overrides the browser result later;
• explicit localized URLs remain unchanged.

If the visitor stays on the main locale unexpectedly, check whether the configured fallback still belongs to the available-language list and whether the request is eligible for automatic detection.

Continue with Configure browser language detection for the complete matching and exclusion rules.