1922680 - Pocket recommendations does not respect language value set in about:config

Status: NEW

(Firefox :: New Tab Page, defect, P3)

Description

[MisterSilvereagle]

Steps to reproduce:

1. Install Firefox
2. Enable pocket recommendations on the newtab page (browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.system.topstories if there is no option)
3. In about:config under browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.section.topstories.options set "stories_endpoint" to "https://getpocket.cdn.mozilla.net/v3/firefox/global-recs?version=3&consumer_key=$apiKey&locale_lang=fr&feed_variant=default_spocs_on". This should in theory tell pocket to download french news. The link returns correct french news in json if requested manually
4. Restart firefox, the news are still english

Actual results:

As stated, the news were still in english language and corresponding to american local events

Expected results:

The news should have been displayed in french

Comment 1

[BugBot [:suhaib / :marco]]

The Bugbug bot thinks this bug should belong to the 'Firefox::New Tab Page' component, and is moving the bug to that component. Please correct in case you think the bot is wrong.

Comment 2

[Monica Chiorean]

I was able to reproduce the issue mentioned using the steps provided on Win11x64 using Firefox 133.0a1(20241016214437).

Comment 3

[BugBot [:suhaib / :marco]]

The severity field is not set for this bug.
:thecount, could you have a look please?

For more information, please visit BugBot documentation.

Comment 4

[Scott [:thecount] Downe]

The pref being flipped in step 3 is an older implementation that still has some edge cases that uses it, thus we have not yet fully removed it. Think of that pref as deprecated.

I wouldn't expect changes to it to do anything.

I'm also not sure what you're trying to do. We fully support FR with FR stories if you download the FR browser and are in France. It sounds like you want either:

1. An English browser locale with FR stories, or
2. To be outside of France but with FR stories.

There may be a way to support options 1 or 2, but I'll need to get back to you in after trying some prefs.

Comment 5

[Scott [:thecount] Downe]

I don't see a way to do options 1 or 2, I also checked the older implementation, and it doesn't look like it has FR stories anyway.

Currently the only option is to change your browser to fr and to change your region to FR. If you're not in France, you can change your region with these prefs:

1. Set browser.search.region to "FR"
2. Set browser.region.update.enabled to false (So it doesn't revert your custom region back later)

Comment 6

[MisterSilvereagle]

The pref being flipped in step 3 is an older implementation that still has some edge cases that uses it, thus we have not yet fully removed it.

Alright, that clears up why it doesn't work.

1. An English browser locale with FR stories

Yes, that is exactly what I want to do.

..., and it doesn't look like it has FR stories anyway.

As far as I see, stories are supported for English, Spanish (Spain and Latin America), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Korean, Dutch, Polish, Russian, and Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal).

Currently the only option is to change your browser to fr and to change your region to FR.

Changing the two prefs did not work. Also, I would like to keep my search region as it is right now.

So, do I understand correctly that there is currently no way to have both the browser display language and search region in (for example) english and the language the stories are displayed in another (supported) language? Sad...