Chrome 157's LanguageDetector on Android: Test It Without a Backend
Chrome 157 reportedly ships on-device language detection on Android, and the interesting part isn't the detection call. It's that availability() is the API. This walkthrough covers why `'LanguageDetector' in window` is a false positive, what the four availability states mean, and how a typed capability probe lets callers tell a missing API from a model that still needs a download. Then a backend-free test harness: serve a static page over adb reverse and localhost counts as a secure context. Finally, the fallback ladder that still stays in place, plus the caveats worth flagging, since the release claim comes from secondary coverage and needs checking against the primary release notes. Full write-up: https://hackyjs.com/posts/testing-chrome-157s-languagedetector-api-on-android-without-a-backend