It's no secret that Google and HTC have been working together on the Pixel 2. The two companies recently finalized a massive deal which saw the transfer of core HTC engineers over to Google, after all. With how tightly Google controls the design and development of the Pixel smartphones, it's sometimes difficult to see where Google's partner OEM might have had an influence. That isn't true of the Pixel 2's Active Edge feature, which is clearly influenced by HTC's Edge Sense. A major difference between Google and HTC's implementation is that HTC's is far more customizable. Now, however, the Pixel 2's Active Edge customization possibilities are limitless thanks to Edge Sense Plus.
Edge Sense Plus is an application by XDA Recognized Developer j to the 4n, initially developed for devices with HTC's Edge Sense (hence the name), that has recently been updated to support the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The app not only allows you to perform custom actions on a single squeeze of the Pixel 2, but it also opens up the ability to perform actions on a double or long squeeze of the device.
As you can see in the screenshots above showing the app's configuration settings, you can set an action on a single, long, and double squeeze of your device. These actions can also be customized based on the device's physical orientation, or disabled entirely when the phone is in your pocket (in case you prefer a higher sensitivity and accidentally squeeze your phone when grabbing it out of your pocket.)
The app is chock-full of features, although the double squeeze and orientation detection require purchasing the premium version of the app, and the developer lets you choose how much you want to spend to unlock the premium version (either 1.49€, 2,49€, 3,99€ and 5,49€ will fully unlock the app). Given how much it offers, it's not a lot to ask for. To make it even more enticing, the developer announced today that he has added Tasker integration to his app, which means you can do literally anything you want with a squeeze of your Pixel 2.
Edge Sense Plus Tasker Integration
For those of you who haven't heard of Tasker, it's the most popular automation app on the Google Play Store. It consists of "Profiles" and "Tasks" which can be lumped together into a "Project." A Profile is made up of one or more conditions (called "Contexts" in Tasker) that, when met, launches a Task, which is a set of user-defined actions. For example, if you make a Profile with the "Wi-Fi Connected" Context that triggers when connected to your home SSID, you can launch a Task that changes your default wallpaper.
Steps to get Edge Sense Plus working with Tasker. Left to right.
Tasker integration is pretty cool, though the learning curve can be quite steep. We've made many Tasker-related tutorials over the years and our Tasker Tips & Tricks forum is still going strong. If you get into Tasker, you will open up customization you never thought possible on your device. If not, don't worry, because Edge Sense Plus has a lot more to offer.
Edge Sense Plus Actions
Here is a list of available actions in the app which I have separated by category for ease:
Navigation
- Back
- Home
- Recent Apps
- Split Screen
- Expand/Collapse Statusbar
- Expand Statusbar
- Previous app
- Scroll up
- Scroll down
Connectivity
- Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi
- NFC
- GPS
- Sync Toggle
- Sync All Accounts
Media
- Play/Pause Media Player
- Previous track
- Next track
Settings
- Autorotation
- Brightness
- Do Not Disturb
- Vibration
- Keep awake
Shortcuts
- App shortcut
- Sidebar
- Gesture Panel
- HTC Edge Launcher
- Start Application
- Google Assistant
- Flashlight
Actions
- Action per App
- Screenshot
- Clear all notifications
- Accept Call
- End Call
- Fullscreen Mode
- Shell command
- Screen on/off
- Tasker integration (new)
Edge Sense Plus vs Button Mapper
Some of you may have heard of Button Mapper by XDA Recognized Developer flar2. We've covered it on the Portal in the past. You may have seen our previous article that went over how to remap the Active Edge on the Google Pixel 2 using Button Mapper. So what's the difference Button Mapper works without needing root access. Edge Sense Plus requires root access. But that doesn't mean that Edge Sense Plus is inferior. In fact, it's quite the opposite, and here's why.
Active Edge is hard-coded to only allow for squeezing to launch the Google Assistant, dismiss alarms, or silence incoming calls when the phone isn't in immersive mode, in the Google Camera app, or in the middle of a phone call. Because of these restrictions, Button Mapper has to use a workaround in order to remap the squeeze function. It implements a service that reads the system logs on your device while filtering for something called the "ElmyraService" (a code-name for Active Edge). Once it finds this line, Button Mapper performs an action of your choice. As you might expect, this can have a toll on device performance, and many users have reported as such.
Edge Sense Plus won't cause any performance issues, because this app requires you to install a Magisk Module that replaces the stock SystemUI APK on your phone with a modified one that intercepts the ElmyraService to send all events to Edge Sense Plus. In essence, the stock Active Edge functionality is actually remapped whereas the non-root Button Mapper solution just gives a guise of doing so. Obviously, the trade-off is that Edge Sense Plus needs root access for this, which means fewer users might be willing to install it.
How to Install Edge Sense Plus on the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL
Now that you know all that there is to know about remapping your Pixel 2's Active Edge feature, why not give it a shot? The first thing you'll need to do is actually install the app from the Play Store. It is free to install, though as mentioned before, the double squeeze and motion sensor features require an in-app purchase. Furthermore, if you want Tasker integration, you'll have to install Tasker which only offers a 7 day free trial (it's one of those apps that is totally worth its price, though).
Edge Sense Plus (Free+, Google Play) →
Next, you'll need to root your device. We have a guide on how to do that here or you can use the automated tool linked here. Finally, you will need the Magisk Module for your device. You must install the proper Magisk Module linked below for your device or you'll end up in a bootloop!
Download Edge Sense Plus Magisk Module for the Google Pixel 2
Download Edge Sense Plus Magisk Module for the Google Pixel 2 XL
Once you've installed the Magisk Module and rebooted your phone, you should be able to open up the app and start customizing Active Edge to your heart's desire. Enjoy!
Note: this article is not sponsored in any way by the developer of Edge Sense Plus. The developer is an active contributor on our forums and as a courtesy we generally cover applications, modifications, or anything else made by active members that we think our readers might be interested in. If you have shared something on our forums that you think deserves a shout out on the Portal, send us a tip.
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