If there’s one thing we know to anticipate when it comes to Google, is that the features and products it introduces today have a high probability of getting killed off some years later. Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes not. It turns out, though, that one feature of Google Pixel phones is pretty popular for our readers and they’d like it to stick around: Active Edge.
For those of you who don’t use Pixel smartphones, Active Edge is the “squeeze” feature introduced with the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Its default action is to launch Google Assistant by simply squeezing the sides of your phone, although you can remap it to do other things if you like.
Related: Google Pixel 4 buyer’s guide: Everything you need to know
To be clear, the HTC U11 did this first, but HTC is…well…HTC. Since Google brought out the feature, Active Edge has landed on every Pixel phone, including the Google Pixel 3a.
Rumors are circulating, though, that Google could dump the squeezable sides in its upcoming phones. We wanted to know how our readers felt about this, so we put it to a poll!
Active Edge poll results
Our poll asked a very simple question: “Should Google ditch Active Edge on future Pixel phones?” Responders had to pick from one of two choices:
- Yes, Google should remove it
- No, Google should keep it
Here’s the breakdown for how Android Authority readers feel about Active Edge:
It appears that a slim majority of our readers want Active Edge to stick around. This is surprising to us, considering the feature is a bit gimmicky, something our readers tend to reject. It appears that Google found the right balance between gimmick and usefulness with this particular feature that made it a must-have for most Pixel owners.
Some of your comments
Credit: Eric Zeman / Android Authority
Now that we know the majority of our readers would prefer Active Edge to stick around on future Pixel phones, let’s find out why. To find out, we delved into the comments related to the original article on the matter.
You’ll notice some of the comments refer to double-tapping. That’s because the rumored replacement for Active Edge might be a double-tap on the back of the device.
Check out some choice comments below.
50CentArmy:
Noooooooooo! I actually use that feature 🙁
StankyChikin:
Not sure how I can see Google removing one of the Pixel’s best features as being a good thing. Double tap for Assistant sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
MonkeySpanner:
I use Active Edge all the time. I feel self-conscious enough talking to my phone — I don’t need the extra burden of waking it up with a voice command.
MatteBlack:
One of the things I missed about having a Pixel! The double-tap isn’t the same! I used this enough previously it could legit be a dealbreaker. Also, how in the hell is this going to work with a case? The phone isn’t going to feel a tap through that. If it does it’ll be triggered significantly more than Active Edge. I could squeeze with a case on. I was waiting for the Google “dumb move” they have to make on seemingly every Pixel…🤦
Well, it appears the majority of our readers who want Active Edge to stick around are very passionate about it. Here’s hoping Google doesn’t ditch it! Although, knowing Google, we shouldn’t get our hopes up.
