You can now remap the Pixel 2 squeeze gesture to any other app

The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL include a squeeze gesture to launch Google Now or silence incoming calls. This is known as Active Edge and it’s a feature that seems to be responsive and intuitive. However, like Samsung’s dedicated Bixby button, not everybody wants to use Active Edge in the way that Google intends.

The guys over at XDA Developers have been trying to remap this already and said only yesterday that it was posing quite a challenge. It appears now, however, that someone has found a way to do it.

The functionality is included with the latest version (0.53) of the free Button Mapper app from developer flar2, and can be used to make the gesture launch any other action or app. You can make it open Chrome, WhatsApp, or the Camera, for example, or use it as a toggle for silent mode, perhaps. 

This was demonstrated by the developer flar2 and you can see it in action in the video below.

Alas, there is more to getting this up and running than simply downloading and installing the app — there’s a 14-step tutorial for it over at XDA, but the good news is that it doesn’t require root. This method also isn’t a true remapping of the gesture: activating the edge function only triggers another service in the middle, meaning it will be a little slower than the native functionality (though XDA Developers notes that this should be a speedy enough replacement.) You’re also forced to briefly return to the home screen when you do it. 

It’s not without its quirks, sure, but this is the only option available right now for those who want to assign another function to Active Edge. Hopefully, a less convoluted solution will present itself in the future.