The Pixel 2’s squeeze feature that is akin to the Edge Sense feature on the HTC U11 has been referenced in the latest Google app APK, and while this is hardly a confirmation from Google this is about as official as it gets before Google reveals the Pixel 2 on its upcoming event on October 4th, as the Google app will likely make use of the squeezable sides. For the Pixel 2 it looks like the feature will be called Active Edge, and according to a teardown of the APK by 9To5Google, users will be able to initiate Active Edge to access the settings for the Google app as well as activate Google Assistant, giving users yet another way to get the Assistant up and running.
In addition to the Active Edge feature, Google Assistant looks to be getting a new feature itself called Routines that will enable multi-action initiation, but without having to actually issue a command for each action. The strings of code found within the APK don’t make any references to examples of what actions could be carried out, but being able to link up multiple actions and use only one command to have them all completed could prove to be extremely useful, and more efficient for users who have various smart products around the home that can interact with Google Assistant.
One particularly interesting feature that seems to be on the horizon is the ability to change the voice for Google Assistant, much in the same way that you can change the voice for things like the voice-guided directions, as well as the navigation system within apps like Waymo. Currently Google Assistant is only usable with one voice and can’t be altered but that seems to be changing in the near future. Having said that, it’s not mentioned what the different voice options will be, and whether Google plans to add one or two or a handful of new options. Google may be adding more hotword commands. To be more specific, Google may finally let users configure the hotword for activating Google Assistant, or at the very least pick something from a predefined set of options that is different from the currently usable Ok Google command. Whether or not users will be able to pick their own commands and completely customize it is uncertain, but it seems Google is going to give users a little bit more control in this area.