We have already learned an awful lot about Google Inc.’s upcoming Pixel 2 phone considering the company has not even announced it yet, and thanks to a filing with the Federal Communications Commision, we now know another feature likely coming to Google’s latest flagship phone.

According to the filing, the Pixel 2 will sport an “Active Edge” feature that will allow users to access certain functions by simply squeezing the edges of the phone. The feature appears to be borrowed from the HTC U11, which makes sense as HTC Corp. is once again the manufacturer for the new Pixel. The idea behind Active Edge seems to be to allow users to access the new AI-powered Google Assistant without having to shout at their phone in public or go through the difficult task of finding and tapping an icon.

Active Edge had already been a rumored feature for the larger Pixel 2 XL phone, which is reportedly being manufactured by LG Corp. this time around, but the FCC document confirms that the feature will be present in the normal sized Pixel 2 as well. In addition to the new Active Edge feature, the FCC filing revealed a few other minor details about the Pixel 2, such as a persistent search bar in its settings menu instead of an icon.

Unfortunately, the public portion of the FCC filing did not include any pictures of Google’s new phone, so we still do not have an official confirmation on one of the Pixel 2’s most controversial rumors. According to a set of leaked renderings and pictures, Google might be following Apple Inc.’s lead in ditching the 3.5-millimeter headphone jack.

Apple caught plenty of flack when it decided to drop the 3.5mm jack from its phones in favor of its proprietary Lightning connector, and many users still have not gotten over it. The current user rating for the $9 Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter on Apple’s own website is about 1.5 stars out of 5, with many users complaining about not being able to both charge their phone and listen to audio at the same time. Several of the reviews on Apple’s site include statements such as “Worst. Decision. Ever.” or “This will be my last iPhone for sure.”

If and when Google confirms that it is dropping the 3.5mm jack, gimmicks such as Active Edge might not be enough to woo consumers looking for an iPhone alternative.

Photo: Google