Manufacturers of Android devices have been adding features to phones as long as they have been able. Some of these features are useful, like the OnePlus Alert Slider, or Moto’s Active Display. Others fall into the camp of the not-so-helpful like LG’s “Friends”, the secondary camera on the HTC M8, and Samsung’s Bixby button.
For us enthusiasts, the success or usefulness of these features is amplified by how well they are enhanced by the developer community. Just look at all the developers trying to modify the Bixby button despite Samsung’s continued retaliation and attempts to block it. HTC’s Edge Sense on the U11 is no different in that it is an added feature by the OEM, except HTC does not seem to actively blocking its modification, and all variants can be rooted allowing even further modification. This is how we are able to experience Edge Sense Plus, an application developed by XDA Recognized Developer j to the 4n and Recognized Themer Basil3.
So on the surface, HTC’s Edge Sense is fairly limited: you can launch the camera, launch a voice assistant, launch an application, trigger audio recording, take a screenshot, or start the WiFi hotspot. These can be activated by one of two squeezes, a short squeeze or long squeeze. While HTC has said they are working on adding new features to the application, it is still rather barren and that is where Edge Sense Plus takes it to the next level. You can use the application on a stock phone and you get a few added features, but I highly recommend buying the application and activating the Magisk module, because that is when the application really opens up. Without utilizing the Magisk module one main drawback of Edge Sense Plus is that it cannot work while the screen is off and a lock screen is set, something the stock implementation can do. But once you activate Magisk mode, it adds the functionality for the application to work while the display is off and locked and you lose nothing from the stock function.
So what can Edge Sense Plus do? Instead of being limited to 2 activation methods, Edge Sense Plus has the usual three primary methods for activation – single press, double press, long press – but also the ability to use the G-sensor to detect if it is held, or laying on a table when each of these main three gestures are triggered. As far as actions are concerned you can launch an application, activate a shortcut or a Tasker task, toggle things like bluetooth, wifi, vibration, DND, launch assistants, and a whole lot more – over 30 actions, not including near limitless shortcuts. Where Edge Sense Plus really shines, and personally my favorite feature, is the “Per App” actions which allow you to select what the action does in each application. So if you are in your primary media player application a short squeeze can play/pause playback and if it is sitting on a table that same action can be used to skip to the next track. This also works if the display is off but only if the application was in the foreground when you locked the display, which is logical. Edge Sense Plus’s strong suit for many users will be it’s flexibility and ability to do practically anything with the shortcut command, which can be used to launch Tasker Tasks. It also has some awesome customization options like the ability to change the color of the visual feedback, and activate a sound when using a gesture- both of which I have enabled, because those ripples need to be red to match my Solar Red phone. The app is in active development and features like the ability to accept and end calls are brand new along with controlling media playback; these were just added in version 1.2.0.
The final large feature of Edge Sense Plus is the sidebar, a popup taskbar that can be set to launch applications, view recent applications, or toggle quick settings. There is a lot of usefulness for a sidebar on a phone, Samsung even makes it a primary feature of its latest devices. Personally though, I don’t use this all that often, but it is very powerful and very useful when you customize it to exactly what you want.
The developer community has enhanced my experience for many phones, and Edge Sense Plus is another application that takes a manufacturer feature that is limited in scope and makes it nearly limitless. To really get the full experience as I mentioned earlier, I highly recommend using the Magisk module and the extra enhancements that the paid feature offer, but neither are absolutely required. Edge Sense was called a gimmick by a lot of reviewers when the U11, launched and Edge Sense Plus proves that the feature has a lot more to offer than what HTC has provided with its stock implementation.
You can check out the Edge Sense Plus thread here, or download the application from the link below
Edge Sense Plus (Free+, Google Play) →
Disclaimer – This article is written from hand-on experience and is in no way endorsed or supported by the creators of the application. I purchased this application of my own accord and from for my own benefit prior to deciding to write on it.
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