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Android 16 will let apps block AI writing tools
- Android 16 is introducing a new WritingTools API.
- The WritingTools API lets apps opt out of writing tools that enable keyboards to replace the user’s text with text generated by AI.
- Apps might want to disable AI writing tools when the user is inputting text in certain text fields like for emails.
Google rolled out the second developer preview of Android 16 the other day, bringing the platform a whole host of new developer features like better app control over haptics, search support for cloud media items in the photo picker, an adaptive refresh rate API, and more. As usual, it also includes changes that Google didn’t highlight in its announcement, some of which we’ve already covered. The latest change we’ve spotted is a new Writing Tools API that seemingly lets apps opt out of having AI rewrite text for you.
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While digging through the documentation for Android 16 DP2, we notice that Google documented two new methods in the EditorInfo class: isWritingToolsEnabled() and setWritingToolsEnabled(). The EditorInfo class basically lets apps communicate information about an editable text field (like the type of text content it contains) to the current input method (i.e. an Android keyboard app).
The new isWritingToolsEnabled() method returns true when an Editor has AI writing tools enabled, which are enabled by default on all text fields. The documentation notes that “toolkits can optionally disable [AI writing tools] where not relevant e.g. passwords, number input, etc.”
The documentation under the new setWritingToolsEnabled() method explains how it can be used by apps to opt out of having writing tools rewrite text using generative AI.
Some keyboard apps like Gboard have AI writing tools that help you proofread or rewrite text using on-device or cloud-based generative AI models. Gboard has a proofread option on some Pixel devices, for example, that helps correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation in any text that you’ve typed, pasted, or dictated.
Most apps should have no reason to opt out of AI writing tools in most text fields, but some apps may want to instruct the current keyboard app to not allow them in some situations. It doesn’t make sense to allow AI writing tools to be used to replace text in fields where you have to input an email address, password, or phone number, for example.
While Gboard already hides most irrelevant options when it’s focused on a number or password field, some other keyboard apps might not, which seems to be the logic behind this new Writing Tools API. Regardless, it’s going to be up to keyboard apps to respect this new API. Even if they do, though, it seems like it’d be very easy to work around, as you could always just generate text in another app and then insert it into the text field where it’s supposed to be blocked.
We’re still digging through Android 16 Developer Preview 2 to find out what’s new, so keep an eye out for more coverage on Android Authority.