The usual spelling and grammar tools come up the wrong way till the moment killing your writing flow, and you must bring to a standstill to bring the mistakes manually. However, AI powered tools in Gboard like those above make text editing much more smooth, but sometimes it is preference to write without AI interference. Here android 16 provides new feature which empowers users and developers to choose which time they want to disable AI writing tools.
What’s New in Android 16?
Android 16 Developer Preview 2, two additions to the EditorInfo class were discovered by Mishaal Rahman of Android Authority:
isWritingToolsEnabled()
- It is a method that gauges if a writing tool equipped with AI is turned on for a particular text field. These tools by default are enabled universally.
setWritingToolsEnabled()
- This enables apps to disable AI writing tools on some specific text fields such as allowing developers to decide on which areas and under what circumstances AI support would be enabled.
An EditorInfo class takes the place of a bridge to link between apps and keyboards so keyboards can adapt. For example, a numeric field might only show numbers displayed on a keyboard, or password field might not display any predictive text options.
Where AI Writing Tools Won’t Help
While AI-powered writing tools are immensely helpful in regular text fields (like emails, messages, or document editors), some scenarios don’t benefit from AI intervention:
- Password Fields: Sensitive entries like passwords do not need something suggested or changed by AI.
- Numeric Fields: Entering numbers, such as phone numbers or credit card details, doesn’t need to come with writing tools getting in the way.
- Email Addresses: Rewrite text and AI suggestions may have an error in structured field like email address.
Android 16 enables consistent behavior across keyboards by introducing the Writing Tools API, and enables developers to selectively disable UI tools in these contexts.
Benefits of AI Writing Tools
For most users, AI-powered keyboards like Gboard offer significant advantages:
- Faster Text Entry: Writing with AI gives real time suggestions and auto completes to speed up the writing process.
- Enhanced Accuracy: Grammar and spelling suggestions help make your text better.
- Seamless Assistance: Built-in AI tools mean you don’t need to switch your apps to rephrase text or improve it.
These tools are especially great to work with if you want to quickly and accurately bring your thoughts out and they are especially helpful when you are writing emails, documents, or messages that you want to get your points right away.
Better Control for Developers and Users
The new Writing Tools API gives developers the flexibility to refine user experiences:
- Customizable Behavior: Whether AI tools should be enabled or disabled for certain fields is up to the app.
- Consistency Across Keyboards: Android 16 is a bit different from some existing keyboard apps, however, in that it codecs and android handles all AI tools similarly between password fields and numeric fields.
The Workaround: Bypassing Restrictions
Even with these new controls, there’s an easy way to bypass restrictions: which means that they can use their text in another app, where AI tools are enabled, and paste it into the Field that is restricted. This isn’t a perfect solution, but it’s a reminder of the tradeoff between convenience and control that Android 16 wants to help foster.
Conclusion
Android 16’s AI writing tools control much more advanced text editing capabilities than anything we’ve seen. These features either cater best for a developer building apps that require custom text input or a user who needs more control over writing assistance.
AI keyboards like Gboard will do most of the work, but the folks behind Android 16 swear they’re giving you the power to decide when and where to use AI assistance. So we can maintain that balance of innovation and user control to make for a smart, smooth, and secure typing experience.
Ethan Cole is a tech aficionado dedicated to exploring the latest innovations and gadgets, providing reviews and insights to keep you updated in the tech world.
